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1、Graduate Degree or Job FirstAfter years of sacrifice, youre finally about to graduate. You finally have that long sought-after degree, but now what? Many students struggle with making a decision about what their next step should be. Should you go directly to graduate school, medical school, etc. and
2、 pursue the advanced degree, or is the best choice to take some time off and work for a year or two before furthering your education. Ultimately each student must make the decision for themselves, and determine what the best course of action is. In making this decision myself, I found that it was be
3、neficial to speak to people who had gone through this to determine whether a job or graduate degree would benefit me more. Hopefully the information I have gained can aid you in making a decision. Many students may feel a desire to take some time off. However, they may be reluctant because they have
4、 been told that its not the right decision, and that they are alone in feeling the need to put their education on hold. However, if we look at the average ages of students entering higher education, it seems that more and more students are taking time off before pursuing their advanced degree. The a
5、verage age of the entering medical student is 24, and there are a significant proportion of students who are in their late 20s and 30s. The average age of students entering graduate school varies; the MCB(microbiology) program at UC Berkley reports that the average age of the entering students is 25
6、(with a range of 22-34) and the NYU Graduate School of Arts and Sciences reports that the average age of the entering student is 24(with a range from 20-35). Another good reason to work before pursuing a degree is that it may help you figure out what it is you would really like to do. Many students
7、may not have much experience in the field they wish to work in. Getting hands on experience in their field of choice will allow a student to determine if this path is enjoyable, give them a deeper understanding of the field, and allow them to further refine their interests. For many students, financ
8、ial constraints put a limit on their ability to obtain an advanced degree. A couple years of work will allow a student to save up some money in anticipation of their graduate studies. Also, depending on the type of job and degree you intend to pursue, many companies offer generous tuition reimbursem
9、ent programs assuming that your degree proves beneficial to your continued work at the company. (For more information see the article “Getting Your Employer to Pay for Your Degree.”) I had the pleasure of discussing this issue with a current graduate student, Sarit Lilo, in the Molecular and Cellula
10、r Biology Program at Stonybrook University. After graduating, Sarit took time off to work as a lab technician. She reports that her time working was beneficial and very rewarding. In addition to determining if she enjoyed lab work and if she wanted to continue this course of study, it also aided her
11、 admittance to graduate school. Working as a lab technician gave her a lot of experience and allowed her to learn various practical techniques and procedures, which proved invaluable to her work as a graduate student. Sarit also notes that “work experience helped to smooth out some of the rough edge
12、s.” Im sure we all have that one bad grade wed all like to erase, and work experience can help us achieve this. The knowledge and expertise she gained from her experience made her a desirable candidate for graduate school. In addition to gaining experience and helping you in getting admitted to grad
13、uate school, it also allows you to mature and grow as a person. Working can be a very different experience from the previous 16 years you have spent in school. It can definitely allow you to achieve a level of maturity that could only come from such a real life experience (after all, the school envi
14、ronment is different from the real world). This is not to say that there are no good reasons for going straight into graduate school. For one, you have been set into the routine of attending school and thus have the drive and discipline that further schooling will require. Also, younger students ten
15、d to have fewer obligations (family, children, etc.) than students who take time off and then return to school. Another reason a student may go directly to enter graduate school is the fear that he/she may become “addicted” to a steady paycheck. As any student can attest to, life as an undergraduate
16、 is usually characterized by an empty wallet. Having a steady source of income and a full wallet can be tempting. There are jobs that lend themselves well to first entering school and obtaining an advanced degree. Teaching is one such field. While many PhDs divide their time between research and tea
17、ching some may decide to devote all their time to teaching (for more information see “Becoming a University Professor” ). Students who have chosen this path will find that their best choice is to pursue their advanced degree before working. For these students, there are fewer opportunities for them
18、to gain experience in the occupation they have chosen. Getting the degree first will allow these students to begin working in their chosen field. To get the other side of the issue, I was also able to speak to a student who decided to attend graduate school first. Tiffany Sikorski is currently in gr
19、aduate school pursuing a masters degree in teaching and physics. Initially she wanted to work in a public school for a year or so to gain some teaching experience before entering graduate school. Her initial decision to take time off was motivated by her desire to take a break after long years of st
20、udying . Tiffany recalls that she “was tired after finishing her undergraduate degree” and that she “really wanted a break from studying.” Tiffany also said that her “other major concern was economics- how could I pay for the insane rent in Boston, tuition, books, and still have money for food witho
21、ut a full-time job?” Again, we see here a case where financial constraints have motivated a student to enter the work force before obtaining a graduate degree. While in her senior year, she took her GREs, applied to graduate school, and took her licensure exams for teaching, so that she would be rea
22、dy to go down any path she chose, whether it be graduate school, or teaching first. Ultimately, Tiffany decided to go directly to graduate school. After receiving a financial aid package that made it feasible for her to attend school, she felt that going to get her Masters first would make her a “hi
23、ghly qualified physics teacher.” In the end, she felt that getting her degree fit best in her path toward a teaching career. This can be a very exciting but very confusing time. You are ready to graduate, yet you are still very unsure about what to do next. Each student is different, and the correct choice for someone is not necessarily the correct choice for someone else. Taking time off was the best choice for me, but whatever you decide will be the right choice for you. Good Luck! Special Thanks to James Murtha, Sarit Lilo, and Tiffany Sikorski for giving me their time and advice.
