www.graduatingengineer.com/higher-education/20090305/Gr -
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Published on: 3/5/2009
Last Visited: 5/14/2009
Christopher K. McGrath, Vice President of DecideBetter.com, says if you are not 100% certain what you want to do, you shouldn't rush into a graduate program.
"One of the most common mistakes students make is to assume that they know what they want to do for a career before they even step foot into the job market," he says.
"College is a time for discovering who you are and what your professional interests are.
But that does not mean that you will come out of it with your career goals firmed.
In fact, most college graduates do not have a finalized career path mapped out upon graduation."
McGrath advises students to consider spending some time in the workplace to get a better sense of what their long-term goals are.
It's also vital to keep as many career paths open to you as possible.
"If you believe that you are closing off a particular career path that is of interest to you by not going to graduate school immediately, that should be a consideration," McGrath says.
Similarly, he warns that students might close off options by going right back to school and avoiding the work world.
"One thing that may be an option is to concurrently pursue both options," he advises.
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McGrath agrees that finances come into play when making this decision.
"The last thing you want to do is to increase your mountain of college debt by adding the costs of graduate school, only to not pursue a career in the area you are trained in," he says.
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