What Now?

"shpuker" (shpuker) 07/31/2015 at 00:12 • Filed to: College, Postgraduate, graduate, undergraduate, career, money, debt, student

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Coming up on my senior year I’m faced with a familiar set of choices. Do I get a job and start working ASAP or do I try for grad school? I mean whats an extra few grand in debt at this point right?

I’m gonna try and leave this fairly general in hopes that I can get some feedback from you guys/girls on what you did, what you plan to do, etc...

Here’s the boat I’m in though. Assuming I hold my GPA steady through the year I’ll be getting my BS with a fairly average 3.0. I’ve got a pair of internship under my belt to pad the resume and it looks at least fairly likely that the company I’m interning for now may offer me a position. My issue comes in when I consider the fact that I really want to try and sneak my way into a top tier grad school. Maybe its false optimism, maybe its a desire to get laughed off campus, but the idea of doing aeronautical research rather than design forestry equipment sounds pretty alluring to me. At the same time I feel like there’s not harm in chasing both paths and leaving my mind open. Who knows maybe I’ll get lucky on both fronts and someone will pay for me to go to grad school and then give me a job, or I might win the MegaMillions and Powerball while simultaneously being struck by lightning. Same odds right?

Anyways what’re your guys thoughts on situations like this?

Nibby > shpuker 07/31/2015 at 00:15

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I’ve had internships, on campus job, graduated with over 3.5 GPA in undergrad and over 3.9 for grad school in May and still looking for a job.

Depending on what you get your masters in, it might be a good idea to get some work experience first and then get one, or get one part time whilst working. Good luck

wiffleballtony > shpuker 07/31/2015 at 00:15

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Get a job that pays for grad school.

shpuker > wiffleballtony 07/31/2015 at 00:17

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Works well for things like an MBA, not so well for things like Aeronautical Engineering. Kinda a niche market that you have to take a leap of faith into.

* Though not to say its impossible.

FromCanadaWithLove > shpuker 07/31/2015 at 00:24

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Find a job that pays for grad school. If that doesn’t work, find a grad school that has co-op work terms. Good way to expand your education and make work connections along the way.

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > shpuker 07/31/2015 at 00:25

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Option 1: Graduate go to work with the B.S. and pass the P.E. exam. Get a bit of experience and find out what part of the field you would actually pursue the Masters in then look at grad programs.

Option 2: Go to grad school then look for a job and possibly find that you are doing nothing related to your masters.

I know people that have done both routes and are happy with their career paths.

stuttgartobsessed > shpuker 07/31/2015 at 00:27

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Extra debt is still MORE DEBT. Get a job. Save some money. Get some experience under your belt. There are a lot of grad programs that like to see a few years of real world work experience under your belt as well. Could give you better chances at getting into one of those “top-tier” schools, as well as relieve some of your existing debt. Plus, you may decide to go a different route or find that you don’t really need to go to grad school.

Though that’s all dependent on what you’re studying... if it’s Med, you’re kinda stuck.

Needmoargarage > shpuker 07/31/2015 at 00:56

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When making a decision think about the opportunity cost of not taking a job...two year’s salary coming earlier on really makes a difference in paying off debt and really getting started in life. I had to make the same decision last year and chose to start working. In that year I’ve knocked out about a third of my graduate degree (paid by employer), bought a house, and had some fun. Never regretted it...then again I never really loved school or the poor student life.

Axial > shpuker 07/31/2015 at 01:10

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Companies like Lockheed pay for grad school, especially for aerospace and other engineering degrees. It’s not that much of a leap.

samssun > shpuker 07/31/2015 at 01:12

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To echo the others, get a job that pays for grad school, and lets you get some work experience, build an actual resume, and have much better stories to tell when you apply to grad school. Plus you’ll be making money instead of not only not making it, but also going further into debt.

And regarding the designing forestry equipment vs. doing aeronautical research, you can’t tell me the admissions committee won’t be impressed by your tales of practical, hands-on, roll-up-the-sleeves grit, compared to all the other nerds telling versions of the same boring story. I’m certain my talk of being a gearhead helped me stand out in my business school admissions.

Decay buys too many beaters > shpuker 07/31/2015 at 03:51

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I’ll echo everybody else’s advice, get a job that’ll pay for grad school. It’s more common than you think, most larger companies have some kind of education reimbursement. Went to school for mechanical engineering and graduated with around the same GPA four years ago. Took a couple years off and now I’m half way through a free Master’s in systems engineering.

TheRealBicycleBuck > shpuker 07/31/2015 at 07:59

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I shall regale you with my sad tale and some advice. I am currently paying on student loans for 6 degrees - 3 for me, 3 for my wife. Don’t be me.

I spent several years as an assistant professor before I finally realized that it would take 20 years or more to reach the income levels where I could afford to a) pay off my own school debts, and b) save up enough to help my kids through college.

