Should I go to Grad School?

[JadedLegend3]

Should I go? I graduate from college this May and I'm wondering what I'm going to do with my life. I will have a Bachelor's in English Lit. I've been thinking of teaching on the college level, but you need a Master's at least for that. But I really have no idea what I'll do. Something, I guess.

[Judith]

I don't know. What do you want from life?

[JadedLegend3]

A rich husband! :P :ewink:



Jacqui :love:

[JrMissToughChick]

:rollin:

[JadedLegend3]

:shrug: Honestly, I don't know. I think I could be happy teaching English at the college level. I could rattle on for hours about what I like, and that's all my profs do.

I like the idea of editing books though, too. Not journalism, which is what I'm doing now at my internship. I just like that whole proof-reading stuff. It's the anal-retentiveness in me! :D



Jacqui :love:

[DRD2001]

How about teaching at the community college level first? You may find you do not like to teach at all. IN which case, spend more time and money to go in that direction, when you could be doing something else you might like better. I got my MBA a year after college, while working one full time and 2 part-time jobs.

[JadedLegend3]

You don't need a Master's to teach at the community college level?



Jacqui :love:

[DRD2001]

My sister got a degree in english and she is teaching at a comm college. She sure as sh** doesn't have a masters or a teaching degree.

Of course, she is in podunk town and the students are dumber than logs.

[JadedLegend3]

Now the real question is, can you make any money at all at the community college level? I know that teachers of any kind don't make a lot of money, but can you exist on a community college professor's salary?



Jacqui :love:

[DRD2001]

She could, but she is a twit. It is a very rural and fairly poor community. So she could rent a nice place for $300 to $400. But instead she lives at home with Mom so she doesn't pay rent, and travels over 100 miles a day. The wear and tear is destroying her car.
Anyway, it is just something to consider. Things may be different in your area. But it would let you know if you really liked teaching. With my mom being a teacher, I know there is so much more than just being able to connect with students. You also have to deal with administrations, lesson plans and a lot of paperwork.

[JadedLegend3]

Yeah, I understand all that. I just don't know. It seems like the best idea now. God knows I don't want to work in the mall forever.

Thanks for all the info and advice! I really appreciate it.



Jacqui :love:

[BrowderChick]

In my opinion, I would go just to say you did it for yourself.

I regret not doing so.

[DRD2001]

Why not go for it with the additional schooling, yet see what you can do to earn money tutoring. It would get you out of the mall, give you practical experience and you could continue your education. I got $20 an hour to tutor math. $25 an hour for art lessons (supply costs). There are always parents wanting to get tutoring for math for their kids. Since you study English, you could make sure parent know that you can teach their kids how to write coherent reports and such.

[JadedLegend3]

That's a good idea! I volunteer at the writing center on campus already, so I have plenty of experience that would (hopefully) make people want to hire me.



Jacqui :love:

[Darth Buddha]

Go for the masters... bachelor's degrees are a dime a diozen nowadays.

But remember that a masters in some fields is considered to be kissing your sister, or a consolation prize for those who can't do the Ph.D. If you fall in love with your studies, you might just want to go for the Ph.D.

[JadedLegend3]

I suppose I could just go for the PhD...but then I'd make everyone call me Dr. Jacqui. :D If I do all that work, I'm getting the respect for it! :lol That, and the thesis for a PhD scares the crap out of me!

I probably will go to grad school. I will also probably take a year off as I haven't even taken the GREs yet. Nor have I applied anywhere. I am getting information from some colleges, though. Who knows what I'll do.



Jacqui :love:

[vikingscaper]

I would say go to Grad School. I have no intentions on going to Grad School as I have had just enough of schooling for my lifetime. If I get the job that I have applied for, I will be extremely happy since I have heard that it can be hard for Geography majors to find jobs when they are done with college.

[atlantagirl]

I know that in Atlanta it is impossible to get a job teaching English at a good school without a Ph.D., and has been that way for many years. One of my best friends has a Masters degree in English and teaches at the Art Institute in Atlanta (and has done so for a long time). She could have gotten a job at a community college in Atlanta with a Master's degree, but could never have taught at a 4-year college or university because there are so many more qualified candidates.

I'm glad you'll have to take a year off. I firmly believe that no one should commit to a course of action like getting a Ph.D. (which is costly and time-consuming and tends to lock you into a single direction for the rest of your life) without getting some real life experience that exposes you to a wider range of possible interests. Internships are a good way to get a feel for different types of careers. Try to find several internship opportunities while you study for the GRE and apply to schools. Try teaching (it's not an easy job and many people don't stay with it long term), try finding something that will have you writing (if not journalism, then maybe an internship at a publishing company or advertising agency), and try doing something completely outside a traditional field for an English major (one that appeals to you).

You're very young and just at the beginning of your journey. Test the waters in as many lakes and oceans as you can now before you set a course you'll have a hard time changing if you decide it's not what you want to do with the rest of your life.

[UTChick]

I voted a Yes, BUT - taking a year off sounds like a good idea - getting some direction for yourself may help you decide where you want to be - even which school & major to focus on. Is there any downside to waiting a year (funds stop because you're not continuing, etc). If the downsides aren't major - experiment. You're a smart lady - you don't have to rush anything!

[Dominar of Action]

I voted No. Unless you're absolutely sure what you want to do, the money and time spent on a Masters would be more or less wasted, particularly if you do it so soon after undergrad. Take some time off and go work for awhile. Try different things. Talk to lots of people. See what jobs are really out there. Most importantly, try to find someone whose job you'd *really* like and then ask them how to get there. In the meantime, not only keep yourself out of debt but start building a nest egg if you can. That will give you the financial freedom to go for the Masters (and Ph.D) if and when you decide it will help you along the path you've chosen.

