Do You Need Grad School to Succeed in Your Career?

You’re finally at the finish line after all these years of school, but haven’t had much luck finding a job in the last few months. Now what? Maybe it’s even been a few years since you graduated and it seems though everyone around you is getting ready for their return to grad school – either that or you’ve already begun receiving graduation invites. And now, you’ve officially caught the bug giving you the sudden urge to get that higher degree, but WAIT.

Does it make sense? Do you really need to have it? Or is this just a current state of FOMO?

That essentially sums up how I’ve been feeling lately, but it seems I’m not alone in this dilemma. There are countless individuals who’ve just graduated and are clueless about what they want to do with their lives so they resort to higher education as an only option. On another side, we have Crowd B (of which I belong to) thinking they need the higher education to remain competitive in the market. It’s the unspoken pressure of going just because that’s what people do these days.

Should I go to grad school? Since my undergrad experience, I’ve always viewed post-secondary education as an investment and only particularly worthy if there’s a realized ROI (return on investment) – I should clarify by saying that I don’t think money is the right reason for school, but at the cost of it today, a return really needs to be factored in. I’m also telling you not to go if you have no idea what you’re really interested in doing. It seems to make more sense to patiently wait until you figure out what you’re passionate about prior to pursuing a false ambition only to find out that there was no desire to begin with. For Crowd B, you should consider your real motive for going: To impress others? Stay relevant? Make more money? A personal achievement? And what about when you’re $120,000 under – what then? You most definitely should not undertake grad school in hopes of making more money because chasing dollars typically result in unhappiness…and then what if the money never comes rolling in?

These are thoughts I’m constantly mulling over along with thousands of others. Because I’m not exactly sure myself, I’m always in this constant imaginary debate. What do you think, especially those of you with a desire to make it big in this ever-competitive fashion sphere, do you need that extra degree to propel yourself forward? Chime in below and help me out here.

XO,

Susan

Follow me – Blog Instagram Pinterest

Image Source Credits – Vogue China, Vogue Italia

The post Do You Need Grad School to Succeed in Your Career? appeared first on Zanita.