I have always been indecisive when it comes to applying to grad school or not. As a computer science major, having a postgrad degree brings certain benefits: jobs such as system designers that are more demanding in technical skillset are open exclusively to M.S. or PhD degree applicants, not to mention that the advanced knowledge obtained from grad schools promote those job seekers to a company’s top choice. Despite those considerations, Grad School 101 Seminar taught me that more aspects should be taken into account when making this important decision in order to pave the perfect path for success.
One crucial determining factor is weighing the benefits of an early start in professional career versus a professional degree. While it is true that M.S. degree testifies for the advanced academic knowledge, entering the job market early not provides a source of income, but also endows workers with valuable industry experience. When it comes to my field, the tech industry extremely values previous experience. Many job postings have key qualifications such as “5+ years of Java experience”, and the topic of previous projects is a staple component of interviews. Grad School 101 has prompted me to seriously consider the benefits of both options — and right now, I am actually more leaning towards starting my career early. After all, getting a postgrad degree after entering the industry is far from unusual, and great job opportunities come and go easily.
I definitely agree with you that this event made me really think about the merits of grad school compared to entering the workforce. While I am in a very different major from you, I relate to how it is difficult to weigh the choice between grad school and getting a job. For me, I do not know yet exactly what I would want to do in grad school, so if I go, it might be after having some job experience first, like you mentioned.