Estimating the Benefits and Costs of Your Choices

According to studies of graduates of bachelor-degree programs in psychology, entry-level positions tend to pay relatively little and may be relatively unsatisfying. Although the positions, pay, and reported job satisfaction of psychology majors tend to significantly improve many years after graduation, those who enter the workforce immediately upon graduation risk at least a few years of less-than-satisfactory employment (Landrum & Elison-Bowers, 2010; Rajecki & Borden, 2009). 

Although graduate school can be a route to a better paying, more satisfying job, and career, it is quite expensive. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), a doctoral degree results in most students entering into debt for as much as $50,000 to $75,000 or even more (APA, 2003). The median debt incurred for a master’s degree is approximately $25,000 (Kantrowitz, 2011). 

Using your textbook, the Internet, and the Argosy University online library resources, research choices such as entering the workforce immediately on graduation or enrolling in a graduate school. Based on your research, respond to the following:

• Select one of the options: entering the workforce upon graduation or attending graduate school. For your selected option, identify at least five benefits and at least five risks associated with that choice. For example, if you choose to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation, identify the benefits and risks of doing so. 
• Design a poster illustrating the risks and benefits. Include visual aids, such as clipart, photos, graphs, figures, or tables, to add to the poster’s visual appeal. You can create your poster in Microsoft Word or Microsoft PowerPoint format using the templates provided.If you have chosen to enter the workforce, imagine you are designing the poster for display at a job fair at which you are a recruiter trying to convince new graduates, of undergraduate programs, to work for your organization.If you have chosen to enter graduate school, imagine you are designing the poster for display at a professional conference where you hope to recruit undergraduate seniors to apply to your graduate program.

Refer to the sidebar to download and review a copy of either the Microsoft Word poster template, or else the Microsoft PowerPoint poster template.

• Support your statements with information from academic sources, one which can be your textbook. Be sure to include in-text citations and a reference list visible on the poster, near the bottom or end.

Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M4_A2 or LastnameFirstInitial_M4_A2.ppt.

By Sunday, July 7, 2013, deliver your assignment to the M4: Assignment 2 Dropbox.

American Psychological Association (APA). (2003). Frequently asked questions about graduate school: What level of financial indebtedness can I expect to incur? Retrieved from

http://www.apa.org/education/grad/faqs.aspx?item=11

Kantrowitz, M. (2011). Student loans. Retrieved from

http://www.finaid.org/loans/

Landrum, R. E., & Elison-Bowers, P. (2010). The post-baccalaureate perceptions of psychology alumni. The College Student Journal, 43(2), 676-681.

Rajecki, D. W., & Borden, V. M. H. (2011). Psychology degrees: Employment, wage, and career trajectory consequences. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(4), 321-325.

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