Does it make sense for you to get more education?

Hi, Caitlin Faas here. I help busy professionals like you integrate graduate school seamlessly into your lives with productivity tips and career direction. Today, I want to talk about, is going back to school right for you and is more education right for you in general.

A lot of times I see potential clients have swirling thoughts in their head about “Should I go back and would this be good for me?”

And they're kind of starting to think about what will work out like, “Yeah, I think I’ll be good for this and I think it’ll do that, but maybe it’ll take a lot of my time.” But it’s all swirling up here and only the thoughts that pop up are the ones that kind of keep resurfacing and it's jumbled. It's just very jumbled.

1. Your finances

What I want you to do today if you're in this boat is really break down your cost and benefit analysis. I want you to write this down. I want you to think about “What is this going to do for me financially?” If you don't know how to find the nitty-gritty on what will happen if you go to this graduate program, you should be able to find easily the salaries of someone who has this degree. What is their salary? If you don't know where that is, send me a note and we’ll check because I'm happy to help you figure that out for your specific profession. You should be able see that line by line and you know what you make right now – Write this down.

You know what you make right now, what will I make after this program? What does this program cost me financially and how will bridge in between? There's a lot of conversations in between there and I also have resources for that and can send you some great people that are talking about helping graduate students with finances. So we've got those pieces of cost benefit analysis of your financial situation. You're going to write that down on one sheet.

2. Your time

Then I want you to think about what this will do for your time. You know that going to school is going to take your time, but do you have the time right now? Are you in a place where you can say, “Oh, it's okay if I need to do this in the evenings five days a week.” It's also starting to figure out exactly how much time will this program take me.

You may have a rough idea in your head. A graduate adviser might say to you, “It’ll probably take about this…” But talk to some first or second in years that are in the program. Get a realistic perspective from them. Are they working every single night and weekends or do they feel like there's a good balance and what does that look like for your time schedule? Is this worth the time that you would put in? The answer is a time sheet, so to speak, on your cost benefit analysis.

3. Your resources

And then the last thing would be about resources both professionally and personally like, “What resources do you need to use to make this happen? And so one example would be if you know that this is going to take a lot of your time and maybe you need childcare to support you to do this, do you have resources that can help with that so someone else in the home that is going to take on more of a child care role or you're able to hire somebody because your financial situation is pretty good and you're able to make room for that into your budget or family members – all kinds of resources that you could rely on as you go through this graduate school process.

If you think about these things upfront, you're able to prepare to go into your program much more smoothly rather than some graduate students feel lost in this process while they're in the middle of their program.

I can also help with that. So reach out to me if you're struggling. There are a lot of people going through this process and you're not alone.

Beware of the Nostalgia and Romance When Considering More Schooling

Hi, Caitlin Faas here. I help busy professionals like you integrate graduate school seamlessly into your life with productivity hacks and career direction. In today's video, I wanted to talk about de-romanticizing the idea of graduate school a little bit because when I work with potential clients, sometimes I hear them saying phrases like this,

“Oh, I really miss school. I loved everything about college. I really want to be back in the classroom.”

And they kind of have this image of what was going on during their time in college, maybe a little bit differently than what actually happened. I work with undergraduate students almost every day nine months out of the year. A lot of them are not running around saying like, “Oh this is so great. I just love everything about this.”

But when we’re in the moment, we don't usually see those things. It's looking back on the past and those are some psychological terms from your psychology professor here about when we reflect back on the past and we romanticize it.

1. Check in with reality

If you are thinking about going to graduate school, do you have some of these romantic ideas about it stemming from your past? How much of that is a realistic perspective about what it will actually be like?

And so, ways to find that out would be: have you talked to people in the program that you're thinking about or if you're not ready for a program yet, are you actually talking to people about what their graduate experience was like? Why they went back to school? And not just people who graduated because those are people who are reflecting on the past as well, but people who are in the program right now. Are they somebody who is a first year graduate student? Have you talked to them? What's their experience like right now? For a lot of them, it probably isn't like, “Oh, this is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

They're going to give you a much more realistic perspective both positive and negative, but you're able to walk into it with a more realistic idea.

