How do you know if grad school is right for you?

[shorty]

For those of you who are going to grad school, how did you know that you wanted to go?

I'm considering going to grad school. I'm just not sure if I really should go because I want to and it'll help in the long run... or if I'm thinking about it as a way to escape my horrible job.

I graduated with my BS a little less than two years ago and have been working full time at my current job since then. My current job is in engineering. I liked chemistry a lot better when I was in school (but engineering pays better). When I graduated, I thought I was done with school (at least for the moment -- I didn't completely dismiss the idea of going back to school eventually).

After thinking about what I want and what I don't want, I think I may want to go back to get a master's in applied chemistry or forensic science. I don't have much laboratory experience. Getting a master's would freshen up my lab skills and give me more experience. Except a master's degree isn't always required for the jobs I'm looking at.

Of course, I also don't completely know if I really, really want to do applied chem or forensics. I just have a pretty good idea that I would. I like chemistry. I like doing lab work. I like doing things if I can see a purpose. I like problem solving. But I don't really think I'd want to do research. So applied chem or forensics seem the right way to go.

But I'm still worried that maybe I'm just deciding on this as a way to get out of my current job because I hate it so much.

[capella]

I always planned to go back to school. I didn't plan to go back for the program I'm starting this summer. In fact, I wasn't even a teacher at all when I graduated. I was a journalist. I wanted to get my MA in English, but I wanted to get two years of work experience first.

Well, it's been four years. I still would LOVE to get the MA in English Lit, but it's not financially the best move for me. So I'm doing the M.Ed. in Educational Leadership. I'm STILL not completely sure it's exactly what I want to do, but I feel like A. It'll pay for itself a hell of a lot faster than my BS did, B. It's more versatile than an MA in English Lit. I can do more with it. I can just keep teaching, I could teach college courses, I could be an assistant principal (I don't really want to be a principal principal), I could work for the district office, I could do something else (not sure what... educational consulting? I don't really know, but it feels more applicable to other ventures than MA in Eng. Lit.).

I don't know that if that's really helpful or not. I do suggest making sure you know what you want to get out of it... even if you aren't sure exactly WHAT you'll do in the end. It's really not a stall tactic.

[shorty]

I guess I'm kinda scared about going into debt and "wasting" time if I go back to grad school and it ends up being useless. Although I guess it wouldn't be useless because I really do think that it is something I want to do (but I don't have any job experience to back up that feeling, which makes me worry).

For those who have applied to grad school, is it a good idea to do something to get "experience" before applying?

I don't have much lab experience. But I'd be applying for a master's in chemistry and I think they'd want some lab experience.

Should I quit my job now (as an engineer) to get a chemistry job? I feel like if I did that, I'd be headed in the direction I want, but I'm worried about taking a huge paycut and the possibility that things may not work out for some reason. And with a paycut, I might have to move back in with my parents. :eek:

I guess it's impossible to know what the future holds. But I get so worried about all those "worst case scenarios".

Then again, I suppose the ultimate "worst case scenario" would be if I got "stuck" at my current job for the rest of my life. Which could happen if I decide to do nothing... :torn:

[TinyDancer]

Hmmmm. . . there are two things that you've said in your post that make me question whether this is a good idea:
Getting a master's would freshen up my lab skills and give me more experience. Except a master's degree isn't always required for the jobs I'm looking at
and
But I'm still worried that maybe I'm just deciding on this as a way to get out of my current job because I hate it so much

I ended up going on to grad school because when I looked at jobs that were available to me with my undergrad, I wasn't happy with them. I wouldn't have nearly the responsibility and depth that I was looking for in my field. I would have had to rack up many, many years doing mind-numbing work until I would be able to do what I really wanted to do. . . *if* I was ever able to work my way up. I also had much more that I wanted to learn about my field. My undergraduate degree only had a few courses that really were specific to my interests.

Are you actively seeking another job? Do you generally like your job *duties*? Is hating your job more about hating the field or hating your work environment? I would figure that out before you make this decision. . . because maybe the answer is "another job" rather than pursuing grad school. Also, is there a way that you can talk to someone that's in forensics or applied chem to see if you think it's something you would like? I'd want to have a REALLY good idea that it's something I would want to do before I decided to study it in grad school.

