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Question: grad school or straight to work?
Hi all, I'm a graduating senior and aside from life in general looking low key terrifying, I'm staring down a lot of serious choices. Currently, my biggest challenge is deciding if I want to go straight to work or go to grad school. I'd love to hear some of your advice, since most people around me are just as confused as I am haha.
If it helps, I'm an international relations/Spanish major with a minor in intelligence and security studies. I'm looking to go into the national security field.
Thanks so much!
Johana Tatlow
Researcher | Consultant
351
09/09/19 at 1:39PM UTC
I would say work a couple years. Having just gone through a professional graduate degree, those who had a few years of job experience already got so much more out of it! Also, if you can get experience in your field, you can narrow your interests and focus your studies better. Sometimes an academically interesting subject makes a boring day to day job, and a boring academic track makes an interesting day to day job. The more you can figure out what you want before grad school, the better!
Anonymous
09/08/19 at 2:53PM UTC
I say work for a year. Having that professional experience will be a big asset to you and your employer once you finish grad school. Not just in terms of getting a job out of grad school but in your skill set and ability to do the job. Also Consider the loans you take on and the interest they will accrue in grad school. Grad school was the best time of my life and it has opened some doors but the student loan burden and the impact it’s had on my life has been massive. And with interest, the debt has grown like crazy. It’s not always possible, but the smartest thing you can do is get a full time job at the university you want to attend where they offer free tuition to employees. I did that for my second masters program. (But verify that the program you’ll be in is eligible for the tuition benefit. Sometimes there are exceptions) Good luck! It’s an exciting time in life!
Anonymous
09/08/19 at 9:17AM UTC
Consider this general advice as well - no single career decision is irreversible, especially at this stage in your life. There is no one 'right decision' -make the best decision you can with the information you have now. You can adjust later. I have pivoted careers at least 4 times - always to try something newer and more challenging. They haven't always worked out as planned. If that happens to you, make a new plan and move on.
Yes this is a challenging time in your life; it's also an exciting one. Enjoy the ride!
BansheeBaileyFormer law firm accountant, now retired.
918
09/08/19 at 2:56PM UTC
I’ve pivoted careers too, and I never regretted it. Each successive career felt like a better fit.
samanthacarfiSingle mom, business manager, & law student
12
09/08/19 at 4:15AM UTC
It's also important to consider whether the positions you're most interested in actually require the advanced degree. If it's not required, it might be better to get some work experience first - giving you time to also confirm for yourself it is *definitely* the path you want to pursue (as these plans often change) before you incur the expense of grad school and/or the debt of student loans.
And as someone else suggested, if feasible, you might also want to consider working and studying simultaneously- some employers might even partially pay for or reimburse the education expense. I'm currently in my second year of law school part time, I work a demanding full-time job, and am a recently separated single mom. It's a lot to take on at once, but it IS possible! Good luck!
Anonymous
09/08/19 at 4:35AM UTC
It isn't required, but a graduate degree guarantees that you enter as a GS-9 rather than a GS-7 under the government's pay scale , a solid pay difference (https://www.federalpay.org/gs/2019/districtofcolumbia)
BansheeBaileyFormer law firm accountant, now retired.
918
09/08/19 at 2:54PM UTC
Just out of curiosity, what is the market like now for the entry-level G-7 position? If you started work at GS-7, wouldn’t you be bumped up to the higher grade once you got your Master’s degree? Would the government reimburse you for your graduate tuition?
Nancie ShumanHippy dippy Princess out to change the world!
803
09/07/19 at 7:09PM UTC
Have you had an intern- or extern- ship in your field? Have you thought about getting a Certificate as a translator? There is a great program in Granada. Lastly, have you thought about going into the Military for a short period of time, as National Security does tend to hire from them?
Just thoughts off the top of my head. Good luck!
Anonymous
09/07/19 at 10:30PM UTC
I've interned twice, once within the community. I'm not necessarily worried about getting a job, it's more that I don't know if it would be better to take a job immediately if offered or choose to go to grad school instead
BansheeBaileyFormer law firm accountant, now retired.
918
09/07/19 at 6:18PM UTC
Is it possible to do both? I went to law school at night while working full-time at a fairly easy job. Unless I could immediately get a job related to national security, in which case I might go for it and put off grad school for a bit, I wouldn’t pause my education for too long. But I would also want to establish some kind of work history for my resume.
I had a teaching assistantship from my grad school, so I moved away and taught while taking graduate seminars. When I finished and moved back to NYC, the job market for English teachers (and for teachers in general) was just as bad as it had been when I graduated college, only NOW I had some student debt! (I could never live within my stipends.) So I just got a generic office job and a couple of years later started going to law school at night. It put a crimp in my social life, but law school really opened my lazy mind.
I hope that someone who works in the field you want to enter sees your post.
Unless you’re in a hellishly demanding graduate program that takes every spare minute you have, you might want to consider working while going to grad school.
Anonymous
09/08/19 at 1:34AM UTC
I tried to reply to you earlier, but apparently my phone chose not to cooperate haha. Thanks! I definitely want to work in grad school if I can, but I'm also applying for school overseas in which case my visa would not permit that.
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