Grad School: Worth it? | Lisa Thinks A Lot

Some thoughts on what I've been doing for the past few years of my life. Conclusion: I could have learned just as much or more faster in other ways. Buuuuut I've met some amazing people, so whatevz.

Resources:

[joshwoodward]

After I graduated, I jumped in head-first to working at Yahoo at the height of the dot-com boom, and literally learned more in the first month than I did in all four years of college. There are obviously fields where you can't really just wing it and learn on the job, but for CS, unless it's a pretty damn good program, I can't see grad school paying off.

[jessicalopez]

I think Graduate school is worthless unless you do something that is focused. I am getting my Master's in Occupational Therapy. I like it...it's fun, it's teaching me a lot, and preparing me for my career. In order to be certified as an OT practitioner, you now need a Masters...I can't help my patients with severe physical disabilities like Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Spinal Cord Injury, etc. if I don't have the appropriate training/ know the appropriate treatment methods and interventions...so I  personally am very happy with the route I have chosen. 

[kiararobinson]

Thank you. I started my professional career right after undergrad. I thought I'd made a mistake at first but NOPE!!!! Finally someone put what I felt into a video🙌🏾

[juliegumerman]

My graduate degree helped me learn all the teaching stuff that I didn't know I needed to know when I was an undergrad. Priceless.

[OGaurabless]

I'm in grad school to focus on a business specialization since my undergrad degree was too broad and starting salaries looked abysmal. Most call backs were for minimum wage part time work rather than a living salary. But since I'm just going for a masters its only 2 years long and I already completed the first year. Wish me luck to find a good paid internship during my final year! *fingers crossed*

[angelaonthego]

Agree: re: learning how to learn. If that's what you got from your grad school experience---consider it well worth your while. Now you can literally do almost anything.

Added bonus---having a couple letters after your name gives you a certain de facto credibility--even in subjects outside your field of study.

I went the other way---pursuing self-directed study--and am finding that people don't feel I'm "qualified" to have the level of knowledge that I do, and I'm therefore discredited or disbelieved, despite displaying actual competence and a deep level of understanding.

[truthman]

im in grad school and wondering if im wasting my time. 90% of the clasess are useless.

[Captain_Rhodes]

i only went to university because i didnt want to work. its much easier than work haha worked for me