Continue working or grad school

[CellucciK]

I finally decided where I wanted to go for grad school (Yale FES) but I am increasingly worried that all classes will be remote in the fall. I have a modest scholarship, but I would be paying a good portion of the tuition and I don’t know if it’s worth paying regular tuition for online courses.

i have been very upfront with my job, currently work in finance, about my position and potentially going to grad school. I was in line for a big promotion in September and they are being very flexible and allowing me to decide if I want it up until mid July. 
 

I make good money at my current job, but it is a niche role in financial services and something that is largely unrelated to my interest in sustainable development. Do you think it would make sense to delay going for even just a semester or should I just go now?

[prokem]

It's definitely a tough decision. Yale is going to announce plans for the Fall by July, so hopefully you can delay until then and make a more informed decision.

my experience with online classes has been subpar, and even though schools will have more time to improve them between now and the fall, I doubt that they will be worth the price of tuition.

for me, a big component of grad school is the network and relationships. If that's also really important to you, it's worth considering how that aspect will be diluted thru online classes.

i think a lot of it depends on how happy you are with your job. If you're dying to get out of it and aren't too worried about the implications of distance learning, then come to FES. If you like it, I'd consider staying. 

The last thing to think about is FES' deferral policy. It is not clear to me if they're being more lenient about it with covid. But if they are that would be a good option. I will look into it myself if classes are online. 

[CellucciK]

Thanks for the response! To give more context on the job, I don’t hate it at all, it is actually very interesting and I like my coworkers. I just feel very ready to move to the next phase of my life and move into something that I believe is more meaningful. 
 

I think you’re right about the deferral policy though. If it’s generous and the classes are online I will probably take advantage of it but I am concerned they will follow HKS in their very strict deferral policy they just sent out. 

[Sigaba]

2 hours ago, CellucciK said:

I finally decided where I wanted to go for grad school (Yale FES) but I am increasingly worried that all classes will be remote in the fall. I have a modest scholarship, but I would be paying a good portion of the tuition and I don’t know if it’s worth paying regular tuition for online courses.

i have been very upfront with my job, currently work in finance, about my position and potentially going to grad school. I was in line for a big promotion in September and they are being very flexible and allowing me to decide if I want it up until mid July. 
 

I make good money at my current job, but it is a niche role in financial services and something that is largely unrelated to my interest in sustainable development. Do you think it would make sense to delay going for even just a semester or should I just go now?

IMO, right now and for the next few years, the most important things to have are health and steady employment in a sector that will weather better than most the ecomomic impacts of COVID-19.

Were I in your shoes, I'd

• defer admission to Yale if possible,
• accept the promotion,
• work my backside off to exceed all KPIs,
• buy company stock if possible,
• maximize contributions to the 401k, and
• figure out which work related skills could help down the line in sustainable development and work on improving those skills.

$0.02.

[Boolakanaka]

2 hours ago, CellucciK said:

I finally decided where I wanted to go for grad school (Yale FES) but I am increasingly worried that all classes will be remote in the fall. I have a modest scholarship, but I would be paying a good portion of the tuition and I don’t know if it’s worth paying regular tuition for online courses.

i have been very upfront with my job, currently work in finance, about my position and potentially going to grad school. I was in line for a big promotion in September and they are being very flexible and allowing me to decide if I want it up until mid July. 
 

I make good money at my current job, but it is a niche role in financial services and something that is largely unrelated to my interest in sustainable development. Do you think it would make sense to delay going for even just a semester or should I just go now?

I love Yale, but if it’s solely online, then I would give serious consideration for deferring. Much of the quality of the education is based on the interactions of not just the professors and your cohorts, but also the total graduate school population.

[wittgensteinsbladder]

As someone who had to spend the last half semester remote at HKS—you should delay. I cannot in good conscience recommend that you start a policy program remotely. The in-person educational experience is worth it. The remote version does not have the same level of engagement, and you are paying significant opportunity cost for that. It simply is not the same.

Caveat: It may be worth it if you already quit your job, or if you're really ready for a transition.

[went_away]

19 hours ago, CellucciK said:

I finally decided where I wanted to go for grad school (Yale FES) but I am increasingly worried that all classes will be remote in the fall. I have a modest scholarship, but I would be paying a good portion of the tuition and I don’t know if it’s worth paying regular tuition for online courses.

i have been very upfront with my job, currently work in finance, about my position and potentially going to grad school. I was in line for a big promotion in September and they are being very flexible and allowing me to decide if I want it up until mid July. 
 

I make good money at my current job, but it is a niche role in financial services and something that is largely unrelated to my interest in sustainable development. Do you think it would make sense to delay going for even just a semester or should I just go now?

This is not a difficult decision. You should stay at your job, make it very clear to your boss you are not going to grad school, and hope like crazy they still give you the promotion (and please stop telling emoloyers you will be quitting before you are sure of it). This is NOT the time to be leaving good, steady employment for a policy degree, online or not.

[CellucciK]

Well I think that everyone here is confirming how I’ve begun to see the situation. It’s sad because I got into the school of my dreams and I was so excited to begin this program, but I think a one year delay in the long run will be of modest consequence.
 

Just won’t have a PhD until I am in my 30s...

[Mpadreamer]

I am in a similar situation as you. Do you want to discuss offline? I will PM you.

[prokem]

I'm not in a similar situation, but happy to talk about F&ES (or should we say SOE now?) and any concerns you have or that we share!