To Grad School, or Not To Grad School? That Was The Question

From the moment I graduated from college in 2009, I’ve longed for grad school -- even before I knew what I wanted to do in life. The reason was simple, and ridiculously self-serving: I’ve always thought of myself as an intelligent being, and I wanted the credentials that supposedly proved it.

But post-college adulthood has curious way of putting perspective on things that cost tens of thousands of dollars and require exorbitant amounts of precious time. And just like that, the idea faded.

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Regional Reality

San Francisco/Silicon Valley contradicts everything I learned to be true about the real world having grown up in the Midwest. Here, your education doesn’t really mean squat. Say what you want about the tech industry, but there’s something beautiful about being judged by what you’re capable of doing, and not any pieces of paper. A Master’s degree for the sake of having one would be a pointless endeavour.

Financial Risk

Oh what I wish I could tell my 21-year-old self now before he opted to take out the maximum amount of student loans in order to live like a king whilst waltzing through my final years of college. It felt like monopoly money. I didn’t earn it. And now I’m paying for it.

I’m not alone in this, of course. It was just a couple of years ago that American’s became more indebted by student loans than credit cards or car payments.

Energy

Working full-time, and embarking on long, daily commutes can make you question how much time you’re willing to actually put into more work that you’re not actually getting paid for. Just how much of my life would I have to give up in order to make this happen?

A TURNING POINT

It all just started making sense one day. Hiking in the East Bay hills last year, the idea hit me: grad school is not only possible, but it actually makes sense.

Changing With the Times

I would have scoffed at the idea of getting a Master’s degree online a few years ago. That was what stay-at-home-moms and targeted former military personnel did, I thought.

But 2015 is a completely new landscape academically than 2009. Real, respected schools offer real, respected degrees from the comforts of my couch. And frankly, studying online saves boatloads of time that I don’t have to commute to and from a campus after I finish work. Better yet, it opens up departments and programs all across the country, not just the choices I have in the Bay Area.

Knowing the Power of Networking

Networking gets a bad rap, but call me a fan. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that my search for the right graduate school included the network of alumni at each university. But it’s not just what I ultimately want to get from them; I want to be a part of their community.

Finding My Focus

My short career so far has been a process of refinement; finding what I’m actually good at and what I actually want to continue doing for the rest of my career. Content and communications are what make me tick. I like it. And learning the material, taught by the right faculty, could strengthen the skill that I have and already enjoy.

At the end of the day, I already got the job I wanted, and only time will tell if I ever actually needed another degree. But it’s going to make me better at what I do. I realize now that that is the best reason to go back to school of all.

Chad Reid is the Director of Communications for JotForm, a popular online form building tool. He lives in Oakland, California with his girlfriend and three wonderful cats. Follow on Twitter at @thebig3c.