Should I Go to Grad School?

Are you contemplating graduate school?  I went, loved it, had awesome career opportunities, met some of my best friends and I’ll never regret it.  At the same time, I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone.

Best things about grad school:

1.  Some more flexibility.

-schedule your classes at night so you can work or be with family during the day.

-stack your classes on some days so you get 1 or 2 days off a week.

-if you don’t feel like going to class, you don’t have to.  Nothing but your self-discipline in catching up with notes etc will keep you from your family’s once-a-year Disney cruise that falls in the middle of the school semester.

2.  You get a dog.

Now that you have more time that you’ll be at home or coffee shops studying, you can have a dog.  School isn’t really going to have to working on any “surprise” projects or last-minute meetings you were having in the corporate world.

3.  You’ve got student loans to help pay the bills.

Many programs will allow you to take out enough student loans to pay for all your classes, books and some living expenses.  Many people can get by with going to school and having a part-time job.

4.  You get to say, “When I was in grad school…”

5.  Hopefully, you get some bangin’ credentials/initials behind your name.

6.  If you haven’t earned your MR. or MRS. (aka gotten married), this is a time when you will have the time to date and meet LOTS of new friends and possible mates.

7.  You are networking with your peers who will one day be the leaders of your field.  Stay in contact and reconnect.  These are resources for you to inter-refer, find employment and stay up to date in your field.

8.  If you’re a woman, what a great time to get pregnant!  Do this preferably in your last year or toward the end of your program if it works for you.  Great to have baby and get settled before getting into or back into the office.

9.  Predictability.  Yes, there are deadlines for papers, exams etc but not really any surprises here.  Everything that is expected of you will be very clearly laid out for you in a course outline.  Pretty smooth sailing.

10.  Self Discovery!  You have time to experience growth, evaluate your life, meet many kinds of different influences.

Why I shouldn’t go to grad school:

1.  I am staying in the same field and it wouldn’t make my paycheck any bigger plus I already have a lot of debt accrued.

Cost Benefit analysis is the most important to me here.  Really decide if the credentials, education and experience are more important to you than financial freedom.  Living debt free or with minimal debt (home, cars) is magical in curing stress.  Do research on how much your perspective graduate degree earns.  Factor in the tenure, benefits, and raises that you will be missing out on if you take off to attend grad school full-time.

2.  My parents want me to go.

OK, never mind, if your parents are Asian and they want you to go, then you have to go.  Just kidding.  Grad school is a gift to those who are passionate about a field.  It can be the most interesting time of your life!  If that sounds wrong to you, don’t go.  There is someone else who is dying to take your slot.

3.  It sounds cool to be a ________.

Do your homework.  Find a few people in your perspective field to shadow.  Volunteer to help them at work in some way.  Observe the parts you like and ask them to share with you the worst parts of the job.  Ask LOTS of questions.  Ask he/she what other careers they considered and if they could do it all over again, what they would choose now.

It is imperative that you know exactly what you’re getting into.  For example, I went to school for Traditional Oriental Medicine which teaches one how to be an acupuncturist and herbalist.  Upon graduation, one must take state board exams to qualify for licensure if you want to actually practice acupuncture and herbs.  Although over 2000 years old, Chinese medicine is still a growing field in America, so most acupuncturists are self-employed.  They set up their own businesses, benefits etc.  It was 9 months from graduation to the opening of my business due to board exam schedules, waiting for results and setting up my business.  Then it took about 2 years to be fully booked with a wait list.  Factor this growth period into financial plans as well.  The good thing is, you’ll be so happy for succeeding through your program and doing what you love that all this will actually be fun and extremely rewarding.

Maybe you’re not OCD and controlling like me and you are willing to work for someone else.  In that case, try talking to headhunters and see what kind of market research they have on your field.

I saw many people drop out of grad school before finishing.  They STILL owe their loans though.  It is good that they cut their losses when they did though.  It is a real commitment emotionally, mentally and financially.  Talk it over with yourself, friends, family etc. and see how it will fit into your lifestyle.

4.  It is up to YOU, not the banks to see if you will make enough money to pay back the money you borrowed for school that will be accruing interest.  If you owe $150K and you are single, making $50K a year in Southern California, that isn’t very realistic.  Seek other options like the military who pays for some types of education in return for service.  The Navy paid for my undergraduate education at UCLA.  Check out loan forgiveness programs where you can “work off” your debt by doing community type service with your job while getting paid.

Honestly, after the crazy hours of work I had prior, grad school was a breeze.  I had time to read lots of leisure books, have little part time jobs, train for a half marathon, travel overseas, get a dog, go to LOTS of social events, still get straight A’s (except for that one B+ in an elective course I took for fun…maybe a little bitter still) and more.

Finally, if there is ANYTHING YOU WANT TO DO, THERE IS A WAY TO DO IT.  Email me if you have specific questions.  Good luck!

What other reasons do you have for or against grad school?