Good luck!

[Millenial]

I guess I'm kinda scared about going into debt and "wasting" time if I go back to grad school and it ends up being useless. Although I guess it wouldn't be useless because I really do think that it is something I want to do (but I don't have any job experience to back up that feeling, which makes me worry).

For those who have applied to grad school, is it a good idea to do something to get "experience" before applying?

I don't have much lab experience. But I'd be applying for a master's in chemistry and I think they'd want some lab experience.

Should I quit my job now (as an engineer) to get a chemistry job? I feel like if I did that, I'd be headed in the direction I want, but I'm worried about taking a huge paycut and the possibility that things may not work out for some reason. And with a paycut, I might have to move back in with my parents. :eek:

I guess it's impossible to know what the future holds. But I get so worried about all those "worst case scenarios".

Then again, I suppose the ultimate "worst case scenario" would be if I got "stuck" at my current job for the rest of my life. Which could happen if I decide to do nothing... :torn:i would get some experience. i took a year off and tried working in the field, so far I dislike my entry level job and am planning to go back to school to be able to have more opportunities. to me it is very worth it.

[awhitmer83]

I never really planned on going to grad school. However, in my third year of college I realized I needed a master's degree for the types of positions (and pay!) I wanted. Plus it was only 37 more hours, and I felt like it would be worth it.

Now I'm in a job I love, making a lot more money than I would have with my bachelor's, and I have more options if I ever decide I'm unhappy. Grad school was hell, but I wouldn't trade the benefits for anything.

[shorty]

Are you actively seeking another job? Do you generally like your job *duties*? Is hating your job more about hating the field or hating your work environment?

Yeah, I am actively seeking another job. In fact, this is stuff that I started thinking about because of my job search.

In my current job, I don't like my job duties (whatever they are). The field is okay but I really think I'd feel more in my element if I were doing some sort of chemistry lab thing. I hate my work environment too.

The more I look for new jobs, the more I realize that if I were to stay in my current field, there is a very, very good chance that very few of the things I hate would really change.

I guess the good thing is that I'd have to wait another year or so if I did decide to apply to grad school. And during that time, I can try to find another job.

The bad thing is that until then, I'm stuck in my current job... :cry:

[Winter Storm]

I don't know to be honest with you. I just finished school a few months ago and I'm still not sure if it was right for me.

[winneythepooh7]

I really needed my Master's degree to advance in my field (human services). It really has paid of both professionally, and money-wise. I am in a management position right now, but I am leaving my current company very soon. They have assured me that if I play my cards right there, I will soon be an agency director, which also comes with a huge pay raise. I wouldn't be where I am now or in the future without the MSW degree. Also, financially, I can still swing it, because even though I owe a shit-ton in student loans, my monthly payments are still quite affordable. And student loans also are not looked at as "negative" debt.

[cheshrcarol]

I'm in grad school right now and I decided to go after being out in the workforce for several years and realizing that I was never going to get much further in my low paying field.

I don't think there's anything with going to school to escape from your job, but I think you need to be sure that you need to get out of your entire career path, not just your particular job. Also, you need to make sure that you have defined goals and that grad school is an integral part of achieving them. If not, it's probably not a great idea to go into debt or put off several wage-earning years for.

[analogman]

I think grad school is a means to advance but not necessarily a means to get into a new field. For one, getting a MS in a new field could be quite a culture shock. An electrical engineer (just picking an example since I am one and you didn't indicate what flavor engineer you are) trying to get a chemistry MS would have to pick up a lot of chemistry (organic chem, physical chem, associated labs) before any MS work because they expect one to know those things already. For another, grad classes are a lot more theoretical than experimental. You will do experiments for your research so they just need to teach you concepts and theories.

Of course, if you get a fellowship or work as a GSR then time to degree (and thus cost) become less of an issue but the opportunity cost from lost salaries will still be significant.

I guess all I am trying to say is I am not sure if there is a cheap way to try an entirely new field. Knowing that makes the switch much more uncertain and the potential payoff would have to be quite good to consider it.

PS: Have you stood all day long in a lab before? It's hard short term and I can't imagine doing it everyday.