When people ask me why I decided to return to school for a graduate degree at age 57, I always say, “So I can cross it off my bucket list.” I’m half joking, but only half.
I received my bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1984 and have worked in the communications profession ever since. For more than 20 years, I have dreamed of pursuing a professionally focused master’s degree in communications. I have pursued many job opportunities that listed a master’s degree as a preferred credential for candidates. Even so, I put off returning to school for any number of reasons: other priorities (primarily raising my son while caring for a chronically ill spouse), a lack of financial resources, a dearth of suitable academic offerings within reasonable commuting distance at a time when online programs had not yet proliferated. I wanted to pursue advanced studies that were geared specifically to my chosen work in public relations and marketing communications. I had no interest in a degree that led to a career path in academia or research.
In the spring of 2019, I found myself at a crossroads: Ten years shy of retirement, I faced a pending job loss at the same time my employer of 25 years, Penn State University, had just launched a fully online master of professional studies (M.P.S.) program in Strategic Communications. The degree, according to the brochure, “was created to be industry-ready, sharpening your skill set in a number of current best practices for communicating information in the professional world.” It was exactly what I had always wanted.
I decided it was time to pursue my dream, for the benefit of my suddenly tenuous career situation if not the winnowing of my bucket list. For three months, in between completing job applications and interviews, I requested undergraduate transcripts and contacted former professors and colleagues to ask for letters of recommendation. On June 20, mere days after I had accepted a new position within the Penn State system, I received my letter of acceptance to the M.P.S. program. It truly felt like a fresh start.
Of course the communications profession itself has undergone transformative change, and graduate school is nothing like I imagined it would be. Students admitted to the program are expected to bring a foundation of strong writing skills, basic knowledge of marketing concepts and some industry experience. The curriculum incorporates elements of content development, campaign planning and execution, ethics and media message analysis that are applicable to the traditional media of three decades ago. It also includes fundamentals of digital analytics as well as social media theory and strategy—things I never imagined when I began my career.
Perhaps the biggest surprise has been my adjustment to an online learning format. As a graduate of a bricks-and-mortar undergraduate program, I had reservations about the level of accountability involved in a course structure that did not require my physical presence in a classroom three times a week. Now I’m convinced that online study is the best way for working professionals to get the advanced education they need. While timelines and due dates may be flexible, the instructors are accessible and hold students to the same standards as those in residential (on-campus) programs. Videoconferencing technology makes for abundant possibilities for student interaction and collaboration. Since I have been doing everything from working to shopping from home since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I appreciate more than ever the fact that I can complete my studies remotely as well.
I plan to complete my degree program with a capstone experience in spring 2022, in hopes that pandemic restrictions will have lifted enough that I can walk across the stage to receive my diploma in May. Beyond that, the possibilities are varied. At the very least, I am confident I will have the knowledge and tools to bring a fresh approach to my current position. But who knows what other doors of opportunity may open? Maybe retirement isn’t just 10 years away after all.
About the Author
A lifelong Pennsylvania resident, Bev Molnar has worked for Penn State University as a marketing communications specialist for the past 27 years. Previously, she worked in the financial and health care sectors.
