should i do my masters straight after college or get a yr or 2 of work experience first?

Question

im graduatin from Virginia Commonwealth University BA major in Interior Design with minor in Graphic Design, im scared if i start working ill get too into it and become too lazy to go back to studying? any thoughts?

ok several reasons for wanting to go into the working field for a while-
design is a growin gchanging discipline- if ur out there mingling with the rest of the crazy ppl ure uptodate witht he trends u pick up on the good resources and i even end up changing my ming abt what i want to do for my ma-for now its architecture.
prons are im scared ill like it too much ill just end up working which is cool too i mean no problem with that bt i kinda have this inner voice telling me dont stop on this u need more then just ba, is the lil voice schizo or should i listen to it :)

Answer 1

It depends on why you feel you need to work. If you want to work for the purpose of getting more experience, then fine. If you want to work because you are afraid you won't get into the grad scool program of your choice, then no. If you are working for financial reasons then that is also reasonable. You have to figure out why you want to work and how it fits into your future career plans.

In terms of how to fit it into your career plans, I assume you want to do something related to design. You may want to work with professors on establishing contacts that you can use for future employment. Perhaps set up a one to two-year 'apprenticeship' with an established interior decorator to get some experience and figure out if there is a particular area in which you would like to specialize. Putting a set time on it means that you end up going to grad school at the end, or else you will have to find another job!

I took a couple years off between college and grad school and loved it. I was too lazy (or in denial about graduating) to apply to grad school straight out of college. I saved up so that I could interview and travel to new cities to explore different schools. I paid off some of my loans. I visited friends who were in grad school. At the end of my time working, I took off to Europe for a month. It was the best time of my life.

Of course the grass is always greener on the other side. I loved working, but wished I was in school with no obligations. Then when I was in school, I had the perspective of someone who worked, but then I wish I had the cash flow I had with my job.

In summary, it won't make you lazy to work for a little while, as long as you have a good reason why you are taking time off and a definite plan of when you are going back to school.

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Answer 2

Masters straight out of college is a waste of your time and money. The whole idea of a masters program is to take experienced people that already have a college education and teach them more and with a narrower scope. If you go straight to Masters then when it is time to get a job your resume will be off balance, you will be too educated for your level of experience.

There are of course exceptions, but these are very few. The great majority of the people should go work, spend a few years in the workforce and then get a Masters in their field.

Let me tell you what was the most depressing thing I ever had to do while interviewing candidates to work for me as web programmers: I needed an intern, ideally either a CS major or maybe even a really bright high school kid. What did I get? Dozens of resumes from desperate people with masters and PhDs in CS. It was terrible. I even went back to see if maybe my post was not explicit enough and these people got confused.But no, the post was fine, it clearly stated I needed a junior that wanted to learn from us.

Do you know what most of these people do now? They delete their advanced degrees from their resumes.

Answer 3

I personally think you will get more out of your masters if you get some basic life and work experience first. Your view of life will be more balanced and you will be able to offer your clients more.

You may not feel like going back to study after a year or two as you may enjoy gaining practical experience in the workforce which many people consider is more valuable than paper qualifications. But if it is your goal to complete your masters, I'm sure you will when it is the right time.

Answer 4

well, exactly do you want to go back for a masters....more education or a chance to get a higher paying job? If you find a job you truly love after just earning your BA, why not stay there? The job you get will probably help you decide at the time whether or not to go back to school...if you feel your job is just not paying enough or you are lacking skills...you'll go back.

Answer 5

The best answer in my opinion is neither, go to work and get as much time in as necessary to get tuition reimbursement from your company (make sure they offer it), and then do both. I'm doing an all online MBA from a division 1 NCAA school (not that U of Phoenix junk), and the company pays for it. Best of both worlds...

Answer 6

go to work now. it will ensure that this is what you want to do, before you invest any more time or money in your education.

Some employers even have the benefit, that they pay for you to continue your education. Wouldn't that be nice for them to pay? It's how I got my MBA.

Answer 7

work for 1 or 2 yr to have practical experience then when you do your master, you will appreciate the theories better.