I have some questions for anyone here who has an advanced degree...

[battleknight24]

I just graduated from college last month and I am currently taking graduate level education courses- I plan to start teaching high school this coming August. I have a few questions for anyone reading this...

A few years down the road, I plan to either go to law school and obtain a JD degree, or obtain a Masters Degree in either Political Science, History, Speech, or Theatre Arts... I have a wide variety of interests!!!

A few questions...

1. What are some really good reasons to pursue an advanced degree or a professional degree?

2. What are some really bad reasons to pursue a graduate education? Did any of you ever meet anyone who seemed to be in grad school for the wrong reasons?

3. For those of you reading this who have advanced or professional degrees, what advice would you give to someone like me who is considering getting more education somewhere down the road?


Peace,

[Floogeldy]

1. Probably not much help but . . .

When I went back to college I kept going until I had a JD, purely for the pleasure of learning/academics. Then I graduated and said, "Now what am I going to do?"

After a stint working with another lawyer, I hung my own shingle and waited for the phone to ring. Fifteen years later, I have no regrets.

However, I went to law school with people who had done some solid career planning, e.g., had experience working for title companies, connections with property law attorneys/potential employment resources, just as an example.

I did no career planning per se, other than pursue the degree. Something to think about.

Good luck.

[crispini]

7. Floo's a LAWYER?

I always knew you were crazy, but I didn't realize you were THAT crazy! Hee! :hug:

[Floogeldy]

9. Heh.

:blush:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. Do it only if you truly love the subject matter and would be willing to

spend all your time on it for several years, living in genteel poverty the whole time, and then not being assured of getting a job.

My graduate school years were some of the happiest of my life. But it took me three years to get a full-time job in my field, and after 11 years, I was denied tenure by my last employer. There were no decent jobs available at the time, so I went into business for myself.

Even so, the experience of living on a large, cosmopolitan university campus with some of the most intelligent people I've ever met was fantastic, and the things I did outside my coursework, especially extra-curricular activities and attending performances by famous musicians and actors at a very low cost, were just as educational as my studies.

[Mikimouse]

3. May I humbly second your sentiments?

The most important issue is how much one loves (not tolerates for the money) what one does. If you love it, do it. If you're only doing it for the money, you'll always be unhappy.

[giant_robot]

4. To answer your questions:

1. The best reason to pursue a graduate degree is a love for the subject matter.

2. The worst reason is because it's expected of you.

Personally, I went to grad school because felt that I couldn't be happy without being able to eventually advance to a leadership role, and because I really love what I do. Also, being single, I had few personal responsibilities to interfere with my being a poor grad student.

Good luck with whichever path you choose. If you do decide on grad school, remember that your thesis committee is there to help you, no matter how much it seems they're doing the opposite!

[battleknight24]

5. The thesis committee is there to help me? Are you sure about that...

???

[Floogeldy]

10. Huh?

I'm glad your lack of responsibilities didn't interfere with you being a poor grad student. ;)

[giant_robot]

11. LOL! Perhaps I should rephrase that!

My lack of responsibilities didn't interfere with me being an impoverished grad student.

[Floogeldy]

13. Heh.

I figured you were a very good grad student all along. ;)

[Mz Pip]

6. I needed the MA to do what

I wanted to do - be a high school counselor. Most of the time I enjoyed graduate school, but like anything else there were times I thought some of the classes were just bullshit. But I persevered. I spent 15 years as a high school counselor and will retire this year.

I had many years of doing other things before I went back to school. I don't regret my choice.

My son went to law school and although it was a tremendous amount of work and studying for the bar was perhaps the most stressful period of his life, he does enjoy being and ADA.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[wain]

8. How's this?

Map an career in educational leadership - do the JD and combined with experience as a teacher position yourself to provide unique leadership at the highest levels in the field of education.

