Hi all,
Here is my situation: I'm from Argentina and had graduated from College in 2008. My degree ("Licenciatura" in Biological Sciences) is equivalent to a Master's degree in the US (4 years of General Biology plus 3 years of, in my case, Ecology). Three years ago I moved to the US where I've been working odd jobs, just to pay bills, always trying to get into 'biology' with no luck.
Last year I finally started working as a Lab Technician/Research Assistant for a non-profit studying heavy metal contamination. After 9 months with them, and due to financial constraints, my position has been eliminated, leaving me unemployed. I do have the chance to continuing with the project I started with them, but I'd need to get my own funding with absolutely no help on their side (I already applied to grants while working there, but unfortunately never got them). This situation triggered, once again, the never ending dilemma of "should I get my PhD?"
I always thought of grad school, but as soon as I finished my degree I started travelling, got married and have never been committed to any place in particular. Now, I think the time might have come, but I realized I might not have enough research experience to get accepted into a PhD program plus I come from away, which makes everything a little harder (standardized tests, references, GPA's differences, etc).
I know I want to keep doing research (that is my passion, always has been) but I'm not sure if I should just keep on trying to get a job -not easy at all-, build my resume in the US a little bit more and then apply to grad school or go all in, apply next fall and see what happens.
As you can see, I'm pretty lost and my brain is all over the place. Any advice you might have will really help me out!
Thanks in advance,
Sofi