Graduate school can often be very intimidating. It’s not something that’s required for every major, but for others, it’s crucial. Deciding on the best graduate school to take your talents to and whether it’s even necessary can be stressful beyond measure. In my personal experience, graduate school was something I ruled out fairly quickly. But for those of you that are still considering, or just simply want to know the best way to go about it, this will be extremely helpful. Here’s my best advice to deciding whether you need to go and the best ways to go about making your decision!
Ask yourself some questions
This sounds a bit weird but hear me out. Ask yourself, “Is this something that you’re this passionate about?” You’d think that this would be the number one reason someone would consider graduate school. Most of the time, that’s not true. In today’s world, many are considering how much money they can make in order to be comfortable and more. In my opinion, going about it this way is the opposite way to look at things. Decide whether you are passionate about your major. If you’re passionate enough about it to learn more about it, graduate school may be an appropriate option for you!
If you’re like me and have never been a big fan of school, this will be a really helpful question for you. While you’re considering a graduate degree, ask yourself “Do I want to go school for at least two more years?” For me, that was a definite no. But if the time commitment to a graduate degree sounds great, graduate school might just be a great option for you!
Talk to professors
This was my second step when I was considering graduate school. I talked to a few professors and seeing what their education looked like and would ask them if they thought that opened up more doors for them. I explained to them what I was looking at doing and seeing what their personal opinion was. For my degree in particular (journalism), it’s not needed for me, but is definitely needed if I was wanting to go on to be a professor. If I wanted to be a teacher at a high school, I would just have to go through and get a teaching license and pass exams that education majors would have to take. It’s always something I can do later, which is really comforting! Talking to professors can make a huge difference in your decision!
Visit a career center
Career centers are extremely important to your success in the professional world. If you’re entirely not sure on where to start, this could be a great first step! Career centers are literally there to guide you and assist you in reaching your goals. This can even mean they will help you evaluate whether you need to go graduate school. They can even help you apply to the correct programs! From getting referrals to employers and boosting your networking skills, a career center can make or break your transition to the real world.
Weigh your options
This is where it can get complicated. Although universities can talk themselves up to seem like you need to go to graduate school right now, you need to weigh your options. Graduate school can get really expensive depending on what you’re going to school for. If you’re going to medical school, that’s eight extra years you are going to school which is a ton of extra money. If you’re just going to get a Master’s, that can take you up to four years to complete depending on how you plan your semesters out. Stressing about money can be a great reason to wait too. If you need to get a higher degree but don’t have the money, don’t be afraid to wait until you do! You need to do what’s best for you–not what’s best for your family or your university. This is your one time to be selfish!
Reach out
This is something I had never thought of until I talked to a few of my professors. I originally wanted to go into sports media, and it’s still huge, HUGE dream of mine, which this professor knew. He got me in contact with one of his friends that is a photographer for a minor league baseball team out in New England. Through this professor, I was able to talk to his friend and get a decently good idea of what my education needed to look like.
She was able to give me a ton of advice in order to achieve my goals and recommended that I reach out to others on LinkedIn regardless of whether I knew them or not. I could also talk to them about what their education looked like or simply just reach out to them through an invitation to connect! Having connections that are doing what you are wanting to do looks great if you’re using LinkedIn to apply for jobs!
Use your resources
One of the big things I used to help make my decision was using the Occupational Outlook Handbook that you can find on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website. On this website, they give you plenty of ways to view occupations through your major. On the left side, they give you a huge list of occupation groups, including sections like “Arts and Design” and “Community and Social Service.” If you click on any of these categories, you’re able to view the occupations that fit into that category, the job summary, how to make it to that position, and what the median pay in 2018 was.
By clicking on any job you’re interested in, you’re able to see the typical education level, the average work experience needed, and what the job outlook is looking like. It’s a huge tool for finding the perfect career and seeing if any training is needed. For me that wants to be in world of media and communication, this helped me pick out three jobs I would love to do: public relations specialist, writer and author, or an editor. None of them need a graduate degree and it really helped me solidify my decision!
Look at your odds
If you decide to look through the Occupational Outlook Handbook, you’re doing yourself a favor. This can really help you decide what your post-grad life will look like. If you’re noticing that you’ll have better opportunities in your field, graduate school probably wouldn’t be a bad idea. But, for those with media or communication majors like me, it may not always be necessary. I can get most jobs with a plain ol’ Bachelor’s degree. However, if I ever wanted to be a professor (which I don’t) I would have to go back to school. If I knew I wanted to be a professor, I would have gone straight to grad school. Your pros and cons definitely need to be weighed throughout this entire process, but it is most important here!
Things you didn’t know
You don’t have to fully commit to a Master’s or a Doctoral degree! Some universities offer graduate certificates where you can get extra training in certain areas. It allows you to mix and match if you wanted. This can be a much, much cheaper option than a traditional graduate degree.
Even though you’re going to get that graduate degree (or certificate), it doesn’t mean you have to stop networking! This is still a crucial part of post-college life.
You may not get into your first choice graduate school program! I know so many people that have applied to so many graduate schools. Some of them got into one of their last choice schools. This is competition like you’ve never seen in some cases! It definitely depends on what you’re studying. Do NOT get discouraged if you don’t get into one of your top schools. I’m sure you won’t be the only one.
Don’t complete a graduate degree just because you’re trying to prolong getting a job. Your heart needs to be in it 110 percent. Do it because you want to!
Is there anything else you’ve done to prepare for graduate school? Let me know in a comment below!
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