So What is it Like Getting an Advanced Degree?

[Tilt]

So my childhood dream was to get to a PhD and become an expert in psychology or a related social science field. I did relatively well in my undergraduate studies but kept stalling on pursuing grad school or advanced studies because I am "afraid of failing" and didn't really have any direction.

So what are your experiences?

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I have no advice for you, but I just wanted to say that I'm in the same boat, seeing as how I'm strongly considering going back to school at age 30. I'm eager to hear what other people's experiences are.

 

[á´…eparted]

Hmm... I'd describe it as the best kind of torture you could ever experience. But torture it still is.

 

[Tilt]

I have no advice for you, but I just wanted to say that I'm in the same boat, seeing as how I'm strongly considering going back to school at age 30. I'm eager to hear what other people's experiences are.

It seems like a lot of people are considering transitions.

Hmm... I'd describe it as the best kind of torture you could ever experience. But torture it still is.

haha... I guess it depends on the type of torture I want to endure. Right now, I have the comfort and stability of knowing that I am part of a startup company with great potential but in an industry I am apathetic towards or go for something that would interest me but genuinely challenge me. I am sort of hoping to do both just for the challenge.

So how does it differ from undergrad? What is the difficulty like?

 

[SearchingforPeace]

I have too many degrees and here is the advice I would give myself if I could go to when I was 22.

1. Know the job you want. What does the field look like? Do you need a degree to get the job? What is the future for that job? Are there openings in the field today? What are the prospects for 10 years from today? What is the job like? Do you know anyone in the field? Can you shadow someone in the field for a few days to see what the job is really like?

2. Grad school is an escape from real life. It is enjoyable, at times. But it isn't worth the time or the cost most of the time.

3. Also, be very aware the market will likely change by the time you graduate, especially if you are pursuing a doctorate.

4. I would advise my 22 year old self to not go to grad school and take one of the jobs I had been offered at the time

 

[Tilt]

I have too many degrees and here is the advice I would give myself if I could go to when I was 22.

1. Know the job you want. What does the field look like? Do you need a degree to get the job? What is the future for that job? Are there openings in the field today? What are the prospects for 10 years from today? What is the job like? Do you know anyone in the field? Can you shadow someone in the field for a few days to see what the job is really like?

2. Grad school is an escape from real life. It is enjoyable, at times. But it isn't worth the time or the cost most of the time.

3. Also, be very aware the market will likely change by the time you graduate, especially if you are pursuing a doctorate.

4. I would advise my 22 year old self to not go to grad school and take one of the jobs I had been offered at the time

Thanks for this. This made me realize that I clearly don't have a real trajectory right other than wanting to continue my studies within the next couple of years.

I have pondered:
1. Masters in health psychology/industrial organizational psychology
2. Pursuing accounting and becoming a CPA
3. MBA
4. Technical writer/editor

These are some off-shoots/in depth paths of what I have been dabbling in since I have graduated from undergrad. But I don't really have any strong credentials so that stresses me out if I were to pursue other jobs in the future.

 

[á´…eparted]

So how does it differ from undergrad? What is the difficulty like?

I can explain, but seeing what you're wanting to go for an advanced degree for, my feedback won't be as useful since my path is very different; I'm in grad school working on a PhD in organic chemistry (total synthesis), and am about 1.5 years out from finishing. The dynamic of a PhD is quite different from a masters, and the hard sciences are sort of in a class of their own.

Either way, for what I am doing, it's VERY different from undergrad. It's almost night and day, and the difficulty level is a lot higher, but it's difficult in ways you simply don't encounter in undergrad. The classes for me were never an issue (1/2 of people it's a major issues), as I knew I would pass them all, many with flying colors, and that's exactly what happened. The hard part is the research. The total nebulousness on what you're supposed to do, and getting explicit instructions doesn't help that at all, is really difficult to manage. Being an ENFJ in a field that is really objectively best equip for IxTx styles of thinking/processing makes it a lot harder. It takes a ton of self motivation, self confidance, self drive, and you really can't generate that by using other people. There's so much uncertainty that you have to live with and manage. You have to live with the fact that your best laid plans and experiments are going to fail, and you have to somehow convince yourself that it isn't your fault and not get beat down by it. Grad school is the hardest thing I've ever done (and I've been told by many it's the hardest thing I'll ever do), and the process is so painful.

