To go or not to go: the grad school question

Paula Ward
Guest Columnist

Do we live in fear at the thought of graduating college and returning home to the rules and regulations of our parents?

Most of us want a career and a $60,000 salary to spend as we please. The reality is that the job market isn’t exactly flourishing, and attempting to find a job after college has many students worried about their futures.

One option is graduate school. Whether you want to gain experience in a specific field or delay entering the job market, graduate school is something to consider.

Taking that next step in your academic career does have its benefits. If you do decide to attend grad school, you have the potential to earn more money, get hands-on experience, pursue your passion or even change your career path entirely.

Students who are sure of the career path they have chosen already will find graduate school to be a tremendous asset to their portfolio.

At the same time, graduate school is an extremely expensive expenditure. Full-time, in-state VCU graduate students paid roughly $5,500 a semester for tuition and fees alone last year. Non-Virginia residents paid nearly twice that amount. Some good news for students pursuing doctoral degrees was that tuition dropped to about $4,700 for Virginia residents and $9,300 for non-residents.

And because of competition and expectations for higher grades, the number of students graduate schools accept is far more limited than in an undergraduate program.

To add to those troubles, having a graduate degree does not guarantee a job.

Of course, the value of all graduate degrees is not considered equal. Hands-on experience may be the only way to truly master a particular field. There are many careers that require a natural talent in order to find success. In these cases, graduate school could be a lot of work for very little return on investment.

So is a graduate degree worth having in the end?

If you’re certain about what you want to do and you want to be a step above other competitors in your field, graduate school is an excellent way to go. Attending graduate school shows potential employers you are serious about your chosen career and you have the skills to help advance your employer.

Degree programs often offer the hands-on experience that students are looking for. The opportunity to work in your chosen field on a regular basis outside of the classroom allows students to gain experience — and make mistakes without the fear of losing income.

Choosing to go to graduate school is just that: a choice. Finding out what career path intersects with your future goals will allow you to make such an important choice to make.

You can choose to go straight through to graduate school, not go at all or go later on down the road, but your decision to go to grad school should include a variety of factors, including whether you’re willing to take the risk. CT