Should I Go to Grad School?
When someone asks me to help them decide whether or not to go grad school, here’s what happens in my brain: nine times out of ten, I know in advance that the answer is no.
This is because for many, many people, deciding on grad school as a very elaborate, very expensive form of procrastination. Grad school magically appears as an option any time someone is stagnant in their career, or feeling bored with where they live, or when they’ve just got out of a relationship.
Why you’re really deciding on grad school
In a nutshell, they’re stuck, and grad school offers a kind of certainty: at least for the next year or two, they won’t have to make any decisions. They’ll know where they’ll be living, someone else will make their schedule, and they can postpone any really tough choices until graduation.
I’ve encountered this situation so many times that I’ve developed a very specific list of criteria to use when someone asks me “should I go to grad school” and I’m sharing this with you below.
The Very Simple, Couldn’t Be Easier “Should I Go to Grad School Quiz”
How to decide on grad school:
1) Is there a job waiting for you at the end of grad school that will pay enough that you can easily pay off your student loans?
2) Do you know with a reasonable degree of certainty that you will enjoy this job?
3) Are there lots of jobs like this available?
4) Is the degree a requirement for the job?
If the answer to all these questions isn’t yes…..then let me save you two or more years of your life. Don’t go to grad school.
If you can answer YES to all these questions, then you have my blessing. Go to grad school!
The only major exception to this rule is if you’re rich and it just sounds like fun. If you have enough financial security that taking a year or two out of the workforce to enjoy being a student again is perfectly feasible, then go forth and enjoy!
How to Decide on Grad School (if you’re still not sure)
If you can only answer YES to one or two of these questions—for example, your dream is to become a tenured English professor, which does require the degree, but doesn’t fulfill the other three criteria—my advice is to steer clear of grad school.
You don’t want to invest several years of your life, racking up debt and/or making no money, only to find yourself working as an adjunct at $13,000 a year in Kansas City.*
*(Nothing against Kansas City or English professors! I was an English major!)
You are probably disappointed by this answer. I get it. Grad school is incredibly tempting, for all the reasons I listed above. But if you spend two years in graduate school only to come out with less money, no increase in job prospects, and two years older….that’s not a win. That’s just an elaborate, expensive way to postpone making a hard decision.
If your dream is to become, say, an anesthesiologist or an information security analyst, your chances of paying back your loans and making a good salary going forward are much better. Some jobs, like most in healthcare, REQUIRE a graduate degree, and the pay is accordingly higher. Reasonably sure you’ll love being a physicist? You have my approval to go to grad school.
What To Do Instead of Going To Grad School
Let’s brainstorm: think about the years you’d invest in grad school and try to come up with some ideas for how to use that time better. If you’ve been thinking about getting a graduate degree, there’s probably something that needs to change in your life. Maybe you need a new job, maybe a new career, maybe a new goal. Instead of asking, ‘Should I go to grad school?’ ask ‘What else could I achieve in those years that would leave me in a better position than I’m in now?’
Could you start a side hustle?
Could you start applying to new jobs in your field?
Could you start taking one class that would teach you a new skill for the career you’ve always wanted?
Could you set up coffee dates with people who have great careers, and ask them how they got there?
Could you start a new relationship? Maybe you’re just bored!
Could you pick up and move to a new city? A new state? A new country?
Could you just enjoy your life and hang out with your friends and have a good time and not worry too much?
All of these things are, nine times out of ten, better than deciding to go to grad school.
The Magic Question for Deciding to Go to Grad School
If the “Should I Go to Grad School Quiz” didn’t reassure you, and you still have a nagging feeling that you want to go–even though you know on paper that it’s a bad idea–ask yourself this magic question:
Are you going to have to make the SAME:
career
location
relationship decision
after deciding on grad school that you’re postponing making right now?
Think about it: You’ll still be facing the same “what do I do with my life?” dilemma, but now you’re several years older and you’ve been out of the workforce for years.
And if you need help making one of those important decisions you’ve been putting off, check out my easy Decision Making Quiz to Help You Make the Right Life-Changing Choice.
By now you should have a good idea of whether or not grad school is right for you. But, if you still need help making that call, or maybe you’re wondering if you’re in that 10 percent of people who should go to grad school, you can talk to me about it. In a single, one-and-done session, we’ll decide once and for all whether you should go to grad school. Book here, or go ahead email me if you have questions: nell@decisioncoach.com.