Nevertheless, I wouldn't change a thing, and am doing exactly what I should be doing. I've wanted to be a chemist since I was 10, and I've wanted a PhD since I was 16. I'm now 26.

This is not intended to scare you, but this is the reality. Also remember, my path is not going to be equivalent to the paths you're seeking.

 

[prplchknz]

I don't have advice. but my mom tells her post docs to not have kids in the middle of their ph.d program she had my brother in the middle of hers and said if she had to do it again she probably would've either done her ph.d or had my brother but not both. He also deleted a disertation of hers when he was 1 and this was in the 80s before auto save and she was like 45 pages in and after that he was not allowed to sit in her lap while she worked. Luckily my dad was good with computers and spent all night recovering it for her. i don't know if you want kids or if you have them, and i really don't care. I just wanted to participate

 

[SearchingforPeace]

Thanks for this. This made me realize that I clearly don't have a real trajectory right other than wanting to continue my studies within the next couple of years.

I have pondered:
1. Masters in health psychology/industrial organizational psychology
2. Pursuing accounting and becoming a CPA
3. MBA
4. Technical writer/editor

These are some off-shoots/in depth paths of what I have been dabbling in since I have graduated from undergrad. But I don't really have any strong credentials so that stresses me out if I were to pursue other jobs in the future.

An interesting selection of fields, some with real growth potential.

Research each field in depth. Find out which one appeals to you.

I know technical writers/editors and few have graduate degrees. One just dropped out of a PhD program.

An additional field you might want to look into is compliance. There many aspects of compliance and several licensing boards that also offer courses, often not in the university setting. With the increasing regulatory government, it has become increasingly important. I have a friend in the field and he makes a lot of money and travels around the world.

 

[21%]

Seriously look at job opportunities first before deciding on anything. Also consider the reality of your financial situation. Think very hard about how much loan you will be taking out for this and whether it's worth it being in debt for a very long time.

 

[five sounds]

It triggered an anxiety disorder because I was so stressed out by the intensity of the program both in standards and in demands. Took me through some rough years before I got myself out of that. My friend who was in my program got prescribed anxiety meds and I feel like it helped her. She doesn't take them any more.

Now we both have good careers and a lot of debt. I like my job.

 

[Tilt]

[MENTION=20829]Hard[/MENTION]: It was still useful nonetheless... who knows, I may consider doing work in a STEM-related field someday. It could also be quite helpful to other users so thank you for your thought out response.

[MENTION=360]prplchknz[/MENTION]: I enjoyed reading your response. I might possibly want a child in the future so thanks for the advice and the funny story!

[MENTION=25377]SearchingforPeace[/MENTION]: ahh, cool, awesome, I will most definitely look into those suggestions.

[MENTION=6971]21%[/MENTION]: Thank you! Those are very good things to consider. I appreciate the input!

[MENTION=18819]five sounds[/MENTION]: Thanks for sharing your anecdote. It was quite insightful into seeing how it could take a toll on someone. I am glad it worked out for both you and your friend... other than the debt of course.

 

[Bush]

Of the bachelors, masters, and PhD, the masters is by far the easiest to get. Academically, if you did fine in undergrad, you'd probably fare well there, too. But I wouldn't pursue one unless you were about 75% sure about where you want to head. There's no time to go "undecided" as your major like you could in undergrad.

The fields you listed are all non-technical and do have a bit in common, draw from similar skill sets, etc., but.. yeah, you don't want to get halfway through a masters in sociology and then decide you wanted to go STEM. By and large, masters degrees are much more specialized than undergrad ones. For one thing, you don't usually have "general education requirements" like, say, how an undergrad mechanical engineering program might put you in a poli sci class or something.

