Graduate School, the Work Force, or Both?

Many college spring semesters have just begun, and classrooms, labs and dormitories are filled with soon-to-be graduates intent on knocking out their final semester. With high hopes and anticipation, students battle senioritis and race to the finish line.

For many, graduate school looms on the horizon.. They're ready to put their undergraduate days behind them and move on to their next academic goal. Many others are spending their out-of-class time polishing resumes, participating in on-campus interviews, and getting ready to trade their college-logo sweats and tee-shirts for a work-friendly wardrobe.

While many seniors prepare to move on to graduate school or work, some are still living in limbo. On the one hand, entering the 9 to 5 world doesn't seem all that appealing, and their dreams have always included a post-graduate degree. On the other hand, they're anxious to start putting all their book learning to the test in the work world. The idea of actually being able to afford their own apartment instead of living with roommates who don't believe in washing dishes, cleaning bathrooms or taking out the trash is quite enticing.

The final year of college is a crossroads. The decision of whether to begin graduate study, take a full-time job or even try to embark on both at once is a daunting one, and one that will impact the rest of their lives.

There is no right or wrong answer or guaranteed best choice. The most logical and fruitful next step after college graduation varies from student to student. There are many factors to weigh, including:

- The level of education required to succeed in your chosen career field

- Your financial obligations

- Your level of interest in further study and eagerness to join the work force

- How your academic record as an undergrad reflects on your potential for success in grad school

- Your other goals and interests, including personal relationships and living situations, and how graduate school or the work world will impact them.

There are pros and cons to each option. This article highlights some of the things to consider in making your choice.

Option A: Postponing Work to Attend Graduate School Full Time

Pros

1. You're already in "starving student" mode.

You've mastered the art of living on ramen soup and macaroni and cheese. You've adjusted to the fact that your apartment is the size of a postage stamp and your hot water heater only seems to work on alternate Wednesdays. You've even come to consider your roommate's week-old-pile of dirty laundry a household decoration rather than a nuisance. Once you get out away from the harder realities of college life and get a taste of the lifestyle a full-time job can afford, it can be difficult to go back.

2. You've got more financial freedom than you may ever have again.

Chances are, with the exception of student loans, you've got fewer financial obligations than you'll have down the road. Most traditional-aged college students have yet to purchase a home. You may have to pay rent, but you aren't saddled with the burdens of a mortgage, home improvement, or supporting a family. The reality is that the more we have, the more we spend. Chances are that if you head off to the work world, you'll burden yourself with financial expectations and obligations that make it harder for you to consider returning to school full-time down the road.

3. Studying is still on your list of "good habits."

You've mastered the all-night cram session. You're a pro at writing papers and doing research. Studying is as much a part of your life now as eating, sleeping and breathing. There's truth to the saying "if you don't use it, you lose it." It can be difficult to get back into good study habits once you've been away from them for a while.

4. You'll be able to immerse yourself in academia.

Attending graduate school part-time now or down the road is certainly an option. But being in school full-time has advantages. If you're focusing on your graduate education full-time, you have more opportunities to interact with other students, devote yourself to study and research, get to know your professors, and take advantage of campus resources.

5. You'll finish faster.

The finish line is much closer when all you're doing is racing towards it. Attending graduate school full-time means you'll finish much faster than if you're attending part-time and trying to balance your education with work and other obligations.

Cons

1. Your friends will have more stuff than you do.

So, you've decided to stay on the academic path, and most of your friends have begun full-time jobs. You're still sleeping in and starting class at noon while they're up at the crack of dawn, swigging coffee and fighting their way through morning commute traffic. You're up doing research at 2 am and wish you had a friend to go grab breakfast at an all-night diner, but your crew is sound asleep after an exhausting work day. When the weekend rolls around, your schedules actually allow some time to get together, but your college student budget will be busted if you follow your working friends out into their new social scene.

2. You're still in starving student mode.

I know, we already went over this one. Some things are both a pro and a con. While it is easier to stay the course with the run-down apartment and obnoxious roomie lifestyle than it is to go back to it after you've had a break, it isn't without its frustrations. You may feel you've paid your dues and long for something more, especially when your friends are buying homes, starting families, or just enjoying life with more pocket money.

3. The real world might wonder what took you so long to join it.

In some fields, a graduate degree weighs heavily in hiring considerations and can compensate for the fact that you don't have much actual work experience. But in others, employers value time on the job and the fact that you've demonstrated your talents in the "real world" more than the additional piece of paper. If your entire twenty-something life has been spent in the classroom with little practical experience to complement your studies, you may face challenges in your job search.

4. Academic burnout

It feels like years since you've had a break from academia. You can't remember the last time you read a book for pleasure instead of in preparation for a test. We hear about job burnout all the time. It is possible to experience academic burnout as well.

5. The rest of your life is on hold.

You'd love to buy a home or rent an apartment in a safer, cleaner community. Your girlfriend has been waiting for you to pop the question for two years now, and you won't consider it until you feel you afford the home she deserves. The choice to stay in school full-time may require that you put other goals and dreams on hold for a while.