2. Find healthy perspective

The other thing about the de-romanticizing this idea of graduate school is making sure that you're coming in from a place of a healthy perspective rather than being frustrated with the situation you're in right now.

Are you thinking, “Graduate school is my way out of the current job I'm in because I'm really frustrated with that?”

Part of that is, why do you want to go to grad school? Is it only the reason to get out of your current situation? And the common phrase we think of for that is “grass is greener on the other side” right? Like, “Oh, if I go to school that'll transport me out of this situation into a new situation and then my problems will be solved.” And we know that doesn't actually happen right? But I hear a lot of people say things like this, so that's why I want to bring it up. When you stop and think about the phrases that you're using, either in your head or you're starting to tell somebody that, do a check and say, “Wait. Is this reality-based?” “Is this a healthy approach?” “Am I approaching it with a good intention rather than a fear intention of ‘I'm frustrated, I want to get out of this situation, I am going to run away from this to do that.’”

Those are two things I want you to consider on your graduate school decision journey.

In the meantime, take the next step toward achieving your goals and check out my tips for reclaiming your time. Just leave your details below!

Should I go to an online or traditional graduate school?

Hi, Caitlin Faas, your productivity navigator, excited to talk to you about the differences between online graduate programs and traditional graduate programs and how do you decide which one is right for you.

The first thing I want to say is that not all online programs are created equal.

So when we use the word “online” a lot of programs mean completely different things and that’s something to investigate in a program that you might be interested in. So you might see an ad or go to a website that says, “We offer an online program.” And I want your first question to be, “What kind of online program?” Is it really interactive and they actually treat it like a traditional classroom in the sense that you meet at a certain time and you’re all in a Zoom room or Google Hangouts or Skype – all of these video platforms? Are you watching each other live and talking to each other live? They call that synchronous or is it an asynchronous program where you complete modules on your own and complete the course work on your own but check in once a while with an adviser. And so live programs are blended like this, maybe it’s a combination between those two extremes that I said – so synchronous or asynchronous.

Get the details

An online program that you're interested in should be ready to tell you all of the details about that and some of the really “on top of it” programs that I've seen that are trying to recruit students, they will have webinars and events for you to attend as a potential student so that you can see what the classroom environment is like. I've had a couple of students attend events like that where they learn more about the program and then they're able to make the decision about “Oh, I see. This online program isn’t what I thought it would be” or “I had the opportunity to make it as interactive I want it be.” That can be really convenient especially if you're in an isolated location or you're not able to drive to a particular place.

Does the program fit your life?

Whether or not it’s synchronous or asynchronous can be helpful depending on your life situation. So that’s something to take in consideration as well. Does my life situation facilitate the ability to do this program online? Will I be able to make the time to fit the details of this program into my life?

Sometimes I see people lean more towards a traditional experience especially if it is a clinical program or you need a lot of experience in person to experience the program.

Do you want someone to hold you accountable?

The other reason I see people lean towards it would be if you really need accountability. No matter what kind of online program you are in and on some level you're able to kind of life fade into the background, nobody’s necessarily following through with you. People will try to reach out to you and try to keep you engaged in that program. Typically, you'll just kind of fade in the background or maybe not show up to that class. But in a traditional classroom, if you really feel like you need that “I have to show up, I see people in person” it has a built in accountability to it that not all online programs have, but again it depends on that level of how blended it is – so something to think about. You know yourself best.

Where will the program take you?

And then the last thing to think about for a traditional or online is this general “What will this program be able to offer me?” And “Am I excited about where this will take me for the next steps?” So I want you to think about those things when you're deciding the difference between traditional or online. Either way you go, I want to make sure that you find students that have been through the program no matter what type of program it is and talk to them. Find graduates and friend students, either the program will facilitate that conversation for you or you’ll even find them on your own. Put out a request out there.

Navigating technology

Sometimes people worry about the technology part behind it like, “Am I technologically savvy enough to do this?” But you're watching this YouTube video and you figured that out, you can figure out anything out online as you manage platforms and as you turn in assignments. There’s a lot of help and support behind those programs. So you made it this far and you figured out how to find this video, so I'm sure you can accomplish that as well.

