An Appeal: Delaying Graduate School

[KenBesonders]

Hello everyone, I have been a longtime lurker here and have not been active much since 2013 and 2015, when seeking advice for grad school application cycles.

I applied only during one of those cycles (2013) and got into several schools. I did not receive any substantial financial aid and decided to look into building my professional resume before entering graduate school. I now work with a security organization in DC (originally from Midwest) and have been happy with my decision.

I wanted to write to discuss with recent grads and fresh out of undergrad students about the urge/necessity to apply to graduate school. In short, I understand many of you may feel that graduate school is a necessary step and a pathway to a "career job." Unless you were truly an outstanding student and are offered a substantial financial aid package, I would recommend most undergrads to get work experience.

Here is why:

When you enter the work field for development, international affairs, security, etc. you will most likely have an entry level job. This job will likely deal mostly with assisting a team and being involved with the operational side of things. This requires you to have well rounded professional, communication and organization skills to carry out the functions of these positions. You DO NOT need a master's degree to do this.

Master's degree teach you about theories, policy and practice. Very few entry level jobs will have you substantially covering these areas, as they are saved for the senior level staff. They are more experienced and have a better understand of these fields as many of them have done it their entire life.

In my experience, and with many colleagues and interns, having a masters degree does little to separate you if you have no professional skills to match with it. Do not get me wrong though, as there are exceptions for specialized positions and fellowships made to mentor young professionals. These however, are often hard to come by and are hyper competitive. I do not mean to be a debby downer here, as I am sure graduate school actually fits well in the life plans of many of you! However, I have too often seen intern graduate students who get their degree and struggle to find work because they never held a professional position. I say this as not to scare you but consider it as a perspective and the reality of how competitive our field is. 

In conclusion, please consider other options. If you still find the job field too competitive, consider service work, such as the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps VISTA is especially useful and allows you to do substantive policy or development work with non-profits. Find a way to build your professional skills and maybe hold an entry level job for a few years. Going to graduate school in your late twenties or early thirties is nothing to be ashamed of and is very common. 

Ultimately, I do not want to deter you brilliant young people from going to graduate school, but rather look into researching alternatives before you do. I feel as though many of us feel pressured as having grad school as that "next step" without realizing the long term expense or understanding the work field. Look into finding your way around the field more, if anything, it will benefit your graduate school experience even more than if you entered right away from an undergraduate program. 

[charlemagne88]

First off, thank you for posting such a message. I know that as a recent graduate myself, the pressure to continue on to grad school can be overwhelming and usually the decision comes with little guidance, both from advisers or parents -I think this in part is due to students lack of research of graduate schools, but also because many students do not continue their post graduate education at the same institution and many parents simply do not understand the process. That being said, I mostly disagree with you.

I think the easiest thing to point out is that the transition is just easier if you continue your studies while all the material you've learned as an undergrad is fresh. Not only that, but grad applications require letters of recommendation, which are most effective when they come from faculty in a similar department. It's very difficult to get genuine LOR's from professors who you took a class from 7 years ago -not only that but even tracking them down can be a challenge as instructors sometimes move around as they settle into tenure positions. Now I realize this isn't a huge reason to go right away, but there are more...

The job market has historically always been competitive. This is especially true today, and will only get worse as time moves on and more and more people are getting their Bachelors degrees. This means that even getting an entry level job in specific fields can be highly competitive. A M.A./M.S. can help you there. Also, having a Masters will follow you your entire life. So even if you work for a number of years in a same/similar position you could've gotten with only a B.A., the difference is, when you do apply for that promotion, now you will already have the credentials to match not only the job description, but also your competitors for the job, without having to "go back to school" in the interm. Which leads me to my next point.... 

As someone who is currently in a grad program (and I saw this as an undergrad as well), I see many "non-traditional" students going though college, many of whom have children/jobs/life obligations that I don't have, simply because they put off grad school until later in life. Grad school is tough enough as it is without having to worry about child care, mortgage, family life, etc -which is why I recommend grad school before these things arise. That way, you can really focus on your education while your there.

And lastly, in my own experience, I had to move to go to grad school. It would've been easy for me to stay in my home state, and probably find a job which required a degree, but nothing specific or related to my field. However, it was because I moved (motivated by grad school) that I was able to find a job working in an area directly related to my interests in my studies. I would've not have had that opportunity had I stayed. Many students, (and I think more broadly), many people, don't know what's out there until they look. You can't do that if you're not willing to take a chance. Graduate school affords you that chance. And it's something that will stay with you your entire life. 

