Would a graduate certificate "freshen up" my resume and make me more attractive for hiring?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I have a BS in Agronomy, which is the study of plants, soils and fertility, insect pests, and how to treat them.

Looking back I wish I would have gone for something else, as I only took up agronomy because I was interested in farming.

I’m not really interested in being an agronomist or going into plant science research.

I work full time at an ethanol plant as an operator and I love it. I also farm part time. I know this up for a lot of argument, but I believe that ethanol is here to stay, and if it ever does lose market foothold then a lot of plants will simply be retrofitted into isobutanol production.

Having said that I wish to continue my career in ethanol and ethanol support. I’m not gonna work shifts the rest of my life so I’m doing research on where I can go after a few more years experience.

We encounter a lot of vendors, people dealing in enzymes, chemicals, yeasts, and other substances and their support staff. I try to get to know these people when they are around (networking) and I find out what their background is.

Many have a BS in Chemistry or Biology. While I have many relevant general class credits from my Agronomy degree, I think it’s not the most relevant degree when it comes to what I’m looking for.

So I’m looking at Graduate Certificates. There is one at the college where I went the first time that is actually called Bioenergy and Sustainable Technology. It’s 16 credits and all online. I have most of the pre-reqs to get into this program.

Suppose it’d be worth it to make me more attractive to potential employers? I don’t really wanna go back to college for another BS, don’t really have time for it. My life’s goal going forward is to work where I’m at for another four or five years, gaining as much knowledge as possible, then get into one of those support/service jobs for an enzyme or chemical company. A job like that would require a bit more travel and time away from home, but it would be home-based, which I would enjoy. If I take classes for that graduate certificate, my employer will help pay for it.

2

Anybody have any advice?

I honestly don’t think I have much to lose especially if I can get my employer to foot part of the bill. I’ll have to speak with my boss about what the company can do.

3

Ask the vendors to introduce you to a hiring manager and ask the hiring manager for an informational interview. Lay out where you are now, where you want to be and what you think the possible paths are. The hiring manager will be able to give you advice on what they look for and what’s going to get you the most ROI.

4

I’d say yes, but with two caveats.

  1. It may make you more marketable, but it probably won’t raise your market value very much. I don’t know that the service/support position you’re interested in would pay much more than what you can make in operations. Of course if your goal is to get out of the plant, money may not be the major factor.

  2. I’ll agree that biofuels are here to stay, but I don’t know if there will be many new entrants, at least in the next several years. The vendors you work with now will probably be the same group you’re trying to get a job with in five years. Take the time now to learn about the companies, their financial stability, who likes their employer and who hates it, etc.

5

Thank you both for the feedback. I don’t think you’re too far off base saying I won’t really increase my earning power. That’s fine. I can make around $60 grand a year year with my bonus punching the clock, but I still gotta be here nights, holidays, whenever. If I could go to $60 grand a year and be home based, that’d be great, plus it would put me on a different career path. If I moved to that job, eventually I could work my way up to do my boss’s job or something to that extent.

If I stay where I’m at I could work up to my boss’s job, but then I’d still have to walk into the same plant every day.

I know I had a lot of decent job offers when my college degree was fresh, kinda hoping that a certificate would do me a similar service now that I’ve change career paths.

6

My 2 cents.
We have long been at the point where to be in management you needed a bachelor’s degree. Some industries as starting to move to requiring master’s degrees for management positions. Your industry may not be there yet but eventually it will. Question is, how many more years do you have in your industry? 30? You definately want to get it. 10 or less? maybe / maybe not.