Thursday, May 31, 2012

IT Grads: Go to Grad School or Join the Work Force Now?


With the tight job market, many graduates in IT and other areas are tempted to go to graduate school instead of braving the market. This move might be good for some and not so good for others, depending on your situation. Below are pros and cons to consider concerning going to grad school.
Graduate School Pros: 
Going to grad school is a good idea for some people. If you are one of those students who really likes to learn and wished you could keep going to college, you might be a candidate for graduate school. You also might be a good candidate if you believe a larger yearly strategy is worth waiting a couple years. Professionals with graduate degrees generally make larger yearly salaries.

If the idea of being on the cutting edge of research and learning new theories and ideas that are not yet applied in the work place appeals to you, you might also like graduate school. Finally, you might choose graduate school if you do not like the idea of starting at a very low entry-level position. You are more likely to have access to jobs that give you a high degree of responsibility after proving your leadership abilities as part of a graduate research team or as a graduate teaching assistant.
Graduate School Cons: 
Graduate school is not for someone who needs to make money right out of college. If you have a mountain of debt that just won't wait until you finish an advanced degree, then you might want to forgo graduate school, at least until you are more financially stable.

Instead, you will find that school means that you start out making money, instead of spending it on more tuition and books. Going straight into the work force also means that you will gain more practical experience than someone coming from grad school. In other words, you get to jump right in and get your hands dirty. Also, you will have more experience in the everyday skills all corporate workers experience.
Only you know what is the right path for you 
There is no one right career path. You will need to sort out for yourself what is the most sensible route for you. If you have the means, patience, and intellectual curiosity, you might consider grad school. If you like to get your hands dirty and want to get right to work, you might want to jump right in to the job market.

As always, only you can make the choice.

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