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I'm a non-traditional graduate student who is attending graduate school part-time and much of what I have learned in the workplace is something that I've been able to apply in grad school.

First - Professors who teach at the graduate level will look at you as a junior colleague. The expectations are different and I've seen newly minted graduate students drop out after a few weeks. I suspect this is because these individuals did not understand what would be expected of them and simply were not ready.

Second - Professional organizations are part of the networking process in any field and graduate school is no different. Many of these organizations will offer a student discount on membership and conference fees.

Third - Engaging in the networking process can be beneficial in terms of research. I posted a topic to an academic list-serve and members gave me ideas, suggestions, and one person sent me a copy of an article he had published in a peer reviewed journal

Fourth - In any situation be it academia and the professional workplace there are always going to be politics and egos. Learn to understand and work with the organizational culture you are in. If this is not possible then attending another school might be worth looking into. I've learned in my professional working experiences that being compatible with the job at hand is most important.

As an older student I've been able to bring a perspective to the picture that would have been sorely lacking when I was in my 20's. Truthfully if I had tried graduate work earlier I would have likely dropped out due to not being ready for the experience. So if you are ready and willing to get on the playing field chances are you will do fine.

Learn more about this author, Marti Wilkinson.
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