When we last caught up with Samantha Kim ’11 ’16 in 2017, the MMA enthusiast and recent MBA – Finance grad was stepping into the corporate ring for the first time. Now with a new degree under her belt, the gloves were off.

We often think of leaders at the head of a boardroom table, a charging army, a press room podium. They speak, we listen. In crises, we are at the edge of our seat. Our jobs, financial well-being, even our very lives depend on every word.

As our leaders help us define crises, it’s logical to think that the reverse is true: that crises can define a leader. However, “you first have to have the traits to navigate the situation,” said Johnson & Wales University associate professor David Hood, Ph.D. 

No matter which career field you’re in, a graduate degree can open the door to more opportunities for you and your future. Some managerial roles require candidates to have an advanced degree to apply, while in other fields an MBA or a master’s degree provides a competitive edge. To help you weigh your options, let’s take a look at the different types of graduate degrees and how they can help you reach your career goals.

Why Earn an MBA in HR?

With a love of travel and a career that occasionally takes him on the road, Brian Butterworth ’19 MBA - Organizational Psychology thought hard about how going back to school could ever be a possibility. But after over 10 years working at his current job, his self-mantra of “never stop learning” paired with his desire to advance his career was pointing to one thing, a graduate degree.

Even after graduating with her BS – Accounting from Johnson & Wales University and a successful 10-year career working as an accountant for nonprofits, Monica Leeming ’19 MBA was hungry for more. “I didn’t feel that my bachelor’s was enough for me,” she says. “I wanted to keep growing professionally so I felt that I need to do more to advance a little more.”

Since a young age, Alexis Kievning ’18, ’20 MBA – Organizational Leadership says she wanted to call the shots. “I just want to be an entrepreneur and I want to be my own boss and work towards my own goals.”

But right now, you can catch her bustling around Providence, working in the local political scene throughout the city.

“I never expected to be working in politics, but one thing led to another and that's then how I was offered the opportunity to work with the city,” she says.

Knowledge is power — the ultimate cliché. And, yet, it’s a statement that realistically defines the lives of modern instructional designers. These professionals understand that today's knowledge economy relies on the quick acquisition of new skills. Instructional designers are determined to optimize this process and, in doing so, transform academia and professional life as we know it.