Why We Should Talk About Grad School
Ever considered attending Grad school? Ever wondered whether that is a good move for you now?
I went to grad school. I went to probably too much grad school!
I did a grad degree when I was doing a startup (just to kind of hedge my bets) - and it kind of worked out: Company, worked out, we listed it publicly - and I ended up getting a master's degree.
Then some years later after work, I went to a dual degree MBA program.
“I probably have too many masters! As a result, I'm qualified to talk about the subject - having three of them.”
Now here is what I see as the three top reasons to attend grad school.
Reason #1: Going deeper in a field where you already have some experience
The first reason is that you have worked for a couple of years and now you want to go deeper into that subject. Do you love finance or do you love electrical engineering? You've done it? Do you want to go deeper?
All right. You actually have some experience and grad school is that vehicle that is designed to take people deeper.
Take for example my client Louise. We worked together to earn 2 CPT internship experiences and then move into full-time work as a management consultant. Louise may want to go deeper into general management by attending an MBA program in the future. For her, that is an option.
Reason #2: You want to pivot into a new field
The value in going to grad school - and maybe the most valuable reason - is to pivot.
So let’s say you've tried something out - you actually have some life experience - and you want to switch into something totally different.
For example, I had done a tech startup after undergrad and it had been successful. Then I went to do an educational startup, and so I went into the education space.
Then I went to grad school and my pivot was into something totally different: I moved into finance.
Now, why did I move into finance? Well, at the time I was just looking for any job that would get me out to the part of that world where my fiancee was, or my soon-to-be wife I hoped! Finance was the vehicle that took me there.
So a pivot is probably the most valuable thing that you can get out of Grad School. Attending grad school means a chance for a fresh start - it really cleans the slate.
“A pivot is probably the most valuable thing that you can get out of Grad School.”
Reason #3: Grad School is a form of Vacation
This isn't often spoken about, and I've not heard other people speak about it, but I observed it, and it is effectively true for many: attending grad school as a means to take a professional break - a vacation from what you were doing before.
Think about all those people who have been working really hard in banks or other large firms before arriving at grad school. Think about some of those people who have been putting in 60, 70, or more hour work weeks.
They think of grad school - maybe to go deeper, maybe the pivot - a means to take a break - to take a vacation.
It's almost like a vacation, but it's got this cool “spin” to it because you're not actually losing any ground with your peers by going into grad school.
Maybe some of them had already gone to grad school. In any case, you're not losing any ground with your peers and you're staying on pace - you're keeping your professional status by going to grad school.
Summary of the 3 Reasons
First reason: to go deeper into a subject.
Example: I had a friend in finance who really wanted to dive into insurance deeper than he had.
Second reason: to make a pivot.
Example: me going from startups into investment management.
Third: taking a vacation and I'm thinking about going to grad school
Example: working 80 hours per week in an investment bank and wanting to get out of that but not lose any ground.
What this all means for international students
In fact, at each graduate or level of education: the associate's degree, the undergrad degree, the graduate master's degree, and at the Ph.D. - you get an opportunity to work.
Another reason to attend graduate school is that you get another attempt to use OPT (Optional Practical Training)
“Going to grad school just “to get it done”, or meet parental expectations or just to avoid the job hunt? If that’s the case, you're losing a ton of value.”
Let’s say you just go from undergrad right into grad school. I would say families traditionally from other parts of the world decide to do this just to “get it done”. OK, Grad school is done!
Then what? Go back to find a job in Asia and compete with everyone else who has a grad degree and no experience?
Working as a hiring manager in Asia, I would get a whole stack of resumes - all from a master's level - with no real-world experience. In the end, having attended grad school you do not stand out!
If you want to get the most out of your US experience, attend undergrad and use that OPT, and then if you want to or need to, use OPT again at the master's level, but certainly don't throw away your undergrad OPT!
“Don’t throw away your opportunity for OPT at the undergrad level.”
You might be eligible for three full years of STEM OPT, And you might elect to make other decisions after that point - grad school just being one option.
Grad school will never go away - and you can always slip into that and not lose any professional ground.
So just to conclude here guys, grad school has these main purposes:
- To go deeper
- To pivot
- To take a vacation
- To take advantage of the optional practical training
My final take on grad school
Graduate school is best absorbed by having some work experience. And so if you are on the fence about that (go to grad school vs not), or want to discuss more grad school or not, I'm happy to chat with you.
My perspective is this: jumping into grad school right after undergrad is a missed opportunity!
I will encourage you to actually go get some work experience because grad school was not ever designed for people to just kind of rush through and get it done. There's no rush to finish your education.
No rush at all. You're always going to be learning your whole life. And you might lose out on those big three benefits of grad school.
If you rush right into it, you won't get the chance to go deeper. Then, having no work experience - you won't have had done it yet - so you won't have a chance to know what you like or don’t like or know to pivot - because you don't know what you don't like or don't like yet!
And then grad school won't be a vacation because it's just going to be more of the same. You will not have yet experienced a 70 or 80 hour work week! And of course, if you go right into grad school, you will have given up your OPT from undergrad.
So just some thoughts there. I encourage your feedback and opinions and like to hear more from you.