:)

[Bossy Monkey]

12. There's never a bad reason to get more education assuming that you can

afford it. However, a lot of people are perpetual students with no particular goal in mind. If I had the resources, I would definitely be one of these people. I certainly haven't done anything with my MA except for the very occasional forensic economics gig from lawyer friends. So don't think that I'm in any way criticizing. However, unless you have a trust fund or an oil field in your backyard, this really isn't a lot more useful than just doodling on DU and reading up on interesting subjects in magazines and on the Internet.

Mostly, the MA or MS is only useful if you're already in a field where the advanced degree will translate to higher salary. More and more these days, jobs actually require a graduate degree, but most often you can probably BS (the most important degree:)) your way through this by arguing that you have equivalent experience. Getting a Master's in a field where you just have a transitory interest is not a path to career happiness, believe me. (Wanna hire an industrial organization economist? I thought not!:P)

Ph.D is mainly useful for teaching the subject in question in college. If that's what you want to do, hop to it. Kind of overkill otherwise, unless as I say you have unlimited resources.

J.D., uhhhh, all I can say is talk to as many law students as you possibly can. I have friends who are lawyers, friends who qualified as lawyers but never practiced and friends who fell by the wayside in law school. It is incredibly difficult, stressful and competitive, and then you get to sit the bar exam. This is the one area you have to make absolutely damn sure that this is what you want to do before embarking on that road.

[pooja]

14. I think Americans are too defined by degrees...

Learning, thinking, and discussing were and remain free. Access to public libraries and even college libraries abound... Discussing and theorizing different ideas is free. What would America say to Aristotle, Plato and Socrates... uhh and what school did you go to, what was your GPA, oh and what volunteer programs did you do while you were there.

[AccessGranted]

15. All Good Questions

First of all congratulations on your recent graduation. Good for you. Since you are undecided, it's a good idea to wait and see how the job trends go, etc. I don't know where you live but were I live we have have an over-abundence of young attorneys and they can't find jobs....many are working as paralegals, at mortgage companies and doing other things. Make sure you research the job market where you plan to live and see what's in demand and will be in demand hopefully well into the future. Speech sounds interesting. I worked with a girl who was working on a masters in speech therapy and she taught me so much about how people formulate words. When my son was young he had a lisp and were it not for two years of speech therapy he'd still have it. He is lisp-free thankfully. I think that could be a rewarding career and I imagine a good salary.

My significant other has a B.S. in Philosophy and a Masters in Theology. He tried law school and got kicked out(haha). He teaches religion now and is quite happy. I have a degree in information technology which I completed at the age of 43 finally. Before that I went to paralegal school and work in legal. Guess what? I'm still a paralegal. I never did get a job in the IT field, but it's cool.

1. What are some really good reasons to pursue an advanced degree or a professional degree?

To obtain a career goal, to make yourself more marketable in a tight job market or because you have a passion for the subject matter and intend to make it your life's work. If you have to do something for 40 plus hours a week, you gotta love it or at least like it!

2. What are some really bad reasons to pursue a graduate education? Did any of you ever meet anyone who seemed to be in grad school for the wrong reasons?

Don't do it just because you feel you must right now. Take your time and find what's right for you. Don't do it just got because you feel it's part of a normal progression at this point in your life. Don't let family or friends rush you into it. This is your life and your career. For example, I know someone who literally forced their son to go to law school. They refinanced their home to pay for his education. He graduated, worked in the legal field for a very, very short time and decided he hated it and quit. He now refuses to work as a lawyer and wants nothing to do with it. He started his own business in the entertainment field and lives a wild and crazy life. He's happy. Parents are pissed and they are still paying back his student loans.

3. For those of you reading this who have advanced or professional degrees, what advice would you give to someone like me who is considering getting more education somewhere down the road?

Make sure it's what you want and go for something that is marketable. Don't follow trends. I tried that with IT and the entire trend changed just as I graduated (outsourcing). Also, make sure you are financially able to deal with more educational costs because those student loans are a mother. Do your research. Talk to people who are in the field you plan to go back to school for. I can guarantee that they will be excited that you asked them about what they do and give you a lot of good information.

I wish you all the best.