Y
Grad School:
now or later?
by Ashley Collins, AgCareers.com
Education & Marketing Manager
you
’
ve reached
the
pinnacle
of four,
maybe a little more, years of hard work:
your college graduation! Late night study
groups, hours in lectures and labs, miles
logged on your FitBit crossing campus.
Now you’re thinking about signing up
for two, or more, years. Wait, what?
What about a career? A career where
you are rewarded with money, the same
amount of money every few weeks,
direct deposited! A career with bonuses,
a retirement plan, lunch-n-learns for
crying out loud!
For some, like those pursuing careers
such as plant breeders or veterinarians,
this decision is easy. They’ve chosen a
career where an advanced degree is
required. “Do not pass go,” do not
collect your first paycheck, without
additional education. Then there are
those careers ripe for the picking where
advanced education would be nice but
not necessarily required.
While it can be daunting, if you’ve
reached this fork in the road and find
yourself asking “Grad School: Now or
Later?” here is some advice from various
stakeholders to help you make your
decision.
“Consider your finances.
If there is
no assistantship offered to help offset
the costs, entering the workforce first
may be a better route. You can save up
some money yourself to help cover the
costs, or your employer may offer some
level of tuition reimbursement. 77% of
agribusiness employers participating in
the 2014 AgCareers.com A
gribusiness
HR R
eview
™
reported offering tuition
reimbursement for their employees.”
“Gaining work experience for at least
two years
before starting graduate
studies provides you focus on what
you really need to learn. Also, the work
experience will help you discover some
of the things you do and don’t want to
do in your future. Overall, your work
experience will enhance the value of the
master’s degree.”
John Blue - Chief of Community Creation,
Truffle Media; Earned master’s degree
after working for 5 years
“The work experience requirements
of many grad programs ensure students
have familiarity with their job so they can
immediately make direct application of
material learned in class. Improving skills
and getting better at your job are the first
steps to developing your career and the
best reasons to start a grad program. If
you are ready to begin your studies prior
to the work experience required, contact
the university about a strategy to help
you start classes before formally joining.
Good programs will recommend courses
that will easily transfer and allow you to
‘test the waters’ for timing and fit.”
Deborah Kohl - Coordinator, Master of
Agribusiness Program at Kansas State University
“The graduate school decision
should
be driven by the educational
requirements
for the career path you’ve
chosen. Otherwise, joining the working
world after attaining your four-year
degree is an excellent start to setting the
course for the rest of your life. Focus on
jobs, in your field of study, where you
can learn, develop and grow. The value
of real work experience cannot be
overstated. ‘Hands-on’ experience
displays talent that’s highly sought in
today’s market. If you decide to go to
school later, you’ll go with maturity and
a strategic vision to aid in your success.”
Joyce Manning - Manager, Human Resources
& Compliance, Southern States Cooperative
“I went straight into grad school
because I wasn’t ready to start a ‘real’ job
yet, and I had no idea what I wanted to
do. It was one of the best decisions I’ve
made. Now, after working for four years,
I couldn’t imagine going back to school.
I’ve never heard anyone regret getting
more education. If so inclined, go for it!”
Meghan Cline - Press Secretary, U.S. Senate
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition
& Forestry; Earned Masters of
Science in Ag Communications
“Do not choose grad school because
you can’t find a job
or because you
don’t know exactly what career to pursue.
If you go without a definite career plan
in mind, you will find yourself in the
same boat job searching in two years but
with additional debt. A smarter move is
to find a job that interests you and work
for a bit before deciding what additional
education will benefit you.”
Paula Beecher - Director of Bookhart Student
Services Center at Clemson University
“By spending time in a career first,
you
will have a better understanding of how
assignments apply to your field. I highly
suggest completing an internship during
college. Because of a semester-long
“internship,” I knew that I wanted to be
a teacher, so staying an additional year
and a half to complete a master’s degree
was an easy decision. After five years of
teaching at the secondary level, I chose to
pursue my doctorate so I could teach at
the university level. By teaching for five
years, I was able to gain the necessary
experiences and knowledge that allow me
to have credibility when teaching at the
university level.”
Dr. Joy Morgan - Lecturer within the Agricultural &
Extension Education Dept. at NC State
Mary Barefoot - HR Services Manager,
AgCareers.com; Earned MBA while working &
5 years after earning bachelor’s degree
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