Be Smart About
Returning to School
to Complete or
Start a Degree
Presenter: Kathy Schrier, National Director The Actors Fund Work Program,
kschrier@actorsfund.org.
Introduction
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Why Are So Many Adults
Thinking of Returning to School?
•
A 2012 Georgetown University Study The College Advantage
showed that college graduates earn 84% more than high
school graduates.
http://cew.georgetown.edu/publications/reports
•
A February 2013 New York Times posting: College Premium:
Better Pay, Better Prospects quotes the US Census, 2011
figures of a male college graduate earning 1.95 times what a
high school male college graduate earns.
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/college-premiumbetter-pay-better-prospects
•
A February 2012 Forbes magazine article states that in 2011,
as the total national unemployment rate begins to decrease,
the rate for those with at least a BA degree was 4.9%; the rate
for those with a high school diploma 9.4%
http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnebersole/2012/08/08/why-a-college-degree
Why Should Entertainment
Industry Professionals Enroll
in Higher Education Programs?
How Does One Decide to Return to
School, and If so, What Course of Study,
and at Which College or University?
In This Presentation We Will Learn:
• How degrees relate to career plans
• Through case scenarios, ways to assess whether
returning to school will advance your career goal(s)
• What steps you should take if you decide to go back
to school
What Is a Career Plan?
A career plan is a road map to identify
a future career option and strategies to
obtain work related to the career option.
Career Planning: STEP 1
The first step in creating a career plan is self-assessment—or
assessing ones interests, skills, personal values, income needs
and experience and to match this information with specific
occupations and industries.
The Actors Fund’s podcast Finding a
Balance—Having a Performance
Career and a Meaningful Parallel
Career, the first in the series will
give you steps to create a plan and
other resources.
http://www.actorsfund.org/services-and-programs/actors-fund-podcast-series
Career Planning: STEP 2
The second step is to conduct labor market research for specific
industries and or occupations to determine your potential for
employment, wage rates and benefits. This research will also
give you information about recruitment methods and strategies,
work hours and whether work is part-time or full-time and the
work environment (team work,
working alone, etc.)
The second Actors Fund podcast
Conducting Labor Market Research
will give you more information about
conducting labor market research.
http://www.actorsfund.org/services-and-programs
/actors-fund-podcast-series
Career Planning: STEP 3
Develop an action plan based on the
findings of steps one and two
Careers Where Education is Required
Occupations that require a state license
or certification, for example
• Teaching
• Health care professions
vary by state, and usually
• Requirements
are regulated by the State Department of Education
And What If a Job Seeker Identifies a
Career That Does Not Require Licensing?
Does It Make Sense for the Job Seeker
to Return to School?
This is a complicated question and the answer depends on the
job seeker’s work history, education, and connections and the
answer to two questions:
1.
2.
Do jobs related to this career require a degree?
And if so, what kind of degree?
Will a degree give the job seeker a competitive advantage?
Let’s give some examples related to
entertainment industry professionals.
All of these stories represent issues that
have been presented to Actors Fund
Work Program staff.
Joe’s Story
Career Planning: STEP 1
Teach acting on the college level
• BFA degree and studied with well-respected teachers
• Regional theater credits and day performer credits
• Teaching artist experience
Joe’s Story
Career Planning: STEP 2
Joe’s Labor Market Findings
•
The Chronicle of Higher Education, the
number one job site for all faculty positions.
https://chroniclevitae.com
•
A service of Theatre Communications
Group (TCG) which lists theater
faculty and administrative positions.
http://www.tcg.org/artsearch
•
Reviewed cv’s, conducted
informational interviews
And the Results of Joe’s
Labor Market Research
•
•
Need an MFA and major industry credits
Experience teaching as an adjunct is an advantage
The Conclusion for Joe
Action Plan: STEP 3
Because Joe does not have major performance credits,
an MFA will probably not add to his competitiveness
for university teaching positions but…
Jane’s Story
Career Planning: STEP 1
•
•
•
•
Musician for over 10 years
Has worked as an office temp
Has excellent computer skills
Has completed one year of college
Jane Is Thinking of Completing Her
Degree Because
• She feels that not having a degree is “unfinished
business.”
• If she majors in computer science she can enhance
her computer skills.
• The temp agencies tell her they will be able to get her
more and better work with a degree.
• Placement offices at the local colleges have had
excellent success in placing graduates in the
computer science program in excellent jobs.
How Is Jane’s Story Different from Joe’s?
• A bachelor’s degree will give Jane a competitive edge.
• Jane’s choice, computer science has a higher demand
(jobs) than supply (job seekers).
