http://qvisory.org/posts/skip-grad-school-life-is-better-with-experience.xml Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:43:33 GMT http://qvisory.org/posts/skip-grad-school-life-is-better-with-experience#comment_513 Did your graduate school application get denied? I sense a lot of anger. Your conversation with one "Mr. Poli Sci" does not accurately reflect the entirety of the graduate student population. How many people have had careers for years and find graduate school a necessary next step in the career path? How many juggle work, graduate school, and family life? Are these people being foolish? No - they have made a logical, and perhaps financially or personally difficult decision to continue their education. For you to so quickly dismiss these hard working people by lumping them all in with your friend, Mr Poli Sci, is shameful. I do agree with you that undergraduate students should first work and gain some experience before moving into graduate school. This will allow them the opportunity to gain the experience and knowledge base from which they can draw upon should they decide to one day enter graduate school. Alternatively, perhaps they will realize their dream job is something completely different from what they had studied. After gaining experience in the work force, People with direction and motivation will be able to exceed with the tools they acquire in graduate school. If nothing else, at the very least they will gain the pride and self confidence of knowing they made it through a higher form of education that others, such as you dear blogger, have not. Give some respect to the working professional who is a part time graduate student - it might not have been right for you or your friend, but it might be right for them. Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:43:33 GMT http://qvisory.org/posts/skip-grad-school-life-is-better-with-experience#comment_513 Chris http://qvisory.org/posts/skip-grad-school-life-is-better-with-experience#comment_566 I think Chris makes the right point. The writer of this article is extremely naive. Every industry is different. I work on Wall Street where the vast majority of people have MBAs from the top Ivy League schools, most people also went to the top Ivy League schools for undegrad. So people spent a lot on their educations. But most people average over $500,000 per year in income also. It pays off well. True strictly from a financial perspective it wouldn't pay off if they went to work as a blog writer but in that sense virtually nothing but experience would help them anyway. People need to determine whether grad school is worth it for them based on what they plan to do. If your goal is to be a lawyer at a top-tier firm than you need to go to a top law school, of if your goal is to be a senator or the President than it helps as well. If your goal is to run a computer repair shop than it really doesn't matter. Mon, 09 Jun 2008 04:55:39 GMT http://qvisory.org/posts/skip-grad-school-life-is-better-with-experience#comment_566 JD http://qvisory.org/posts/skip-grad-school-life-is-better-with-experience#comment_577 @ Chris - Thanks for your comment! Certainly, grad school is valuable to some people, and it sounds like you have a particular affinity for the working grad school person, which is great. My argument was that for most people - not all - it's smarter to gain some experience. I've never applied to grad school myself, but see how it can be valuable. I just don't believe that to be the case for most people judging from my experience. I appreciate you sharing your differing experiences. Also, see below concerning professional degrees. Thanks! @ JD - I love your comment because it illustrates when an advanced degree is appropriate. I think professional degrees - something like law, medicine or an MBA - are quite different than grad school. Those are the examples you use, and I agree, in those fields you absolutely need the degree. But those degrees aren't in the same ballpark as a grad school degree for most people. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:52:08 GMT http://qvisory.org/posts/skip-grad-school-life-is-better-with-experience#comment_577 <a href="http://modite.com/blog">Rebecca</a>