Those years working at the university taught me a lot. I watched many students getting loans to pay for degrees which would never net them enough money to pay off their loans. I tried to guide them down another path, but their hearts were set.

I finally left academia for the “real” world. I discovered that I was 10 years behind in “real” experience and guys my age are moving into VP positions while I am working to get the “real” experience that is required to move up. Again, don’t be me.

Take a job and get a few years experience before you make a decision on grad school. You should do this for a couple of reasons. First, many people go to grad school and discover that their degree program isn’t what they thought it would be. Second, while you are in school, other people are moving ahead of you in experience. In many fields, experience trumps education. Third, getting the experience will let you see what other people do for a living. It may sway your decision about which graduate program you choose.

If you choose grad school, choose the school wisely. You will be guided to specialize in your field. I suggest you look at other fields. For example, one of my former coworkers had a B.S. in biology, but went back for a Master’s in mechanical engineering and eventually a Ph.D. He is now one of the foremost experts on biomechanical engineering. Neat.

As a final piece of advice, I suggest you get all of your education out of the way BEFORE you get married and have kids, especially if you are going to work and go to grad school at the same time. Having other people in your life while you are trying to accomplish something so difficult is a great way to ensure you aren’t as successful as you could be. There is a reason for the cliche about the doctor’s first wife (the one who gets him through med school). I wouldn’t trade my wife and kids for anything, especially after they stuck with me through grad school. But statistics tell me that I am the exception, not the rule.

Once again, don’t be me.

Eberle-Hills-Cop > shpuker 07/31/2015 at 08:14

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10 years out of college and i make 5 figures more than all my friends that went to grad school (with a fraction of the debt!)

Grad school is a racket. (unless you’re a docotoro)

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > shpuker 07/31/2015 at 09:11

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Don’t pay for grad school. Either find a job that will pay for grad school, or find a program that will pay for grad school. Since it looks like you are in engineering you should be able to find a program that would provide funding for you.

I went straight from my bachelors to a masters at the same school, but I did that because they were willing to pay for the degree. I did have to work as a TA to do it, but my out of pocket tuition costs were something like $150/semester. Some of the other guys going at the same time were fully funded through their project funding and didn’t need to work as TA’s. At any rate, if you are going for an advanced degree in engineering it is not worth pursuing if you are paying for it yourself.

Jayhawk Jake > shpuker 07/31/2015 at 09:18

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It depends what you want to do in the end, but I would argue it’s almost always better to have work experience before going to graduate school. Plus many employers will pay for school.

I'm working on my MBA and I don't have a to pay a dime. I have 4 years of work experience as well.

Jayhawk Jake > shpuker 07/31/2015 at 09:21

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That’s not true. My company will pay for any type of degree. I knew a few people working on an engineering masters while working full time. That’s more difficult than an MBA, but doable.

The issue is an engineering masters isn’t something you need for most engineering jobs. What’s your ultimate aspiration? A masters in engineering doesn’t add much value to most engineering jobs IMO. Practical experience is far more useful, especially at an entry level.

I'm an aerospace engineer and I work at a major OEM. I can try to answer any questions you have.

wiffleballtony > shpuker 07/31/2015 at 09:42

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Try and find a position at a company that is involved that sphere. As stated by others, Lockheed, Boeing, Northrup, General Dynamics, etc. You also need to factor in the opportunity cost of not working. By going to school, you are not only accruing more debt, you’re also forgoing wages and also actual work experience. Also I honestly think the pay off for graduate school is highly over rated. IMHO you’re better off having finding a job that will pay for it, heck some jobs will promote upon completion.

shpuker > wiffleballtony 07/31/2015 at 22:32

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I like the way you think.

shpuker > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/31/2015 at 22:39

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There seems to be a general consensus among everyone on the right and wrong ways to do this. I think I’ve got a few ideas as to how I can try and pull this off now, but step one seems to always be, “Find someone else willing to pay for it.”

shpuker > Jayhawk Jake 07/31/2015 at 22:44

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Ultimate end all goal in a perfect world is NASA/Space X type work. I realize that’s a ballsy goal that’s gonna require almost as much luck as it will brains but if you don’t have high goals then why have goals? I know a couple of people that have had the opportunity to work for NASA and their path was to do a 6-month internship followed by grad school. Now that I think about it though neither of them paid a cent for grad school.

On the other side of the scale, aka plan B, is performance automotive which honestly I doubt a graduate degree of any kind would be necessary nor immediately helpful.

shpuker > Axial 07/31/2015 at 22:47

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I’d say I was a bit more cynical on that front than I should’ve been. Let the career hunt begin ey?

Jayhawk Jake > shpuker 08/01/2015 at 08:27

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NASA would definitely benefit from a grad degree, SpaceX maybe. I know a handful of people that went to SpaceX, a few had masters a few didn’t.