I made an unpopular choice during my senior year of college. I decided to go to grad school.
Look, I can totally understand why most people weren’t into the idea of doing what I did. Grad school is expensive, stressful, time-consuming, super hard and, in most cases, not 100% necessary. I definitely wasn’t entering an industry in which a post-grad degree is required and the degree I earned hasn’t given me a major leg up over the competition in my field. Still, I would go back and choose grad school all over again if I had to go back in time. If you aren’t sure what to do next year, I highly recommend getting another degree.
1. It’s something no one can take a way from you
Right now almost every industry is changing. Jobs are being eliminated, the skill sets needed to fill positions are evolving and rates of pay can be completely arbitrary. One thing that will always command respect, though, is a degree. No matter how you slice it, no one deny the validity of your college degree. The same rule applies to a post-grad degree – it’ll just make you that much more powerful and impressive.
2. There’s no better time than right after college
One of my reasons for going to grad school was simple: I was afraid that at some point in the future, I would appear completely under qualified for just about anything if I only had a BA. Think about it: More people are getting advanced degrees now than ever and I knew that going straight from undergrad to grad would be the best option. For one thing, you won’t have to take a break after you start working. For another, you may be able to get your parents to help you pay for it if you go to grad school while you’re still young. It’s also great to finish grad school before you have to start considering your spouse or kids.
3. You can focus on the stuff you like
You won’t have to deal with those annoying required classes that just don’t excite you at all. Grad school is all about delving into the topics you love – you’ll take intense, challenging classes that are similar to all your favorite classes in undergrad without worrying about the topics you hated. Learning is actually really fun when you’re learning about the right stuff.
4. You’ll meet awesome people
Grad school is full of cool, smart, interesting people. Both your peers and your professors will become your friends – I would say that the relationships you’ll have with your teachers are even more significant than the ones you’ll have with your classmates. Even after you graduate, they will be your best advisors and mentors. Oh, and a few couples I went to grad school with met there and are getting married now, so there’s that.
5. It give you time to figure out what you want
You’ll leave grad school with a much better sense of who you are, what you enjoy and what you do well. This makes finding the right job much easier and can help you avoid starting a career you’ll hate. Trust me when I say that you shouldn’t be in a rush to get into the ‘real world.’ Stay in school for as long as humanly possible because it’s honestly much more fun.