I'm really excited for you. Let me know as you're making this decision what else helps you make a decision and what kind of programs you're looking into. I'm always interested in learning about other programs. I don’t have a program, let me say that, I'm just interested in learning about programs for students to go on to and being able to help you navigate that transition. No vested interest in which way you go either way, but excited for you!

How is time different in graduate school compared to the corporate world?

Getting ready to head into graduate school after years in the corporate world? This video is for you:

Hi, Caitlin Faas, your productivity navigator, excited to talk to you about the differences in working full time and transitioning into graduate school or adding graduate school onto your busy plate.

Let's talk about the time difference.

You're probably wondering what is this experience going to be like? Maybe you've been out of school for so long that it's hard to know whether or not you know like, “Will I be able to pick this back up?” And you certainly will. I am confident that you can do that especially because you found this video and are being proactive, so kudos for that. You're figuring it out.

But let's talk about what happens with when you're thinking about working 40 hours a week for a corporation to when you start this graduate program.

Your final project

The first thing is that there will absolutely be classes that follow a structure with project deadlines, but what we want to talk about today is your final project, capstone, thesis, or dissertation that you'll be writing – whatever the final product is in your specific program.

So think back about what happened in your own undergraduate career and the lessons you've learned from that. I'm sure there are several, especially if you want to undergrad when you were 18 to 22. I teach undergraduate students and a lot of times, for them, being able to do well in a class without reading the textbook is a win. (YES!) But then you grow up and you're over the age of 25 and you realize would it really have killed me to read that book? Could I have learned something in that class? Retained it? – Especially when you're paying student loans. So all of those lessons are really great, yes, those lessons would have all served you well. You're going to be excited about this program. You're excited to read, excited to soak up knowledge, that is great.

Working for yourself

But let's think about what happens to your time management for that final project. In a corporation there's the CEO, there are vice presidents. Somewhere in there is your boss, project managers, people working on teams. Now for your final project, one big difference is going to be that you have to play all of those roles. You become the CEO and the person doing all of the work on your final project. And that's a big shift because now there aren’t people to report to report to so to speak. You've just got to get the work done. You actually have to be the one that creates the work and creates the idea of the work, creates the plan of the work and then execute that plan.

You might say, “But wait, I have an adviser.” And I know you’ll have an adviser, but the difference there is they will advise you on your topic and yes they'll be excited about your topic but they aren't really interested in making sure you follow through on that project. I mean it in the way that they are not responsible for it. And so, they aren't your boss saying, “You must meet this deadline.”

Often times it's completely up to you. You can meet whatever kind of deadline you want. It's a very continuous process. You're not leaving your graduate program at 5 p.m. and seemed like well done with work for the day. I don’t have to think about that project anymore. It kind becomes something that you're thinking about all the time and it's there.

Holding yourself accountable

Now there are ways to help set healthy boundaries absolutely, but it's still kind of - you're thinking about it all the time and having to meet these deadlines. You’ll say, “I'm going to turn this in to you by this date.” And they'll say, “Great.” And then maybe you don't turn it in and they're all like, “That’s okay.” They're not upset with you, “I know, but I need you to hold me responsible.” So there's that balance.

So that's why I want you to think about this today that you're going from having all these roles in a corporation to being all of the roles for your final project. That's why a lot of graduate students get writing partners, accountability buddies, or maybe you hire a coach to be able to help you follow through on your progress. There's a lot wrapped up in that, but I just want to highlight that one shift – that difference and thinking about who am I in my workplace and who am I going to be in graduate school and having to be in charge of all of those steps.

Tell us below about your experiences during the transition!

How to be successful in graduate school

Hi, Caitlin Faas, your productivity navigator, excited to talk to you about how to be successful in graduate school.

On the right track

The first thing is, if you're watching this video, that means you looked up something about "can I be successful in graduate school", which already means that you're amazing, right?

I want you to take a deep breath and know that you're amazing for even trying to look into this and think about it. That’s why I'm taking this video outside. It’s a gorgeous day and I want you to look at the trees, take a deep breath, and know that it’s awesome you're looking this up.

Tips for success

So, how to be successful in school? This is true for a lot of different programs. I've talked to a lot of graduate students about their experiences and I've put it into an email challenge for you that I’ll share below.

