One more reason to go to Grad School
Better paying jobs aren’t the only reason some Utah State University students go on to graduate school. Some are making the costly move to meet girls.
Ryan Summers, a graduate student in biological engineering, said his reason for staying in school is for the ladies.
“There’s a lot more here than there would be in the work force,” Summers said. “I just had nothing better to do really. I didn’t have a need to go get a job right now and I figured I could get better opportunities and jobs if I went to graduate school. It basically lets me stay here with my friends and have fun.”
Eden Zabriskie, a graduate student in human resources, said she is really going just because she can.
“The main push for graduate school is that I’ve always wanted to get more than just a bachelor’s degree and while I’m here and basically waiting for my husband to finish his program, I figured it would be a good use of my time and money while we are still in Cache Valley and the school was still close.”
An education can bolster a person’s career and increase their salary substantially, but how far to take their education is a decision many students will face as they go through college.
Spending two to four years after finishing a bachelor’s degree could mean hundreds of thousands of dollars in increased salary over a person’s career.
Over a 40-year career, master’s degree recipients could earn over $339,000 more than bachelor’s degree recipients, and doctorate recipients could earn $597,000 more than a master’s and $936,000 more than bachelor’s recipients, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
According to www.quintcareers.com, there are three main reasons attend grad school.
Those reasons are: compensation, to stay marketable, or for a career change.
Summers, who is earning a concurrent bachelor’s and master’s degree, said one reason he is getting his master’s degree is because of the better pay.
“I’m not certain how much more I’ll get paid. Someone told me $10,000 a year, but I’m not certain. There is also the possibility of going on for a PhD if I choose to. Lately I’ve been thinking more about possibly getting into education as well. Working in the industry for a few years and then coming back to the university and teaching. That way I could do more research anyway,” Summers said.
Often a student’s area of study can be the reason they go on to graduate school. In some areas it can be difficult to find a job that will pay enough without an advanced degree.
Rachael Kent graduated with her bachelor’s degree in anthropology in the spring of 2005. Now she is applying for graduate schools.
Kent said with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology someone would be making around $25,000, where with a master’s degree or doctorate they would be making $40,000 to $60,000.
More opportunities and higher positions are Kent’s main reasons for going on to graduate school.
“A lot of [getting a job] deals with education and work experience. There are a lot of people who have the work experience and not the education, so they’ll get paid more,” Kent said. “It depends on what you want to do. You can attend two to four more years of school, or you can spend 10 years working to earn the same salary.”
Tosh Farr, a graduate student in business administration, got his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
Farr said engineers will usually get paid around $40,000 to start, but with a master’s degree they will get around $60,000 to start.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average person with a bachelor’s degree will earn $40,478, while a person with a master’s degree will earn $51,183, and a person with a doctorate will earn $77,445 per year.
A graduate degree is not required for entry level jobs, but keeping up with the demand and competition of the work force may require more training than a bachelor’s degree can offer.
Kent said with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology it has been hard to find a job where she is qualified.
“At first I was looking for museum jobs and then I looked into some archeology jobs. For those you had to have a lot of qualifications and you had to be certified in many things, and I wasn’t certified in anything,” Kent said, “A lot of it is experience too. A lot of [employers] will ask for a higher degree plus two to five years work experience. For archeology you would have to go to field school to get those certifications and get experience.”
Kent said she thinks getting a job in her field will be a lot easier once she has the qualifications to do what she wants.
“I’ve looked for a lot of jobs and it’s been hard to find a job with only my bachelor’s degree. I don’t have enough qualifications for the jobs I would like to do. Of course you still have competition, but as long as you get the education and experience you will have a lot better chance of getting the job,” Kent said.
Farr said he is going to graduate school because it will help him get a better job and also so he can focus in on one area.
“It will help me in the long run, so I’m not just sitting in one position my whole life. It will help me move up,” Farr said.
“The field is so broad,” Farr said. “In mechanical engineering there’s an infinite amount of areas you could go into. It just kind of helps you focus in on one particular area.
The last reason for grad school given was for a career change.
“A graduate degree can often make sense for a job seeker who is looking to make a career change. In this case, you would be earning the graduate degree in the field you plan to enter,” according to www.quintcareers.com
Zabriskie said, “Once I graduate I plan on getting a better job by using the advanced skills I’ve learned in my master’s program. My dream job would be to make significantly more [money] than at my current job, and hopefully with my advanced skills that I will have more interaction with individuals and I will enjoy my job as much as I do my current job.”
Kent said her advice for people considering graduate school is to look at the expenses and the time they will have.
“If you have the time and means to go, I’d say go for it. Even if you don’t feel like you have enough money, there’s enough money and scholarships. So expenses shouldn’t hinder someone from going if they really have the desire. If you really want to go, you should go.
“People who don’t really have the desire and feel like their education is enough for what they want to do in life they should be satisfied with that,” Kent said.
Farr said graduate school will be hard, for those looking into going.
“It’s hard to be dumb. You definitely have to push yourself,” Farr said.
-hollyadams@cc.usu.edu