Grad School or Job with Benefits

[bad_billy_goat]

I know almost everyone here is pro-grad school. I still want to ask this question for the people who will actually think about this question and give a thoughtful reply. I am in a tough spot now. I just accepted a job with benefits that I am going to keep for at least a year. I also have acceptance to grad school for the fall of 2012, I deferred for next year . Next summer I will have to decide if I want to keep working or go to grad school.

Just a little background on me. I have a family, hints why benefits are so important. The good thing is my wife should be eligible for benefits by the fall of 2012. I never had given grad school much thought until one professor told one day after class, "you need to go to grad school". He also let me do some paid research. Let's just say I know what I was meant to do, I lived and breathed research with a passion. Due to some circumstances I could not go straight into grad school after ungrad. I am now in the best position I will ever be in to go to grad school.

I am at a great loss now. Do I take a leap of faith and go for grad school or do I just stay status quo and keep the job?

[queller]

A lot can change in a year. Also it depends on how much you enjoy your job. My only piece of advice is to not mention that you have a grad school acceptance in your pocket for the Fall of 2012. Also congrats on both the job and the acceptance.

If it turns out you love your job and it is a fulfilling job in an area that interests you I would say the job.

If you are feeling unfulfilled with the job, and your family is in a place where you can go to grad school; I would say go to grad school.

Good Luck.

[Beardedman]

I suggest you forget this question for the moment. Commit yourself completely to your job and start thinking about this again a year from now. As queller said, a lot can change in a year. You really should go to graduate school at a time that's right for you, but the longer you wait, the harder it will be to get back in.

[everygirl]

I appreciate the difficulty of your situation, especially when I read you have a family.

Is your wife's job enough for your family to live on while you're in grad school? A stipend doesn't get you very far. How good are her benefits? How young are your children? These are all questions I am sure you are asking yourself.

Like an above poster said, how much you enjoy your job is a consideration. I think for many people, grad school fulfills a long term goal, employment-wise, whereas a job with benefits now fulfills a short term goal -- basically staying alive in this economy. Grad school can open doors, but perhaps not right away. The question is whether you can keep afloat when you're pursuing your PhD...

I'm choosing grad school over my job fairly well-paid secure job with benefits, but I don't enjoy my position very much and I don't have a family. We're in completely different situations, and that was a hard pill to swallow for me. Good luck.

[latte thunder]

Tough one.

I say grad school in the Fall, but ONLY if your wife's job situation turns out as planned and that is enough for your famiyl to live off of.

Somebody said something about Jobs fulfilling short term goals, but that edication is long term, and I think that's true. Of course, the situation is different with Kids, but even though your family might have to make some adjustments now, your kids will also benefit from your increased education (and probably increased financial security down the line). Especially if they're young now. It's much easier having broke parents when you're 1 then when you're 16. Again, this is only if you and your wife are truly in a place to care for them next year.

I would work away happily at my current job while trying to make sure I set my family up for success for next year. Make sure you have substantial savings for a rainy day fund, make sure you all will have benefits next year, make sure you all will have food on the table, etc. Also, this isn't a subject that shows up often on theses boards, but don't be ashamed to look into public assistance if you need it. Those funds are there to allow people like yourself the opportunity to better themselves while still taking care of their family. You said that this is probably the best time for you to go back to school, so use the next year to really make it fesible.

[mechengr2000]

I know almost everyone here is pro-grad school. I still want to ask this question for the people who will actually think about this question and give a thoughtful reply. I am in a tough spot now. I just accepted a job with benefits that I am going to keep for at least a year. I also have acceptance to grad school for the fall of 2012, I deferred for next year . Next summer I will have to decide if I want to keep working or go to grad school.

Just a little background on me. I have a family, hints why benefits are so important. The good thing is my wife should be eligible for benefits by the fall of 2012. I never had given grad school much thought until one professor told one day after class, "you need to go to grad school". He also let me do some paid research. Let's just say I know what I was meant to do, I lived and breathed research with a passion. Due to some circumstances I could not go straight into grad school after ungrad. I am now in the best position I will ever be in to go to grad school.

I am at a great loss now. Do I take a leap of faith and go for grad school or do I just stay status quo and keep the job?

"I lived and breathed research with a passion."

For your field, genetics, I think a graduate degree is a big deal.

Think long term, not temporarily. I think you know that you really want to do grad school, and that you are just "caught-up-in-the-moment" since you have a job ready for you. You will always have a job ready for you - if you can get one now in this economy, you will defititely have one 2-5 years from now when its that much better. And you will have a job that you will love because youll have the graduate degree to show you can handle the independance and responsibility for it.

[bad_billy_goat]

Thank yall for all your points.

It seems like I keep thinking back to something I read a while back. "Do you want to be a all-star in the minors or a bench warmer in the majors?" I have to say unless something major happens between now then, I will be off to grad school. Someone told me the other day that you do don't regret what you did do when you die, you regret what you didn't do. I know I am cut out for more then what my current job or industry can provide (blue-collar work). Good luck to you all and thank yall again.

[cajunmama]

"Do you want to be a all-star in the minors or a bench warmer in the majors?"

So which one is the majors and which is the minors?

I'm in a similar boat, bad billy goat. I have an TA/RA position that's mine for the taking where I am currently in my last year of undergrad. I've got kids and my husband makes enough to support us. A stipend would be a help financially but a salary would be really nice. I know that having the master's would be a salary boost as well. The big question is, will the two year delay be worth it?

[bad_billy_goat]

Hey guys,

Here is a progress report. I had to quit the job I was working (major ethical issues happening), but not before the head of HR really tried to get me to stay. Sadly, he knew he was in a losing situation, because I had been offered double what was earned, better benefits, and paid further education. I am now going to earn a very nice salary for someone my age, even if we weren't in a recession. In three to five years time without any further education (which will not happen, I have bigger plans) or title changes I should expect to be very close or over the six figure hump without bonus or any extras. Graduate school, the way I was thinking is now off the table. I accept this. I now in a multinational corpation with huge growth both stateside and aboard. The sky is the limit, and I will just have to pursue a different field of graduate work online, but with the company's dime. Thank yall for the replys.

[ktel]

Sounds like things worked well. I would probably do the same if I was in your position.