(thus speaketh the person with a Masters that she got immediately after undergrad but now does nothing except look good on her resume, while the J.D. she got after several years out in the real world is what pays the bills. :) )

[JadedLegend3]

Thanks for all the advice!

DoA, that is my fear, that I'll spend all this money on grad school and then never use it. It's not like a CD or a shirt! LOL And you can't take it back.

I will take some time off before I go (if I go) and we'll see where I end up. I'll probably stick around here (the FMD) though, so you'll be kept in the loop! :D


Jacqui :love:

[Dominar of Action]

Well, good luck! I also think you'll appreciate the academic experience much more after you've been out for awhile.

I'm also really serious about the most important thing being to keep yourself in good financial shape so you can afford to take off a few years (and perhaps qualify for loans) to go back when you're ready. I know many people who would like to go back but can't afford to.

[DRD2001]

I also have a Masters that I do not use. It does look pretty on a resume. But my problem was that doing work in that field was boring and uninteresting for me, which I found out after the fact. I love my job now for all the variety, skill, design and challenges. But I think if I hadn't gotten my MBA, I might spend a lot of time wondering if I should have. I guess sometimes you never can win. :)

[harveywhispers]

I am glad to see that you are really contemplating this decision, rather than just jumping into it for the sake of doing something.

[atlantagirl]

Originally posted by Dominar of Action
I'm also really serious about the most important thing being to keep yourself in good financial shape so you can afford to take off a few years (and perhaps qualify for loans) to go back when you're ready. I know many people who would like to go back but can't afford to.

DoA is absolutely right. This is a critical time in your life as far as your financial future. Just out of college is a time when a lot of people start buying things on credit and getting buried in the process under a mountain of debt that severely limits their future opportunities (speaking from experience here :( ). I have a number of degrees that I don't use at all and have worked my way out from under overwhelming debts that started building in college (and am continuing to pay off student loans for degrees that I don't even use). I'd do it all different now if I only knew then what I know now.

My best advice is find your passion and pursue it with everything you have but always live within your means and put money aside from every paycheck (no one has ever lamented having too much savings).

[trubador]

Well, I waited five years before going back to grad school (didn't really cross my mind when I got my B.A.). Did one year of the two year M.A. program. GPA was fine, but wasn't happy with the program (teaching quantitatively rather than qualitatively, issues with some of the professors methods, etc.). Never finished the M.A. --- wrong program at the wrong school at the wrong time.

I wished, though, that I had at least an M.A. to teach at the college level, myself. Time & finances, now, rule that out.

It depends, JL3, on the school, the program, what you want to do with the degree, other options that you can fall back on and yet still use that degree. I would say "yes"... but it's a qualified "yes". Take a year off to really get a sense of what you want to accomplish and what direction you want to take. But, don't wait too long once you've made a decision. The cost is always a biggie.... but it won't get cheaper as time passes. In the 10-12 years after I finished that one year of grad school, that university's tuition TRIPLED.

[AgentSun]

i voted yes because you'll regret it when you don't go for it. i already plan on going to grad school simply because i'm at a private christian college (which already limits me a little since the majority of the world is liberal, in my opinion...except for fox news i guess) but also because to compete with others in the same field (journalism) you have to have at least a masters. i mean, that's just a minimum requirement.

so i think with you going into english lit, and wanting to teach at a collegiate level, a masters is really necessary.

now there is the option of taking off a year which does seem like a good idea, especially if you need to organize your finances and things like that and also to get some direction as to where you want to go in life, whether it's teaching or something else.

of course if you want to teach at the collegiate level, you might not want to jump into tutoring 10 year olds or anything. as a side job for money, maybe, but you should get into doing something that is relatively close to what you want to do in life.

try getting an internship...i'm sure they have teaching ones.

[Sococlear]

Become more educated, you will find your way... I promiss

By the way Jadedlegend3, we are in the same boat!

[trubador]

:boat:

[eta_carinae]

Just make sure if you decide to do it that you know what you want going in. It's really hard to pick the right school and the right program and the right advisor if you don't know what you want to do. And you should figure out if you want the PhD or the masters first, because it would be a huge waste to do all the work for the masters and THEN decide you want a PhD. Unless you are in a program that will let you just carry it over. You should also consider the time and money it will take to get the degree- at least two years for the master's, and if you can you should try to get yourself funded - nobody should have to pay for grad school!

[Selena]

Why not spend a year or 2 in the workforce and then go on to do your master's and PhD.

Go teach English in a foreign country ... China and Japan are both desperate for English teachers and they do not insist on higher degrees. The travel is awesome and you will expand your horizons beyond anything you can imagine.

Apart from it being a wondeful adventure it will give you a greater appreciation and understanding of home.

[fermicat]

Don't enter into a PhD program unless you are really sure that is what you want. Taking a year off and deeply considering all of your options sounds like a great plan. Talk to lots of people about their jobs and try to discover what career you eventually want to have. When I was in school (even college) I had no idea of the variety of things you can get paid to do! I wish I had done more investigating. I worked on a PhD for 4 years before I figured out that I didn't want it bad enough to slog through a few more years to finish. I took the MS as a consolation prize (and to help me get work) and went out into industry. Now after 11 years, I have found a MS program for something I'd like to learn as my next career and I am excited about the possibility of going back to school (assuming I get in - they are only accepting 10 people for this program in Fall 2004).

Take the time to figure out what YOU really want, then take the steps necessary to do it.