A lot of the things that you need to be successful for graduate school aren’t actually the things that you think of first. I asked dozens of past and current graduate students and said, “What do you wish you would’ve known before?” And you already know that of course work is going to be important, that you want to do well in your classes, but those weren’t the things that they wanted to you know.

Former graduate students and current graduate students say, “Oh, I really needed to have my time management system in place and I really needed to realize that I'm good enough for this program and I can do really well in this program. They accepted me for a reason.” And so many different topics like that.

Want to make sure you’re prepared for the next step in your education? Leave your details below, and I’ll send you my tips for reclaiming your time!

Feeling unsure about why you want to go to graduate school?

There are many reasons to go to graduate school and in this video, I challenge you to think about one of the related themes!

Caitlin Faas, psychology professor and coach, excited to talk to you today about some of the thoughts I've been having about graduate school.

Identify the “why”

I mentor a lot of students and clients that think about going back to graduate school. And I always start with asking about “why you want to go back to graduate school” or any type of program or certificate. So… “Why?” And there are a lot of great reasons to go back and we can make a whole list of those, but sometimes – Well, this is what I talk about today – sometimes there’s this sneaky thing that comes into the reasons that has to do with “enough.”

Beware of “enough”

And so, people say to me, “If I go back for this program, then I will be smart ‘enough.’” Then, “People will view me as competent ‘enough.’” “If I do this, then I'll feel better about myself” – which is another type of “enough” type of feeling. If I do this then this feeling will happen or I'll be in a different type of mindset or a better place.

Bird by Bird

Something I read this weekend that I want to read to you was from Anne Lamott who wrote a book called Bird by Bird that you may have come across yourselves. It’s pretty famous. She's writing to writers – people who want to become published writers.

In this book, she actually is referencing – in the section that I'm going to read, she's referencing the first Jamaican bobsled team and how there's a movie about it called Cool Runnings. And in that movie, this is the quote, “The coach is a 400-pound man who had won a gold in Olympic bobsled 20 years before, but had been a complete loser ever since. The men on his team are desperate to win an Olympic medal just as half the people in my classes are desperate to get published. But the coach says, ‘If you're not enough before the gold medal, you won't be enough with it.’ You may want to tape this to the wall near your desk." That’s what Anne Lamott says – the quote from her book Bird by Bird.

This really resonated with me because I thought this is the same thing that happens with people who are thinking about school. They'll say, “I'll be ‘enough’ after I complete this program.” And if you ask anybody who's been through a program, there usually isn't a magical…“Now I feel smart enough, now I feel competent enough.” Right?

You are enough.

It was a mindset shift or embracing the idea they are enough through a different process, not necessarily the process of going through graduate school to help them realize that.

My own example, I thought as I completed my Ph.D. or even before, people said I was smart. I felt like I could be smart enough in that program, but even after completing a Ph.D., I still didn’t feel smart enough. And so, again it was a different – through a lot of talking with people and mindset shift, I realized I am smart enough and I always was with or without my Ph.D. That's what I work with clients and students to realize, that if your sole reason to go to school is something about being enough, that is not (pun intended) going to be enough to get you through your graduate program.

So, can we work on the other more concrete reasons that will give you a reason to go to a program, stay in the program, and graduate from the program. I challenge you today to think about do you have any “enough” statements that are floating around in your head, kind of reasons of why you're going back or thinking about going back to school or it may be applicable to another domain.

Whatever you decide, make sure you’re prepared for the next step in your career by overcoming procrastination for good. Get my tips for reclaiming your time below!

5 Mistakes People Make When Considering More Education

I have a lot of students and coaching clients ask me about going back to school. Either to finish a degree they once started or to start a new program, such as graduate school. I love to talk about the possibilities!

But I also hear a lot of mistakes in thinking when people are considering their options.

Here's the list with details about how mindset shifts can help reshape the question or concern.

1. I don't want to go anywhere that requires test scores.

I get why people say this one. They don't want to take another standardized test. Not to mention pay for something like the GRE and spend an entire Saturday taking it. I get it. But choosing what kind of program you might want to pursue solely based on whether or not they require testing? That is a short-sighted mistake. Instead, think about whether or not this program will help advance your career and understanding of the field.

