<p>My wife has spent the last five years working as an advisor, first financial aid but later she moved into academic advising. For the last year and a half or so, she has specialized in pre health advising. She spends a lot of time analyzing admission trends of Duke undergraduates as they apply for professional and graduate schools. She synthesizes data and generates reports, for internal use and for publication, about what academic programs are most successful. For an idea of the kind of work that is being done in this area, you should check out the chronicle of higher education [Home</a> - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/section/Home/5]Home”>http://chronicle.com/section/Home/5)</p>
<p>I am sure you are concerned about the financial implications of a masters program. You should realize that many of these programs are designed to be pursued by individuals working in higher ed already. For instance, the two programs I know most about (Metro State in Denver and NC State in Raleigh) have all of their classes at night or on the weekends. And practicums are often set up through your employer. One of the benefits of working in academia is that tuition is often free for employees, consider this when applying for jobs. Some universities limit the number of credits you can take for free, while others do not. Further, some departments are very supportive of professional development while others are not. That being said, I have a friend who did her masters of higher ed administration full time at Tufts and paid for it with student loans.</p>
<p>The job market is tricky. Right now, universities are laying off staff and state universities favor laid off state employees when hiring for new postings. However, since the recession began, my wife has been offered four positions, so I guess anecdotal evidence suggests that there are jobs to be had. In non recession times, universities are considered very stable, if low paying, places to work. The environment and benefits are terrific. Hope this helps.</p>