Was graduate school a mistake for you?

Question

I'm seriously asking this because I am about to embark on a 2 year MA in Secondary Education (social sciences) and hopefully teach my specialised subject after I graduate. I am American, my degree is in Australia where I hope to settle. Getting a BA in your teaching subject is the standard thing to do (so I have 29k in undergraduate loan debt I am paying off) and I wouldn't be able to get the proper visa w/out staying 2 years.

When I am finished I'll have about 80k in total student loan debt, and no true guarantee of finding work or being allowed to stay in Oz---I am so anxious about this. I imagine repayment consolidated will be around 600$ a month.

Did you got to graduate school only to regret it or am will this gamble pay off? What have your experiences been?

Thanks***

Answer 1

80k of debt on a secondary school teacher's salary is, in my estimation, simply not tenable. That is an unusually huge amount of indebtedness for a relatively low-paying profession.

The vast majority of my colleagues with PhDs have less debt than that.

I suggest you speak with a financial advisor before you make this decision.

Answer 2

Where to begin...I am currently a PhD student beginning my seventh year in grad school (I know--been here a long time). I can assure you that I wished I had never begun this process multiple times since I started. I should mention that most of the problem for me is the advisor I chose at the beginning, who is a difficult person to work for/with. However, after all of this time, I can look back and see how it has made me a better person--more humble, certainly, more patient, etc. It has also made me a better scientist, certainly, as I have designed and performed untold numbers of experiments. Also, it should allow me to get a better and higher-paying job later. I guess, overall, it was the right decision for me to make (at least, that is what I tell myself).

I would advise you to go for it, especially since you want a Master's, which is considerably shorter than a PhD. Also, it should be easier to get a good job than with a BA, and you will likely get paid more. People I know who went for an MA said that it paid for itself in just a few years due to the increased salary. However, PLEASE be careful in your choice of an advisor--make sure it is someone who can really help you and also someone that is not hard to work with.

Answer 3

It was very valuable for me. There are a number of professions that require a graduate degree for any hope of advancement. The one big exception is the world of business, where an advance degree is a good idea but not neccessary. Almost anything else it is a requirement, but certainly not a guarantee of success.