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I think people seriously over-estimate how much marginal happiness (if any) that expensive graduate degree will bring. Many people seem to continue studying out

I think people seriously over-estimate how much marginal happiness (if any) that expensive graduate degree will bring. Many people seem to continue studying out of inertia and through encouragement of academics who have a vested interest in maintaining a large number of graduate students. I'd suggest they take their undergraduate degree and go test the waters of where they think they want to work. Spend a couple of years in the field, even at a lower level, pay off a little of the debt they already have, and then if they like the field, and want to continue in it, they'll have a much clearer idea of the benefit/cost ratio of an advanced degree, and a better idea of which school and program will give them the best value. And if they decide the whole field is wrong for them, it's much easier to start afresh somewhere else. Undergraduate degrees are much more transferable from field-to-field than advanced degrees.

GuiA 14y ago
I went through grad school once (PhD, dropped out, left with a MSc), am now doing the startup thing, and intend to go back for a PhD because I do love some things in research and academia (and I have some R&D-type ideas I'd like to work full-time on which require me to be in an university setting). What I suggest to friends asking me for advice re:grad school is to go to grad school IF AND ONLY IF they get an assistantship of some sorts (those usually come with a tuition waiver). When I applied to grad schools, I didn't get in my top 2 programs of choice; I did get in decent programs, but which wouldn't pay me (or not enough to cover my various expenses). I ended up choosing a lesser program, but one that gave me full tuition waiver + a teaching (and later, research) assistantship. Grad school is a great experience, and I believe most people will get something from it. But it's not worth getting in debt for it (even if it's your top choice- you wouldn't pay Google/Apple/[insert your favorite company here] to go work for them). Now of course, this advice is easier to follow for the scientific fields; but I have friends who got into liberal arts programs with full tuition waiver + a decent assistantship. The bar is just much higher for these (as it should be).
- eropple 14y ago
  > What I suggest to friends asking me for advice re:grad school is to go to grad school IF AND ONLY IF they get an assistantship of some sorts (those usually come with a tuition waiver). I think this is key. Every professor I ever had said "if you have to pay for a grad degree, don't go." Which I would have, which is why I didn't!

GuiA 14y ago

I went through grad school once (PhD, dropped out, left with a MSc), am now doing the startup thing, and intend to go back for a PhD because I do love some things in research and academia (and I have some R&D-type ideas I'd like to work full-time on which require me to be in an university setting). What I suggest to friends asking me for advice re:grad school is to go to grad school IF AND ONLY IF they get an assistantship of some sorts (those usually come with a tuition waiver). When I applied to grad schools, I didn't get in my top 2 programs of choice; I did get in decent programs, but which wouldn't pay me (or not enough to cover my various expenses). I ended up choosing a lesser program, but one that gave me full tuition waiver + a teaching (and later, research) assistantship. Grad school is a great experience, and I believe most people will get something from it. But it's not worth getting in debt for it (even if it's your top choice- you wouldn't pay Google/Apple/[insert your favorite company here] to go work for them). Now of course, this advice is easier to follow for the scientific fields; but I have friends who got into liberal arts programs with full tuition waiver + a decent assistantship. The bar is just much higher for these (as it should be).

eropple 14y ago
> What I suggest to friends asking me for advice re:grad school is to go to grad school IF AND ONLY IF they get an assistantship of some sorts (those usually come with a tuition waiver). I think this is key. Every professor I ever had said "if you have to pay for a grad degree, don't go." Which I would have, which is why I didn't!