I earned my B.S. this past March, and I’ve just begun my Master’s in Statistics. But my heart really isn’t in it anymore; I’m 38 years old, and I’ve been going to school on and off for twenty years - “on” for the past five. I’ve about had it, and I’m ready to get on with my life. If I can find a good job, I’ll drop out of school in a heartbeat. But the chances of that happening seem rather slim right now, so in the meantime I’ll keep plugging away at school.
I’ve been sending out resumes for the past couple of months, and one thing I’ve been going back and forth on is whether or not I should include the fact that I’m currently a graduate student - either on my resume or in a cover letter.
On the one hand, I’d like to think that, in some situations at least, the fact that I’m in grad school would score some points - for instance, if I’m applying for a job where knowledge of statistics is required.
But on the other hand, I’m afraid that a prospective employer might think that I’m not really that serious about wanting the job; or, I fear they would frown upon the idea that I’d be willing to toss school out the window. To put it another way, I guess I’m afraid that an employer would assume that I’m just throwing my resume out there to see what happens, and that school is more important to me - and thus they won’t want to waste time on me.
Thus far I’ve included my grad student status on some resumes/cover letters, and left it off others. Is that the best way to go about it?
If you are willing to just toss school out the window, why lie about it?
You are old enough at this point where people will be willing to listen to you when you address your career plans honestly, and at this point you may find that being honest and upfront will benefit you. I don’t think it’s worth trying to game the system- just tell them who you are and how you can benefit their company. If you can make a convincing argument that you will be an asset to their company, they will hire you regardless of the circumstances.
I didn’t mean to imply that I planned to lie about it, or play games; if I left it off my resume and it somehow came up in an interview, of course I would tell the truth. But at that point I would be able to explain where I was coming from. What I worry about is that I won’t get that far, because the assumption that school is most important may be made, and my resume shitcanned.
I would go ahead and list it in the “education” section, which is typically near the bottom. Something like:
EDUCATION
University of Billy Bob, Bachelor of Science in Basket-Weaving, May 2000.
Clown College, Master of Science in Balloonology, in progress (estimated graduation date May 2010).
The employer might assume you’re doing that in the evenings (if you also currently have a job).
If the classes are something that might be relevant, but if you’re going to drop out when you get a job, maybe avoid the estimated graduation date but just list “Clown College, studies in Balloonology” with no estimated date.