Going to grad school while working full time is one of the most challenging undertakings I’ve attempted. Since my course work gets harder as I delve deeper into my degree, my levels of tension and panic also increase. However, this is not meant to scare people, but offer my own personal experience.
I would still say that if you have even the slightest inkling that graduate school may be something you are interested in - take action today. Don’t wait two years to realize, Oh yeah, if I’d only started my degree two years ago…
Follow the advice that I foist on others who ask me what they should know about going to grad school while working full time:
1. Order Your College Transcripts. It’s a banal administrative step, but painless to complete. Reminding yourself of your undergrad accomplishments might have you pining for bookstores and bleary-eyed study sessions in coffee shops. If you didn’t do so well, it will serve as a reminder why you perhaps should give things a second try. Plus, you’ll need it to talk to an advisor, who will want to review your prior coursework.
2. Run, Don’t Walk, To Your Nearest Academic Advisor. It doesn’t really matter what school or major. Find someone in your general area of interest who knows more than you do about applying to begin pointing you in the right direction. You can hone in on schools or majors later once you get serious about applying. Getting information from a human is critical. They will more easily tell you where to go next. Wrong answers eliminates those choices, getting the right ones helps you approach your goal faster.
3. Don’t Sign Up for Qualifying Exams. You might be able to snake past these. I did. I rushed out and bought a GMAT book, started listening to LSAT strategy podcasts, then realized my college would let me apply for an MSF without an entrance exam. All the flavor of an MBA without the extra fat. Plus, down the line if I want an MBA, I just add a few more classes, and viola, I’m done!
Even if your school of choice says you must take a standardized test, double-check with a human in charge of admissions for evening classes, who might say differently. They are aware of the realities of the business world. A standardized test can be a barrier to entry, and hence, their tuition dollars.
4. No Matter How Much You Love Learning, You Will Hate Grad School. Realize that working full time and going to school will suck, then do it anyway. Unless you have a financial support system that would allow you to quit your day job, you will experience misery unparalleled. There is no way around this. All I can say is apply zen concepts. I’m not kidding. Turning your study sessions into meditation training is very useful. For more on this, read a great little book called, “Dancing With Your Books.”
.”5. No Matter How Much You Love Your Job, You Will Love Grad School More. Your job offers you a small slice of exposure in whatever industry you choose to work in, with your specific duties being afforded an even smaller sliver. You will get bored. Grad school is a smorgasbord of intellectual delights. You will be tantalized in new directions, strengths you never knew you had exploited, and your accomplishments will give you tremendous personal satisfaction. You can then translate these into serious job skills for your current or future employer.
6. Think Creatively About Costs. I don’t give people a hard time when they tell me they can’t afford the time or money investment in grad school. I have the same concerns. You can weigh the decision all day long and never come up with a satisfactory answer. I’d go with your gut, if you are suspicious you want a higher education; figure out a way to get it. If your employer doesn’t pay for school or you missed the box when requesting your trust fund after college graduation (don’t worry, I did too), consider going to a lower tier school whose rates are less, could offer scholarship, or would require less time commitment, or consider going every other semester. Find a way to make it happen.
All I can say is that through all the anxiety of going to grad school, I’m still extremely grateful I’m going through the process. I am finding ways to make it work, improve my focus and organization skills and face adversity with grace. Now - who wouldn’t want that?
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i have to second #’s 4 and 5. Never thought of it that way, but so true! Reminds me why I started grad school and continue with it even though I consider skipping class or assignments all the time…
@ Monica O’Brien
You’re right…luckily my employer remiburses based on my grade, so there is a lot of motivation for me to do well, I want my money back!
I agree that taking action today is the way to go (I tried too late and never got the application in by the time I really wanted to) - so just do it, and deal with the consequences later.
BUT, that’s after you’re sure you want to work and be at school at the same time. I would suggest (from what I’ve heard) that going in to full-time school is the way to go (quit your job/take leave), to really experience and follow-through with school over work. It is a one time chance to really prove yourself.
I work with a young man who’s on his 5th year of his post-grad and is too busy at work to really concentrate at school. His actual problem is that he has a family too, in which case he may have to drop out, even after 5 years of trying.
If you want to do well in school you may have to throw yourself in 100%. That’s how I would go about it.
Torbjorn, it’s a tradeoff. It costs a lot more money to go full time because you lose two or three years of salary also. If you go to a very expensive school you might be in double the debt by the end, as opposed to going part-time.
Milena, I find that paying for school myself is also motivation. Every time I think about skipping a class I think about flushing four hundred dollars down the drain. It’s plenty of reason not to skip!
I am going part-time for my Masters and I have mixed emotions. In one sense it is the people working full-time or have years of experience that really contribute to the class. the full-time students often just sit and look dazed, never offer examples, or have questions. To really absorb B School you need to experience it somewhat.
And then to doing well in B School, totally overrated. Yeah it is fun to get an A, but it isn’t needed. No one compares GPA’s at work. All you have to do is learn what you need to, get the B’s to pass and get reimbursement, and your gold. At least this works for me.
@ torbjornrive
I would argue that there is no way to know if you want to go to grad school and work full time unless you’ve tried it. It also helps if you want to go to school to expand your knowledge in the industry you are already in, otherwise I think there would be a major disconnect.
@ Monica O’Brien
Yeah, good point about paying for it yourself…and about the loss of salary. Since making and saving money early is important to me, I decided to go this route.
@ BrandonA
I agree about those who work contributing to the class the most, often times they have something more at stake. Also, I’ve heard over and over GPA doesn’t matter - but for me it’s largely the reimbursement thing with a touch of personal neuroses…
I’ve done both… got a masters’ while working, and also quit a few years later and am now working on a Ph.D. full-time. There is no one right answer - it depends on the person and the situation. But there are a few things I’d say to people thinking of more education.
1. You need to want to do it, to endure either the lack of time or lack of money (or some combination of both). If you do it because you think you should, or because someone else expects it, you won’t be able to do well.
2. You need a support system. If you’re single, this can be friends and colleagues. You need people who, when things are so busy it’s crazy, will help you any way they can. When I had an absolutely crazy day - big project at work and exams coming up - a colleague point-blank told me, “I know if you skip lunch, you won’t have another chance to eat till late tonight after class.” And, since I HAD to work through lunch to get something done, and hadn’t been to the grocery store in weeks so I couldn’t bring a lunch with me, he picked up a sandwich for me. When weather was bad and I had to head straight from work to class, a neighbor offered to let out my dog and feed him his evening meal.
3. Set aside a space to do your homework and study. It can be a separate room, or just a desk in the living room. But that space is YOURS, and it’s for your studying. Other junk stays off of it. When you sit down there, it’s to get to work.
4. Celebrate each achievement along the way, to encourage yourself and to keep the fact in front of you that yes, you will finish someday! This can be just a picnic with friends at the end of every course, or give yourself a “fun day” to recharge and do something you enjoy and haven’t had time for.
5. Be realistic. One semester, I took two classes while working. I had good reasons - those were the last two classes I needed to finish - but it was exhausting. Everyone at work thought my hand was permanently attached to that coffee cup. I couldn’t have done that for more than one semester and still learned anything in the classes, even if I managed to somehow pass them.
@ Diane
Great insights. I do a lot of those things to keep sane. I agree about how you get your degree being totally personal. There is no right answer.