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Now is not the best time to be on the job market, but it is a great time to be hiding in graduate school. The upside is that you can expand your skills and marketability instead of being lucky to be employed or finding yourself underemployed or unemployed. The downside is the increase in applicants makes each school that much harder to get into. Having successfully completed a JD or being in the process of doing so gives you an edge over the competition. What graduate degree you pair your JD with depends on what you want to do when you graduate. The choices are numerous, but a few readily spring to mind: MBA, MPP, and MPA. JFK has an MBA program and several other local universities have MPP and MPA programs (MPP and MPA degrees are very similar). For those of you who have not had your fill of law school, you can also get an LLM. Unlike, the other programs mentioned, an LLM is a one year program as opposed to a two year program.
An MBA does not carry the same cachet as it once did. In fact, many people blame our current economic crisis on the MBA crowd. Nonetheless, training in finance and business pairs well with training in the law. An MPP or an MPA also pairs well with a law degree. Making public policy can be challenging without a lawyer's understanding of how to interpret caselaw and knowledge of rule making procedures and much of the law is poorly understood without a grasp of the public policy reasons and implications of a judges' decisions. Both educational programs teach a little of the other. An MPA/MPP provides in depth training in policy analysis, administration and implementation which you will not get in law school. Dual JD/MPAs or MPPs typically go to work for government agencies, special interest organizations or politicians.
And for those of you who really enjoy spending time in the library, there is always library school. An MLS takes one year and an MLIS takes two years. Either way, it is an entree to a noble profession filled with very quiet people.
Acronyms
MBA = Master of Business Administration
MPP= Master of Public Policy
MPA= Master of Public Administration
LLM= Legum Magister or the feminine Legum Magistra
MLS= Master of Library Science
MLIS= Master of Library and Information Science
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2 comments:
An employer once said;
A high school diploma indicates that one can at least pronounce the word discipline. A bachelors degree shows that one has some discipline to operate a hotplate whereas a masters degree shows that one has more than some discipline to cook a friend a meal.
Any degree of growth above that indicates something more than the concept of practical discipline.
It means a commitment to develop your identity within a specific field through mental, ethical, and aesthetic instruction.
Your resume can never reflect that. So put on an apron, wash some dishes, put out the garbage, and finally clean the toilets. In 3 months, I'll let you know where you stand in this field mentally, ethically, and aesthetically.
Do you still want the job?
I like it. I am a bit afraid that the do everything approach to a job has left the building. I hope I am wrong.
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