Enough is Enough: 4 Reasons You Shouldn’t Go to Grad School

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This isn’t a post discouraging education. Of all the tools you have at your success disposal, education is the most vital. However, years and years of education just isn’t for everyone. Not everyone needs to attend graduate school. Here are 4 reasons you may want to reconsider a long journey in higher education:

Reason 1:
Career Uncertainty
The number one and probably only reason it is worth it to pursue a master’s or doctorate degree is if you have one exact career in mind. Whether its professor, lawyer or doctor, if you are going into your journey with a specific title in mind, then by all means pursue it. However, if you are uncertain about your future and are contemplating your masters, I implore you to reconsider. Pursing the highest level of education without an end goal in mind is only compounding your problems. You shouldn’t go for your masters as a backup plan. It should be a part of your calculated moves into your future and not a last resort.

Reason 2:
Financial Distress
It’s no secret that higher education is expensive. As you go up the ladder and pursue higher degrees, the price will only augment. According to the College Board, the average cost of an in-state bachelor’s degree at a public college is $9,139 for the 2014-15 school year. A master’s degree, however, falls somewhere between $30,000 and $120,000 (according to FinAid.org). This point also ties back into point number 1: if you are committed to a certain career path which requires a certain master’s degree, the financial hit may be worth it. However, if the career you have in mind doesn’t reach a certain median annual salary, you may want to consider a different path.

Reason 3:
Work Overload
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone considering their master’s degree that your workload will increase substantially. Completing your master’s degree while also working a part-time job, something most students must do, is a huge commitment. Before continuing your education journey to the highest tier, you should understand the immense amount of time you will be dedicating to school. If you’re less than 100% in, you should consider an alternative route.

Reason 4:
It Just Seems Right
You may have gone to college not because you wanted to, but because you felt you had to. If you earned your bachelor’s degree with this mentality, then congratulations! You can’t, however, take this mentality with you to graduate school. For the three reasons listed above and many other reasons that will continue to compound on top of you, graduate school should be only be attended if it fits your personal plan. It doesn’t matter that other people your age are going. It doesn’t matter that you don’t have a job lined up right away. Graduate school is one of the most serious commitments you will ever undertake. Going must be something you are doing with your whole heart and not because it seems like a good idea.