I had also set my sights on a PhD when I was young.. at 18 or so I had a bucket list of things I wanted to accomplish. PhD was one of them. As I went through the masters, it finally hit me that I should figure out whether going further to a PhD would actually be worth it. I had a better sense as to whether and how to course-correct.

I explored my options, etc. For what I wanted to do, it was worth it anyway. Researchers by and large get paid beans until they get one. And nobody cares about a grant proposal from a Mr. Smith... especially the stuffy NSF folks..

Some companies explicitly count a relevant masters degree as, say, 3 years of experience. Sometimes it's a heuristic, sometimes it's a policy.

The masters was easy enough (at least, compared to undergrad) that I just decided to just blow through it full time while working full time, just so I could double-dip that whole time. People usually have a masters or they have experience. It also gave me a very firm grasp on what my career would entail. I've known too many students who simply went straight from undergrad into a GTA program, earn their degree, then find themselves out there with no sense of what their career would look like. (But of course if you're going into research, you obviously get research experience.)

All this is to say, I guess, that if you have a wide variety of interests and absolutely cannot decide where to go, you'll want a better grasp of that first. But when you do, a masters could very well be worth the investment.

 

[Tilt]

Of the bachelors, masters, and PhD, the masters is by far the easiest to get. Academically, if you did fine in undergrad, you'd probably fare well there, too. But I wouldn't pursue one unless you were about 75% sure about where you want to head. There's no time to go "undecided" as your major like you could in undergrad.

The fields you listed are all non-technical and do have a bit in common, draw from similar skill sets, etc., but.. yeah, you don't want to get halfway through a masters in sociology and then decide you wanted to go STEM. By and large, masters degrees are much more specialized than undergrad ones. For one thing, you don't usually have "general education requirements" like, say, how an undergrad mechanical engineering program might put you in a poli sci class or something.

I had also set my sights on a PhD when I was young.. at 18 or so I had a bucket list of things I wanted to accomplish. PhD was one of them. As I went through the masters, it finally hit me that I should figure out whether going further to a PhD would actually be worth it. I had a better sense as to whether and how to course-correct.

I explored my options, etc. For what I wanted to do, it was worth it anyway. Researchers by and large get paid beans until they get one. And nobody cares about a grant proposal from a Mr. Smith... especially the stuffy NSF folks..

Some companies explicitly count a relevant masters degree as, say, 3 years of experience. Sometimes it's a heuristic, sometimes it's a policy.

The masters was easy enough (at least, compared to undergrad) that I just decided to just blow through it full time while working full time, just so I could double-dip that whole time. People usually have a masters or they have experience. It also gave me a very firm grasp on what my career would entail. I've known too many students who simply went straight from undergrad into a GTA program, earn their degree, then find themselves out there with no sense of what their career would look like. (But of course if you're going into research, you obviously get research experience.)

All this is to say, I guess, that if you have a wide variety of interests and absolutely cannot decide where to go, you'll want a better grasp of that first. But when you do, a masters could very well be worth the investment.

That's a relief... I hear mixed opinions about grad school all the time. In all honesty, I slept/zoned out through a good chunk of my undergraduate studies (psychology, anthropology, philosophy)... pretty much half-assed it because I was figuring out personal stuff. I kind of regret not putting all the effort in and I want to see if I have what it takes to go further (I think it's my version of e3 regret) or I should move on.

But, at the same time, I might just ultimately want credentials because I wrote content/accomplished tasks but because of my lack of "credibility", I basically have to have experts/PhDs sign off on it. I think it comes down to whether if it is worth the effort or if it's just a purely ego thing.

Sorry for all the rambling, but I figured a more experienced e3 could have more pointers. lol

 

[SearchingforPeace]

That's a relief... I hear mixed opinions about grad school all the time. In all honesty, I slept/zoned out through a good chunk of my undergraduate studies (psychology, anthropology, philosophy)... pretty much half-assed it because I was figuring out personal stuff. I kind of regret not putting all the effort in and I want to see if I have what it takes to go further (I think it's my version of e3 regret) or I should move on.

