Q: I went to college and earned my bachelor’s degree, and then I went right into graduate school. Now I am one year into grad school, and I am unsure this is the right path for me. Should I continue on this path and see where it takes me, or do I stop and look towards another direction with one more year left?
A: This is a tough dilemma and an increasingly common one, as more and more students head to grad school right after undergrad. Here are a few options to consider when making your decision.
- One helpful way to decide what to do is to talk with as many people as you can who have graduated from your particular grad school program. Since they have the most knowledge of the benefits and drawbacks of the program, they can give you very specific insight into whether or not it’s worth it to continue. You can find out what paths they have taken after the program and see if any of these interest you. If not, that’s a sign that the program may not be worth your time and money.
- Can you take a bit of time off to decide? Perhaps taking a semester to try something else would be worthwhile. You can always go back to school later if you want to.
- On the flip side, perhaps you can start to look for full-time or part-time jobs, volunteer or consulting work while you’re in grad school. Then you can see what else is out there and explore a few possible paths before you make the definite decision to drop out of your grad program. Remember that an advanced degree on your resume can never hurt your job prospects.
I believe that career paths are very winding, so you can’t make a mistake unless you choose to stay in bed all day. Good for you for checking out all of your options and making an informed decision about whether you’re on the right track for you.
