Here is a conversation that I had with Ryan Healy about the need for attending graduate schools.
___
Me: I really should go back to school…are you going to?
Ryan: Not a chance. I just don’t think the investment is worth it. It’s so much easier to learn by doing.
Me: But what if it’s ivy league?
Ryan: Well that may be worth it. Actually it probably is, but again its about what you want to do.
___
I speak with Ryan Healy all the time. Ryan blogs at employeeevolution.com, which is a site about millennials at work by millennials at work. Ryan Paugh is another one of my friends who blogs there as well. Ryan and I are both gen-y bloggers and have endless thoughts on the future of work, our careers and of course personal branding. Our latest discussion is about graduate school. We were trying to figure out if it’s a “millennial essential” to go to graduate school at some point in your career. After some debate, I think we both decided that choosing to go back to school is a situational decision. I’ve been thinking of going to graduate school for a while now, but am still deep in thought as to when and if I need to.
- Con: If you don’t have an MBA or similar degree, you suffer a competitive disadvantage and can’t rise to the top of the corporate ladder because other’s have one.
- Con: If the school you’re admitted to is a tier 2 or below caliber school (reputation, credibility, etc) then the degree may not help you.
- Pro: An ivy league school brand name attached to your resume, whether in college or graduate school, will stay with you for life. The network that experience comes with will open up enough doors that you will be successful (if you put the effort in and leverage it).
- Pro: Graduate school will help you catch up-to-date with the latest trends and techniques that will prove more valuable to you as the workplace evolves.
- Con: Graduates schools can cost over $100,000 and can leave you in the poor house if you’re not wealthy or don’t have a company subsidizing it. The red “con” represents the hit you’ll take.
- Pro: The economy has been in recession so the job market isn’t doing so well. It may be good timing to go back to school.
- Con: If you already have a high paying and enjoyable job, pulling away from that opportunity may hurt your career, self-esteem and momentum.
From the community:
- Pro: “Grad schools give you an opportunity to network with a wide variety of people and to truly get to know them. It would seem like an opportune time to really start building your personal brand when you can begin to show it to 70 or more people at once. Spending a year or more with these people will pay off more in the future than you think(Credit: Corey Norman).”
- Pro: “The peice of paper seems to mean something. I’ve gotten three jobs in a row because I had it, even though most of my learning is from outside sources(Credit: Scott McWilliams).”
Can you learn just as much in graduate school by reading blogs, networking with experts and discovering and managing your personal brand?
