Choosing between going to graduate school or not is a rather important decision for a lot of students. There is no one specific answer for everyone, but I suppose there are considerations we must all take into account.
I had intended on going to graduate school straight after completing my bachelor degree since I was in high school. I had always assumed that was the right choice for me. My parents both went, and I had grown up thinking that was the best way to go. However, toward the beginning of last semester, I began to think otherwise. I was done being a student, and was ready to go on with my life. The considerations that go into making such a decision were not taken lightly, and as an engineering student, I really had to think about whether I would be capable of getting a job with a B.S. And there was, in fact, even the question of whether engineering was what I wanted to go into. Though I have spent four years in college, I am admittedly still unsure of what I want to do with my degree, let alone my life. So here are some of the reasons - my own, personal ones - as to why I chose not to go to graduate school:
- Money; graduate school would mean shelling out more money for my degree
- GRE; simply-put, I don't want to take it. I already took the ACT and SAT, and I do not agree with standardized testing
- Time; it would mean using one or two more years of my life to be a student
- I do not know what I want to specialize in; not going to spend more money trying to figure it out
- In Bioengineering, a job can be attained with a B.S.
- Engineering jobs are more about work experience, and not necessarily education - though bioengineering is a field where many go on to get a masters
- I am tired of doing homework and dealing with professors
- I am ready to work and become more independent
Again, those were my personal reasons why I made such a decision. Anyone thinking about whether to go or not to go should think about what works best for them as individuals, but it is important to make a decision logically - though doing something your heart tells you does not always have to be logical. Take into account some of the following questions:
- Can I afford to go on to further schooling? If not, can I get scholarships?
- With a Bachelor's Degree in my field, can I find a good job?
- Will further schooling provide me with any more knowledge?
- Do I know what I want to do?
Try to avoid relying on loans for graduate school. Most people already come out of their bachelor's education with several thousand dollars in debt, and it might be best to search of scholarships or TA opportunities - they pay for your degree, and you do the grunt work for some professor. Look for scholarships at Fastweb or at the countless other sites. And in the end, do what you think works best for you, and not what others will think or of what works best for them.