Should You Go To Graduate School?

If you're reading this, you are at least considering going to graduate school. Maybe you are still working on your undergraduate degree and trying to decide what to do next. Or maybe you have been out in the work force for a while and are considering a new career or increasing your skills in your current career. Whatever your stage in life, there are some very good reasons for attending graduate school:

• You are looking for a higher salary.
• You want to teach at the college level.
• You need a graduate degree to be licensed in your field.
• You need a graduate degree to advance in your profession.
• You simply want to learn more.
• You are not ready to leave school.
• You want to switch to a new profession.

Of course, there are also good reasons not to go to graduate school:

• If you are already working full-time, it can be hard to either quit work and go back to school (especially if you're earning a good salary) or to try to juggle work and school at the same time.
• Graduate school is expensive and less funding is available. Will the extra salary you earn with an advanced degree offset the student loans you may have to take out?
• Graduate school takes a lot of time: usually two years for a master's degree and four years for a doctorate.
• Graduate school takes a lot of work. It is more focused and intense than undergraduate work, and you have to be disciplined and dedicated.

Only you can decide when or if you should go to graduate school. If you aren't sure, ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you skilled at reading, writing, and researching? You will be spending a lot of your time in grad school doing just these tasks, and it will be easier if you are good at them - and even more so if you actually enjoy them.
• Can you make grad school a priority in your life?
• Can you afford grad school? Are you willing to be poor for a while and then spend the first part of your post-grad-school life paying off student loans?
• Do you have a solid reason for wanting to go to grad school - a reason that will help you stay focused and dedicated when the workload is overwhelming and exhausting?