To defer or not to defer...

[exiled18]

So long story short… do I defer school in order to keep my current awesome job that I love (even though its temporary and will end in 1.5 years), or do I accept the offer to go to grad school for my phd?

 

Its always been a part of my long term plan to go to grad school. As a science major (geology) I always assumed I would do a phd or at least a masters. But I applied the last 2 years in a row and didnt get anywhere. It was really tough for me to accept the fact that my science dream wasn’t going to happen, but I did and I began the search for a job. I ended up applying for schools for the third time, but didn’t put any hope in it. After another year of miserable unemployment and depression, I was about to just give up on everything. But by some miracle I got one of the best jobs I could ask for at Google, but with one catch— it was a contract position for 2 years.

 

I’ve been working at my job for 6 months and I really love it. But I just found out that I got into a good grad program with funding. Its not my first choice, but pretty decent. However they want me to start in August which would cut my contract at Google very short. I was told by the department that I could defer either a semester or a year if my advisor approves it. So I asked my faculty advisor if I could defer a semester but he said no for several reasons, mainly early fellowship deadlines, and being out of sync with all other students. I am debating asking him about deferring a year but I’m worried about what he’ll say, and if he hates the idea then it would put us on bad terms. And he’ll probably wonder why the heck I applied in the first place, or think that I’m flaky or not serious about school.

 

I really don't want to give up on grad school-- that's definitely not my intention here. It would be extremely risky to turn down grad school completely since there is no possibility to get a permanent position at my job. As a rule they dont hire contractors long term, and my boss said basically that its not gonna happen. So I cant give up on grad school in hopes that my job will continue. BUT I do love the job enough and it pays super well, so its tough to give this up even with no long term potential.

 

So should I continue to argue for a semester deferral against my advisor's advice, pursue a 1 year deferral, or just suck it up and quit my job?

[meaningless]

I am in pretty much the same situation as the OP. I got a job offer from one country and got into a funded PhD program in another. I am thinking the same - to ask for deferral for the PhD and work in that country for a year before I actually decide which one to stay. If I were you, I will continue to argue for the deferral in order to complete the contract. Through this actually you can even understand more about your will and your advisor in person. Caveat to stay professional and rational. If this plan doesn't work out, surely you have to eat it up and quit your job. I understand it is not easy to say goodbye.

 

Best of luck.

[Eastside21]

As much as your mentors may not like what you ultimately decide to do, it is your choices and your career. If you'd like to continue working at Google, I see no harm in exploring any option that allows you to maintain your employment and graduate school plans. I think the path of least resistance is to be completely honest - tell the advisor your work is on a contract and that you'd like to complete it before entering. Needless to say, if the advisor is being difficult about it, perhaps it isn't the best fit? If it wasn't your first choice anyways, there's always the option to apply to different programs next year when it isn't an issue and spend your time not only working, but making small improvements to the application.

 

Best of luck!

[exiled18]

meaningless-- Glad to know I'm not the only one in this situation. 

 

Thanks for the responses. It would appear as though the general consensus here is to ask for the deferral. Since I have to accept or reject the offer by april 15, I will likely accept the offer then continue to push for the semester deferral. Their online system allows for a 1 semester deferral up until class registration, so I still have some time to work on it. While I would rather defer for a year, I dont think there is enough time to convince them before I have to reply to their offer.

 

I was just told by the program that if I want to defer a year, I have to reapply next year. My advisor would have to agree to re-accept me and then hold a spot for me. Since he is not in agreement with my deferring, this seems like a very risky option. I'll probably have to stick with a semester deferral.

Edited April 10, 2014 by exiled18

[Vene]

I say leave the job, but I tend to think a little more long term and part of why I applied to graduate school is I'm frustrated with doing contract work.

[restill]

As another geology major, I agree with Vene: leave the job, and take the offer. Google's temporary anyway, right? Getting into grad school will give you incredible opportunities, especially in geology...you could find yourself teaching field school, traveling to new places for your dissertation work. You will have the next 4 to 5 years figured out. And when you're done, you'll probably be able to find a job making much more than you make now as a BSc.

 

The other problem is, once you've completed your job at Google (if you decide to keep working there), you'll have to reapply to grad school. The last thing I would want to do is go through the whole debacle again, but while that's a personal preference...think about this. If you decide to reapply to schools at the end of your run at Google, you may not get into any programs because of funding issues, or not enough room in the department, or whatever it may be at that time. Besides, if you like your job this much, you can always return to Google after you've completed your PhD. Grad school is hard to get into, so take it while you have it! And really, you won't regret it (especially in this field; it just gets better).

[exiled18]

As another geology major, I agree with Vene: leave the job, and take the offer. Google's temporary anyway, right? Getting into grad school will give you incredible opportunities, especially in geology...you could find yourself teaching field school, traveling to new places for your dissertation work. You will have the next 4 to 5 years figured out. And when you're done, you'll probably be able to find a job making much more than you make now as a BSc.

 

The other problem is, once you've completed your job at Google (if you decide to keep working there), you'll have to reapply to grad school. The last thing I would want to do is go through the whole debacle again, but while that's a personal preference...think about this. If you decide to reapply to schools at the end of your run at Google, you may not get into any programs because of funding issues, or not enough room in the department, or whatever it may be at that time. Besides, if you like your job this much, you can always return to Google after you've completed your PhD. Grad school is hard to get into, so take it while you have it! And really, you won't regret it (especially in this field; it just gets better).

 

While reapplying is true if I defer a year, i don't have to reapply for a semester deferral. its just some paperwork and like a $30 fee or something. The main reason I want to defer is that the extra 5 months of work at my job would net me enough to live off of in grad school for two full years (since I dont currently have any living expenses as I'm living with family, I can save as much as possible). I realize I'm fortunate that the program pays me anything at all, and I certainly don't want to sound ungrateful, but its tough to take a 75% pay cut. You're right though, I'm lucky to even have the opportunity to go-- which I realized after 2 years of rejections. 

[juilletmercredi]

I was already leaning on the side of deferral, but the knowledge that the next 5 months of work can basically eliminate any debt for you makes it more solid.  Your advisor is being a little ridiculous, but if his major concern is you being out of sync with the other students you could ask to defer for a year - then you'd be in line with other Fall 2015 start students.  You can also make it clear that while you appreciate the funding, working at your current position will allow you to offset the costs of the program, which is very important to you.  Don't worry about what he'll say - he's human, he's not going to eat you and you need to figure out where you stand for the future.  You need to be equipped with all of the information possible so that you can make a decision.  That's more important than his feelings, quite frankly.  Wanting to defer school to finish a contract you agreed to at a job you love and save up enough money to pay for school doesn't make you flaky at all.