One standardized test should not stand in the way of your potential for a program or not. There are many helpful books and flashcards on the market with practice tests. Finding a partner to study with can also be beneficial to keep you motivated before test day. 

2. I have to pay for all of this education myself.

Are you sure? And I don't mean asking family or friends for assistance. But maybe your current employer would be willing to consider it as a professional development? Especially if you plan to stay with the organization, but would like to move up? Try asking them before dismissing the idea.

There are also several opportunities for assistantships and stipends at the graduate level. Many times my students are surprised to hear that graduate programs want people to work for them while they go through the degree program. Your potential program  may not advertise it directly on their website, but it is important to ask admissions or the program director about potential opportunities.

Scholarships for all types of learners are also an excellent way to help pay some of the costs of a new education program. They aren't just for high school students. Scholarships can be in the most surprising places too. My electric company even offers scholarships!

Don't forget potential tax deductions for any loans you take out to further your education. Again, there are several ways to finance an education, even if it is beyond the traditional four-year degree right after high school.

3. My local university does not offer the program I want to take, so I can't do anything.

Here's another mindset shift - what if you didn't take courses at the local university? What if your new education program was offered online? While it doesn't seem like a revolutionary idea in 2016 to be taking online courses, I still get a lot of questions surrounding the idea. My students ask me if "online programs" are looked down on by potential employers. With our increasing capabilities to Skype and connect with people across the globe, the online classroom is quickly changing. People can be engaged in meaningful conversations and discussions in online learning environments very easily now.  

The confusion really stems from for-profit schools. 10-15 years ago, it seemed like only for-profit schools were the ones online. Now almost all schools are online. So read up on the type of institution you might be considering before dismissing online learning. Not everyone feels like an online learning environment would be a good fit for them, but I recommend trying a free online course (from anywhere) to test one out.

4. I don't have anything else to do, so I might as well go back to school.

I also see this phrased as, "I'll keep going to school because once I stop, I'll never go back," and "I can't find a job, so I'll go back to school." Using these phrases to justify more schooling can be difficult because it might not be the root of the problem. If more education seems like the default choice with no other options, it will be really hard to keep the motivation to keep going in that program. And you may find yourself in the exact same situation after you graduate.

Nothing else to do? Are you absolutely sure? Have you spent some time on informational interviews with people in the field? Are many people in your life recommending that you go back to further your career? Or are you defaulting to the decision? Avoid the default. Go into the decision with purpose and passion.

5. More education always means more job opportunities and a higher salary.

Well, that depends. What type of education are you planning on getting? Have you looked into the job opportunities in your area for someone with that level of education? My favorite resource for exploring these details is O*Net Online. You can look up any job and see how much education is typically required, all based on the U.S. Department of Labor statistics. Some graduate programs actually limit your choices in jobs, if you want to apply the degree directly to your career. For example, medical school prepares you to be a medical doctor. Sure, you can do other things and many people pursue other options. But compared to a bachelor's degree in biology...the person with a bachelor's degree in biology has a larger variety of jobs they can apply for compared to the medical doctor.

So more education isn't always better for your career and salary opportunities. Of course, I always think "learning" is good for everyone! But that's not always the same as formal education programs.

What do you think?

What other things do you ask yourself when you consider going on for more education? Any other barriers you see in your way? Comment below!

How to Effectively Deal with your Back to College Stress

Maybe everything was sunshine and rainbows when you were thinking about going back to college in early August. You were most worried about your new wardrobe or which colors of pens to purchase.

But then reality set in. Only a few weeks into the semester and your stress is already building.

Yep, I get it. I may be on the "other side" as a college professor, but being on this side of things helps me see your perspective. So many papers to write and so many deadlines. Your professors expect a lot out of you, you want to spend time on your social life...not to mention juggling work and thinking about your future career. It's a lot to deal with all at once! Especially if you had a nice break this summer.

The good news is you are not alone and there are many strategies that can help.

Many other college students feel the same stress - I can promise you that. Maybe they don't look like it in class, but many of your peers are dealing with the exact same feelings. Do you hang out with the people who feed into your stress, just constantly talking about it? Or do you DO something about your stress? Well you must be ready to take action since you're reading this blog post! Surround yourself with people who are ready to take action and actually do something about their stress.

