Should You Go To Graduate School?

Does your career need a boost from a graduate degree?

By: Amanda Anderson

Choosing to go to college may have been an easy decision to make. You knew you wanted a career after high school, and you may have had a list of all the universities that you could see yourself attending. You worked hard and graduated from a college that you made great grades to attend. Your bachelor’s degree was a major accomplishment, but what’s next? You may be considering another degree, but should you really go to graduate school?

Graduate school may seem like the best choice during an economic recession, but the recession has not managed to lower the cost of tuition. Despite the woes of the country’s economy, the cost of college tuition continues to increase. This is one of the main reasons why potential students must be sure that graduate school is crucial to their success.

Before you submit any graduate school applications, make sure that a graduate degree is the next step in your chosen career. Do you really need a master’s degree to take your career to the next level?

Depending on your chosen area, a bachelor’s degree may not provide you with enough education to enter into the profession confidently. In these cases, be sure to distinguish the need of a master’s degree from the need to simply take a few additional courses that won’t earn you an additional degree.

You may even discover that the particular subject that you studied in college for the last four years really isn’t for you. Make sure you research your new dream career before you enter a graduate program. This could save you from a lot of stress and student loan debt.

Many college graduates are entering graduate programs at alarming rates due to the effects of the devastating economy. Simply put, graduates are pursuing master’s degrees because they can’t find jobs.

While this circumstance is totally understandable, those who plan accordingly will have the most advantages. While scholarships may be a little harder to come by, they still exist for those willing to locate them. Before you begin a graduate program, make sure you talk to administrators from the program to see if there are any scholarships available. Assistantships are also available at most universities and they can keep you from accumulating any more student loan debt. Even consider attending a local program to cut costs dramatically.

Higher education is always an achievement to those willing to take advantage of the many benefits it offers. Think long and hard before attending graduate school, and make sure that it is a step that you really need to take to land your dream job.