But, at the same time, I might just ultimately want credentials because I wrote content/accomplished tasks but because of my lack of "credibility", I basically have to have experts/PhDs sign off on it. I think it comes down to whether if it is worth the effort or if it's just a purely ego thing.

Sorry for all the rambling, but I figured a more experienced e3 could have more pointers. lol

Maybe you would be happiest managing those PhDs.....

 

[Tilt]

Maybe you would be happiest managing those PhDs.....

Care to explain your reasoning, good sir?

 

[SearchingforPeace]

Care to explain your reasoning, good sir?

You feel some discomfort having them sign off on your work, right?

If you went into management, you would have PhDs reporting to you... therefore your discomfort would disappear, and you would sign off their work.

Besides, a ENFJ is usually really good at management, anyway... not in the ENTJ way, but usually really good at managing people...

 

[Tilt]

You feel some discomfort having them sign off on your work, right?

If you went into management, you would have PhDs reporting to you... therefore your discomfort would disappear, and you would sign off their work.

Besides, a ENFJ is usually really good at management, anyway... not in the ENTJ way, but usually really good at managing people...

Ironically, upper management is ultimately what my role is going to be... if I don't die of boredom. lol I think I am scared that I will be stuck in something that I am not remotely passionate about but is also relatively safe. I also feel weird about the possibility of being in charge of people with a PhD with just a BA... like I am some sort of fraud.

 

[SearchingforPeace]

Ironically, upper management is ultimately what my role is going to be... if I don't die of boredom. lol

I have a friend that took a job at a defense contractor. He was assigned to assist a guy, whose position entitled him to an assistant. However his boss didn't need his help, at all. So he sat at his desk and surfed on the internet. After 2 years, he found there were advanced training programs that the company would pay for, so he got a MBA.

Many corporations have tuition programs where they will pay for your school.

As to boredom, I worked at some high energy excited jobs when I was younger and slower paced jobs later. I realized 2 years ago that it would have been impossible for me to work at a slow paced job when I was younger....

If you can stand it, you could use your current employer and really take advantage of what is offered....

 

[Coriolis]

So how does it differ from undergrad? What is the difficulty like?

Grad school is very intense and demanding, at least in a STEM subject, as mine was. It differs from undergrad mainly in its focus. No distribution requirements or courses outside your major just to become "well rounded". That was the purpose of college, if it existed at all. I actually preferred this as it let me focus all of my time on closely related subjects that were mutually reinforcing.

Yes, sometimes a graduate degree is required for a certain job. In that case, you need to balance the demands (including potential cost) of the degree vs. how much you want that particular job. It is just as valid, though, to get a graduate degree simply because you are really interested in the topic, and want to explore it further, and become more proficient in working within that field. Of course you should get a sense of what jobs are out there for people with this degree, but the tendency here can be to look too narrowly. It is often possible to apply a degree well outside the customary jobs. Sure, there may not be much demand for that kind of work, but you need only one job. If you have some diversity of skills and background and see a good way to market yourself, it can work.

I don't recommend pursuing a graduate degree solely to get a job, even if it is required. It demands too much, and it will be hard to stay motivated if you don't enjoy it as well.

I don't have advice. but my mom tells her post docs to not have kids in the middle of their ph.d program she had my brother in the middle of hers and said if she had to do it again she probably would've either done her ph.d or had my brother but not both. He also deleted a disertation of hers when he was 1 and this was in the 80s before auto save and she was like 45 pages in and after that he was not allowed to sit in her lap while she worked. Luckily my dad was good with computers and spent all night recovering it for her. i don't know if you want kids or if you have them, and i really don't care. I just wanted to participate

Actually, grad school can be a great time to have a child, especially if your advisor is reasonable and you have a committed partner. You have much more control over your own schedule in grad school than in most jobs, and are unlikely to be required to travel. As long as the work gets done, all is good. There were several people in my grad program who had kids while in school, and it seemed to work out fine for them.

Maybe you would be happiest managing those PhDs.....

But would they be happy being managed???