• Joe’s chosen field, teaching drama on a college level
is the opposite—lower demand (jobs) than supply (job
seekers).
Stacey’s Story
How a degree relates to marketability is not as clear cut as either
Joe’s or Jane’s.
Career Planning: STEP 1
• Cameraperson for 17 years
• BFA in film studies from UCLA
• Union member
• Work has been solely documentaries, commercials and
industrials
• Worked on two major films
• Income from film and tv work has not been sufficient—
has a part-time job managing a small apartment complex.
Stacey’s Career Planning
The first step in career planning was easy for Stacey,
because she already has work experience in her chosen field.
Career Planning: STEP 2
Stacey’s labor market research
• Median salaries for managers of commercial buildings
is about double her current income and managers of
rental buildings have a lower pay scale than managers
of commercial buildings.
Stacey’s Story
Career Planning: STEP 2 (Market Research continued)
Review of job postings for managers of commercial buildings revealed
• High demand job
Most common requirements
• Experience
• Good interpersonal skills
• Computer proficiency
Informational interviews revealed that the hiring process takes a long time.
And most important the education level of managers range from
high school graduates to MBA’s in management or finance.
One manager had a MPA in disaster management.
Stacey’s Conclusion:
• Stacey sees there are jobs that are of interest, and she
has both appropriate experience and skills for the jobs.
• However, Stacey is concerned about the fact that her
experience has been solely managing small residential
buildings.
• She believes that returning to school for an advanced
degree would make her more competitive and give her
needed skills.
What Do You Think of Stacey’s Reasoning?
•
Stacey could pursue employment as a manager of commercial
buildings without returning to school.
•
She is correct, however, that a degree will increase her competitive
edge and help to improve her skills.
•
Student status is a great platform for networking—a key job search
strategy.
•
Class projects, written papers, and perhaps internships will give
Stacey the opportunity to get to know various commercial
management companies and they will get to know her.
•
Stacey does need to do more research—before step 3, creating an
action plan, what degree and what major would be best is still a
question. Stacey needs to review various programs, meet with
faculty and students/alumni in order to make an educated decision.
To Summarize
• For some careers returning to school is mandatory.
• For some careers, a degree is a needed credential to
enhance experience and knowledge.
• For some job seekers returning to school may not be
necessary to find work, but will give them a competitive
edge and give them the skills need to advance on the job.
• Finally, returning to school might not be needed to find a
job, but will be of value to perform job duties and serve as
an excellent networking vehicle.
Let’s Say You Decide to Return to School,
Look at Your Finances
Probably the most important question is looking at your
finances and the cost of returning to school. Another Actors
Fund e-learning program, “Paying for Schooling and Managing
Student Loans,” will address these issues but there are other
considerations…
Let’s Say You Decide to Return to School,
What are Your Next Steps?
1. Do you want/need to return to school within commuting
distance from your current home?
2. Do you plan to go to school full-time or part-time?
3. What is the program structure and requirements?
How will it add to your resume?
Jane’s Decision
Office Technology vs. Internship.
How to Decide?
• Consult with local employers
• Meet with career counselors at the two colleges
• Research program faculty to decide if she wishes
to study with them
Let’s Return to Our Questions
1. Do you want/need to return to school within commuting
distance from your current home?
2. Do you plan to go to school fulltime or part-time?
3. Would you prefer a traditional or non-traditional program?
Traditional Programs
Majority of the learning is classroom based and students are
usually assessed through term papers and/or written exams
Non-traditional, Often Called Adult Programs
May have independent study options, internships or co-op
programs, deliver most or all courses on-line, and/or give credit
for life experience
Are Private Schools Better Than State Schools?
• There are quality universities, colleges and degree programs
that are both private and public.
• Attending a public university might not mean lower costs
than attending a private university. Because of
• Scholarships
• Work study programs
• Tuition discounts or waivers
• Costs may be less at a private institution
• Cost of schooling is another area that needs to be
researched
We Also Learned
• Government regulated occupations have
education/degree requirements.
• Obtaining a degree maybe a component of a career plan,
but usually experience is also needed.
• Returning to school can be a great vehicle for building
networks and gaining relevant work experience.
• All programs and universities are not the same and it
takes time and research to find the most appropriate
course of study.
Let’s Summarize What We’ve Learned
•
Creating a career plan is critical to making a decision about
obtaining a degree, and a career plan has three components:
1. Assessing one’s skills, interests, personal
values and experience
2. Conducting labor market research
3. Utilizing information in steps one and two to
create an action plan which includes assessing
whether a degree relates to the plan
We Hope You Found This Training Helpful
Coming Soon will be another session entitled
“Paying for School and Managing Student Loans”