Tips

1. If your plan is to stay in graduate school full time, make the most of the opportunities your choice affords you. Seek out research or teaching assistantships at your college. In addition to being valuable experiences, research and teaching assistantships often come with perks such as financial assistance with tuition and fees, stipends, or campus housing.

2. Get to know others who are doing the same. You've chosen to continue the student lifestyle for a while longer, so enjoy the chance to forge friendships with others who are as interested and committed to your academic field as you are.

3. When the fact that you're still doing homework while your former undergraduate classmates are remodeling homes, starting families and earning bigger paychecks gets you down, remind yourself that for you those things aren't impossible, they're just on hold. A few years from now, you'll be moving forward with your personal life and career yourself, but unlike them you'll have the wide range of opportunities that a graduate degree can provide available to you.

4. While it is important to immerse yourself in your academic life, don't lose track of the real world. Participate in part-time work or internships in your field as time allows. Join professional associations and seek out opportunities to network with those out there in the work world. Doing so will make your eventual job search and re-entry into life outside of campus an easier transition.

Option B: Putting Graduate School on Hold and Going to Work Full-Time

Pros

1. They're showing you the money.

The most obvious advantage to choosing work over furthering your studies is cold, hard cash. After years of living on greasy dorm food because you can't afford takeout or groceries and lugging your laundry home to mom on the weekends because you don't have enough change in your pocket for the Laundromat, having a full-time paycheck find its way to your bank account every two weeks is a wonderful and freeing experience.

2. You can move forward with your personal goals and dreams.

That full-time paycheck can bring more your way than just real food and an apartment that doesn't come with a roomie named Bubba who snores and eats all the leftovers your parents send your way. You suddenly have the financial resources to begin moving closer to your other goals in life. Things like paying off your student loans, buying a home, having a family or taking a real vacation no longer seem like remote possibilities.

3. You've still got time to change your mind.

Sure, you've lived long enough to finish high school and your bachelor's degree, and have now obtained the "real adult" status that comes with your first post-college job. But if you went straight from high school to college and graduated in four or five years, you're still young. If you spend a year or two in the field your undergraduate degree prepared you for and find you like your job less than a trip to the dentist, you've still got plenty of time to consider other career options and start fresh.

4. On-the-job experience can help you choose the right graduate program.

The work world can open your eyes to many possibilities. Perhaps as an undergraduate, you majored in psychology with a long-term plan of getting a post-graduate degree and running your own counseling practice. In your first full-time job, you're part of several projects that make you realize just how fascinated you are with computer systems and web development. So you decide that when you do go back to school, you'll pursue a masters in information systems instead. This is a possibility that never would have crossed your mind if you hadn't entered the work force.

Cons

1. Now you've got the money - can you give it up?

Once you get to used to a regular full-time paycheck, it can be very difficult to go back to living without one. While after a while the idea of giving up the day job and returning to the classroom might seem almost exhilarating, the thought of a college-sized bank account is depressing. Chances are that even if you're willing to cut your income down to a student-style budget, you'll have accumulated expenses and bills that make it hard to do so. There's a strong likelihood that once you enter the world of work, any return to your studies will be part-time.

2. "Employee" is now your primary role outside of your personal life.

When you began college, the role of "student" became your primary identity. School touched every aspect of your life, from how you spent your day to the types of part-time jobs you chose to the friends you spent your free time with. Work can be very much the same. You'll find yourself identifying with your co-workers and water cooler conversations, and your academic life will seem light years away. You'll meet people who have been quite successful in their careers without going on to graduate school, and wonder why you'd invest the time, money and effort yourself.

3. You've got more on your plate, and possibly more people relying on you.

Entering the work world can often go hand in hand with making other "adult" life choices and changes. You may upgrade your living arrangements or marry or move in with your significant other. You've got the best of intentions as far as returning to school, but suddenly find yourself immersed in work-related trainings instead. Before you know it, perhaps you've begun a family. Now, the decision to return to college will have to be balanced not only with your work obligations but the needs and expectations of your family and your new lifestyle.

4. Textbooks are a thing of the past.

The work day is long and grueling. You come home with a brain full of mush, and wonder why as a student you thought the college life was so tough. But at the same time, while you may take work home occasionally you're not facing exams and research paper deadlines. Reading is a leisure activity now. Your weekends are no longer spent in a lab or a library. The thought of returning to the rigors of academics, especially if they'll need to be balanced with the stresses of your job, can be an overwhelming thought.

Tips

1. If your plan is to take a break, but to go to graduate school full or part-time eventually, don't let your study habits get rusty. Read the academic journals associated with your future subject of study. Or keep your learning skills fine-tuned by studying other topics that are of interest to you as a leisure time activity. Learn a language, a new set of computer skills, or the history of a favorite region.

2. Decide whether your plan for returning to college is to go back full-time or to study part-time while being a full-time member of the workforce, and plan accordingly. Set goals and a timeline for returning to college. It is amazing how easy it is to wake up one morning and realize that ten years have gone by since you finished your undergraduate degree.

