careerchange

After finishing undergrad, I took a job in an unrelated field before applying to grad school this fall. A huge reason for this was to make some $ so I could afford to go to grad school without taking out loans. Is it okay to briefly mention this in the SOP when I am discussing the job? The position has very little to do with any of my interests so it's difficult to spin it any other way.

Thanks everyone - this is very helpful!

Is this a horrible idea? The SOP is for master's programs so it's a bit more of a personal approach. As a career changer, I was told by admissions people to make very clear what my "story" is and why I am pursuing this field. The quote is from a poem and reflects the theme of my essay - after exploring different fields, I came back to a field i was passionate about at the beginning of my education: Thoughts? Thank you!

I'd really appreciate some advice from current students in the education field on this - Are applicants for MA/M.Ed programs (academic focus, not teaching) expected to articulate clear research interests? And how exactly do career changers with limited experience in the field figure out specific interests/goals? I am currently working in business and hope to use the MA in Education to change careers. I have research experience and an excellent GPA, but my undergrad focus is business, so none of this experience is directly relevant to education. I have experience as a TA and private tutor (undergrad) and worked with children in several positions during high school, but that's the extent of my education experience! Most students I've met who are in MA/M.Ed. programs have some kind of relevant experience which informs their future goals. I do have ideas about specific jobs or areas of research that interest me, but not one single path that I know I'd like to follow. I feel like I'm in the middle of a chicken-and-egg problem: can't write a strong SoP because I don't have enough knowledge in the education field to lay out a concrete path, but can't get a job in education, which would give me this knowledge, since I have no experience in the field. Thank you!