I think, especially for those in liberal arts programs, graduate school is a no-brainer -and more importantly sooner rather than later. But that's just my opinion.  

Edited September 15, 2016 by charlemagne88

[Concordia]

Much of this depends on a purely academic vs. professional school.  For the latter, schools often prefer students with some work experience, so they can be qualified for  those great management track jobs upon departure.  For a more academic thing, it's a bit of a wash.  

On the other hand, I'm not sure that I wouldn't prefer, as an employer, to hire an entry-level person who has an MA in anthropology and languages vs a BA in the same field.  More maturity, more diverse skills, more travel experience, probably more real meat on the transcript.

[MaxwellAlum]

There are advantages to both.  I started grad school four years after finishing undergrad.   I was a bit unfocused out of undergrad, and pursuing an MPA did not occur to me at the time.  In the meantime I worked for a nonprofit in a mostly administrative position.  I learned a lot in that position, including just the basics of how to work in an office environment.  That job helped me figure out what I liked and what I didn't like and inspired me to pursue the MPA.  I easily got a government job out of grad school, and I do think my work experience before grad school made me a more attractive candidate (though my grad school internship was more directly relevant to the job).  I also think I feel more certain of my career path than I otherwise would and have a better understanding of general organizational management issues, which helps me in my current role.

That being said, my government job out of grad school at age 28 was an entry level position with a very entry level salary.  That salary has since grown considerably, but if I had gone to grad school straight out of undergrad, I could conceivably have gotten a very similar job out of grad school and started progressing earlier salary-wise.  While my job after undergrad helped me a lot from a personal development standpoint, it did not help qualify me for more advanced positions out of grad school.

I don't regret my choices because I don't think I would have known to do the MPA when I was straight out of undergrad.  I am also feel grateful that I am in the right career path for my skills and interests.  I am not sure that would be the case if I had tried to go to grad school straight out of college.  But I am a little envious of my college friends who are four years ahead of me career-wise because they essentially started earlier.

[kb6]

@charlemagne88

As others have suggested, your perspective makes more sense for an academic master's degree. For an MPA or MA in IR - which is what OP's post was addressing - it is off-base. One - you really only need one academic reference for these programs, the others can be professional. Two, most of the people I met who had scholarships were a little bit older (maybe 25-28 when starting) - I think largely because the school recognizes they will have better employment outcomes upon graduation, making the program look better and the alumni base stronger. 

My SAIS friends who have struggled the most to find meaningful, well-compensated employment have typically been those who went straight through from undergrad. Often they lacked the experience or maturity to qualify for mid-tier positions, despite their degrees. Remember, these are two-year programs so graduates who took no time off will be 23-25 at the end of the degree. Those who've gotten jobs are typically hired at the way lower end of the salary/title range, with the exception of a few brilliant people, which OP's post allows room for. I agree with OP - unless you are super exceptional, top of your class, never wanted to do anything except IR since you were in diapers, I would hold off a few years before applying. Even if that means doing an admin job or the like.

@MaxwellAlum

I'm surprised you don't feel your salary has been higher at all because of your experience. I work in the private sector, but my understanding that government salaries were calculated something like BASE + DEGREES + YEARS EXPERIENCE.

Edited September 24, 2016 by kb6

[went_away]

Though I'd jump in and say these 5-year undergrad/master's programs at the elite schools are a fantastic idea. Those who do them and graduate with 2-6 prestigious internships under their belt set themselves up for a fantastic career and generally can accelerate things by several years. Of course, things don't work out that way for most of us (cause it takes a lot of luck and guidance when you're 15/16 to get on this track), but it's a great way to go. 

The guy featured in this article will do very, very well for himself:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2016/09/12/dual-degree-programs-mean-you-can-get-two-diplomas-in-one-fell-swoop/ 

[MaxwellAlum]

On 9/24/2016 at 9:59 AM, kb6 said:

@MaxwellAlum

I'm surprised you don't feel your salary has been higher at all because of your experience. I work in the private sector, but my understanding that government salaries were calculated something like BASE + DEGREES + YEARS EXPERIENCE.

Since my previous job was very administrative, compared with my current job which is very analytical, my previous experience was not seen to be relevant.  I definitely know people from my program who started at a higher grade in the federal government due to their previous experience.  I think it matters what you do before grad school - if you are unfocused like I was, the experience will help you more personal development-wise than resume-wise.  But if you know roughly what you want to do and can get a job that is relevant to that, then that will place you a step ahead out of grad school.  That being said, once you get into the government after grad school you can often increase your salary just by sticking around and getting promoted to higher grades.  Then you'll reach a ceiling where you need to competitively apply for positions to get promoted.