While we understand there is a connection between career goals and the pursuit of an advanced degree we have yet to uncover any empirical evidence which connects performance both in the classroom and workplace environments. This lack of connectivity may be a valid reason for corporate educational programs directly related to job function. Subject matter in such programs directly addresses the needs of a company while also linking an individual’s knowledge to company mission, issues, and priorities. However, such programs prevent an individual from expanding their knowledge base outside of a particular company even if that knowledge would ultimately be of benefit to organizations. Consequently, the pursuit of a graduate degree may be viewed as an avenue for an individual to increase their market value with a view to leaving their current employer. Conversely, and individual may enroll in a graduate program to gain advanced knowledge in area that holds genuine interest to them and their employer. The issue being highlighted here is that individuals pursue graduate degrees for a variety of different reasons, and because of the different sources of these reasons, it is difficult to establish a correlation between workplace and classroom performance. Only organizations that actively encourage employees to seek out new learning by means of training programs and formal education can lay claim to developing ‘all’ of the employee’s skill set. These same companies may present an argument for motivation levels across both realms, however without relevant measuring such claims remain invalid. Indeed, with increasing tuition costs many organizations may not be able to justify funding an education which will ultimately serve another employer. We propose that while not all organizations are financially able to fund graduate school the encouragement and facilitation of employees to attend creates a positive work environment committed to improvement.