3. If you intend to return to college full-time after working for a while, continue to live frugally. Don't saddle yourself with bills and financial obligations that will make this an impossible dream. Instead, use your full-time income to pay off your existing debts or save for the time you'll return to a full-time student lifestyle.

4. Use your on-the-job experiences and the connections you make at work to help determine your best course of study in graduate school. Keep your eyes and ears open to new experiences, and take them with you when you return to the classroom.

Option C: Burning the Candle at Both Ends: Jumping into the Work World and Starting Graduate School Simultaneously

Pros

1. You're having your cake and eating it too.

The thought of waiting a few more years to get out of your dingy college apartment is unbearable. But you've dreamed of your graduate degree since you first set foot in a college classroom, and you don't want to put it on hold. Working full time and going on to grad school part time means you can move forward in both areas. Your financial situation improves, you've started your career, and you're still moving forward with your academic goals.

2. The "how do I pay for graduate school" question may have an automatic answer.

The thought of taking out another set of student loans to go on to graduate school was overwhelming. Along comes an employer who, in addition to paying a decent salary, offers tuition reimbursement as a benefit. The problem of paying for grad school is solved, as long as you're willing to work by day and study by night.

3. Your job and your studies can complement each other.

If you're working and taking classes in your chosen field, your experiences on the job can help you grasp key concepts and bring new insights to the classroom. Likewise, your studies can help you succeed on the job.

4. Compared to this, the rest is easy.

You work all day and attend classes or hide your nose in a book all night. The weekends are spent catching up on the work your classmates are doing while you're on the job. Time to relax is a luxury. Things are tough now, but when you close your eyes and imagine your future, you can't help but smile. Most other day-jobbers bemoan their lack of time for family, friends and hobbies. For you, the thought of "just working" and not having the added responsibility of school sounds like a vacation. When you get there, you'll have the art of time management mastered, and will truly be able to make the best of your time outside of work.

Cons

1. Transition times two

Remember the challenges of adjusting to life after high school? You adjusted and learned to love your new live eventually, but not before you'd gained the freshman ten pounds and had a less-than-super semester or two as you learned the hard way that your high school study habits wouldn't get you through a tough college class. Well, life after your bachelor's degree is another major transition. Graduate school can be as different from your undergrad days as high school was from college. A full-time job is a far cry from the part-time work you may have done to help pay for college. When you take on both at once, you're diving into two new oceans at the same time, and each have their own kinds of sharks. You may find yourself swimming in too many different directions.

2. What's a life?

When you're working and going to school, there's not much time for anything else. Between your job and your studies, you'll struggle to make time for your family and friends. Romantic relationships and your mental health can suffer if you're not managing your time very carefully.

3. The rest is on hold

If you're lucky, you'll find a way to balance work, school and time with your loved ones. But beyond that, you may need to put other goals on hold. Scheduling that much-needed vacation around both work and school can sometimes be impossible. Major projects like home remodeling don't mesh very well with day jobbing by day and studying by night. If anything major happens in your personal life, such as a family member becoming ill, you may find you have to rethink your plans at least temporarily.

4. Missed opportunities

Your boss wants to send you to a major conference across the country, where you'll have the chance to network and meet experts in your field. But you have to beg off because it would mean missing a week of class. The co-workers you've been trying so hard to get to know finally invite you to one of their happy hours, but you have a school project due in the morning. At school, your classmates form a study group that meets on Saturdays, but you're spending your weekends in your office to make up for the weekdays when you leave the job early to get to class on time. Balancing work and school can make it very difficult to go above and beyond in either arena, so opportunities to make important connections can be easily missed.

Tips

1. If you're going to jump right into balancing work and school, try to choose a graduate program where many other students will be doing the same. Many graduate programs are structured so that you can complete some or all of your classes online. Programs geared towards working students are designed for those who need to balance multiple roles. Studying with other students who are living the same hectic lifestyle can create a support system.

2. Double dip when you can. If your graduate program is in a subject that pertains to your job, perhaps some of your school papers, research projects or presentations can also be used in your workplace, or vice versa.

3. Choose an employer who values and encourages education. Seek out a workplace that supports your educational goals through tuition remission or flexible work hours. Find mentors in the form of colleagues who have already traveled the road you're now on.

4. Realize that you've already got a very full plate. You may want to learn a new language, remodel your house, plan the wedding of the century, write a novel, or start a side business. But you've got to eat and sleep sometime. Save other major ventures for when you've finished your studies, and look to them as a reward for a job well done.

Ultimately, the choice to continue your studies and when and how you will do it is yours and yours alone. If you go to graduate school full-time, you may struggle financially a bit longer. If you take a break from academia and enter the work world, your finances will improve but your job and the rest of your life may deter you from getting back to the classroom. If you try to balance school and work, you'll be making progress in both areas but may experience stress and burnout. Each option comes with its own set of risks and rewards. By considering the pros and cons of each option, setting goals, planning appropriately and managing your time, you can be successful in both your education and career.