Q. You’ve been laid off and are having trouble finding another job. Should you consider applying to graduate school?
A. That depends on several things, including your industry, your long-term career goals and your financial situation.
If a graduate degree makes sense generally for your career, this period of unemployment could be seen as a window of opportunity, said Jeffrey A. Heath, a managing director of the Landstone Group in Manhattan, an affiliate of the recruitment firm MRINetwork.
“Let’s say you’ve spent 10 years in law and you want to stay in this career,” Mr. Heath said. “In a couple of years the market will be healthier and you will have your master’s degree,” he said.
Being unemployed for a prolonged period can take a psychological toll, Mr. Heath said. “People begin questioning their value, often for the first time in their lives. Knowing you’re working toward something will make you feel better.”
Graduate school can also be a way to reinvent yourself. If you have previously thought of going in another direction, now may be the time to do so, said Sean O’Neil, a principal of One to One Leadership, a recruiting and leadership training firm in Pelham, N.Y.
You will need contacts in any new profession, and graduate programs can help connect you with alumni working in that field, said Eileen Kohan, executive director of the career planning and placement center at the University of Southern California.
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