Map out your entire semester by weekly tasks and activities.

This sounds like a lot of work, but just a few minutes mapping out your semester can help you see the bigger picture. You can draw something simple or make a fancy Excel file. Either way, visualize the semester and the weeks in front of you. Do you have three exams in one week? Or a big project due before November? Map it out so you can see where the most "stressful" times will occur. 

Now can you dial back on some of your other activities during the most stressful weeks? If week eight looks like it will be jam-packed with exams,  papers, and projects, then can you find a way to work less at your job that week? Or make sure you have no ambitions to binge watch something on Netflix? Knowing that a big week is coming up helps you plan ahead. You can also warn others around you about your most stressful week. Tell your long distance friend that they might not hear from you until week nine or ten. Mapping is a great tool that helps you break down projects and the semester into manageable pieces. Think of that classic saying - you have to eat the elephant one bite at a time...and you'll be taking your semester one day or week at a time.

Schedule "worry sessions" for yourself.

A lot of times our stress is caused by the worry we have. You worry about your future career. You worry about what you said in class. Or how you reacted to a friend. Or what your sibling is up to back home. The list of things you might be worrying about is endless. But thinking about all of that worry all the time wears you down. And leads you to say, "I'm stressed out." Some of the worry is manageable through action steps, like we talked about above. But other times the worry just doesn't seem to go anywhere.

So what if you scheduled a "worry session" each day for yourself? You could say, "Between 8:00-8:30pm I am going to just sit and worry." The idea is that as worries start to pop up in your day, you say, "I'll save these for later," instead of stewing about them throughout your day. Try it out. See if it helps with the rest of your day. Now you might want to follow it up with a session of mindfulness meditation or relaxation. But "saving" your worries for later may help you recognize that your day does not have to be consumed by them.

* And if you deal with any anxiety disorders, please follow your counselor's or therapist's recommendations for your care. Of course!

Spend ten minutes writing about why you value your education.

I know, more writing in your life is just what you need! But hear me out. Writing out your personal values has a lot of research behind it. So let's tailor it to your education. Why are you working on your degree? Why are you in college at all? List out the reasons and hang on to the list. Revisiting the list from time to time can help remind you about your core values related to education. You'll get through this stress and this semester. Especially because you value it.

So those are some quick tips for you to effectively deal with back to college stress.

What else do you use on a regular basis to help deal with your stress? Share below in the comments!

The Right Mindset for Back to School

"Can you believe we already have to go back to school?"

These are the phrases we use as students (and teachers) everywhere this time of year. "Ugh, I can't believe my summer disappeared." Or "I have to start going to class again."

But what if we shifted what we say, just slightly?

One of my favorite productivity experts, Michael Hyatt, wrote about this idea earlier this year. Instead of saying, "we have to," what if we say, "we get to."

"I get to go back to school on Monday."

See the difference? It's subtle, but it takes the dread out of the sentence and shifts our mindset. Now we have something to look forward to. Now we remember that we chose to do this. We get to go back to something we are choosing to do. Again, true for both students and teachers. You might say, "Oh no, I HAVE to go school so I can get this degree...get that job...because my parents are forcing me..." the list goes on and on.

Stop and think about all the people in the world who would love to be in your shoes.

I don't say that to make you feel guilty, but to remind you of the privilege of education. Around the globe, millions of people do not have the opportunity to go to school, whether they want to be there or not. It is a privilege to be getting ready to go back to school. By using "get to" instead of "have to," we remind ourselves of that privilege.

"I get to wake up, go to school, and learn something. What a privilege."

You don't have to run around saying, "Wow, I'm SO EXCITED to go back to school," either to get into the right mindset. Just the word "get" is what changes things.

Now for the record, I am the teacher that runs around excited about the first day of school. It's the best day of the year if you ask me. Everyone is well rested, at least somewhat interested in the newness of the year, and everything is so fresh! School supplies - don't get me started on how much I love those! Yep, just quickly walk away. Nothing to see here.

What else do you "get to do" today? Share below in the comments!