Is Grad School the right thing for you? - Part II

This blog post is shorter than the first one, as it covers topics that may be expanded on in future blog posts. It covers the remaining two groups that were introduced in the first blog post: Happy Reading!

---

Group 3 – Individuals currently pursuing a Masters

People decide to pursue a Master’s degree for a variety of reasons. Some require an advanced degree to get promoted at work into managerial positions, while others may be interested in pursuing work in a new field and want to broaden their skills and horizons. Regardless of the reason for pursuing a Master’s a number of valuable things can be taken away from a Masters.

As opposed to a PhD, a Master’s is generally significantly shorter. In general the projects for a Master’s degree are significantly shorter, with lesser expected outcomes, than those a PhD student may work on. Fortunately, there are few things that a Master’s student can do that will help him/her make the most of their degree. One key thing during a person’s time in graduate school is the importance of networking, both within the program and outside of the program. Most pursue and advanced degree in order to achieve goals that they have set out. They are highly motivated individuals ready to shape the future of the engineering and academic industry. Networking and relationships forged during graduate school can bear fruits over time, as they can be utilized in order to explore different job options in the future. Additionally, especially in the field of engineering and business, students have the option of taking specialized courses that can be very beneficial in the future. These courses may be offered by professors who are experts in their field, and the low student-to-faculty ratios allow those taking the course to engage and interact with the professors more. It can also be a good idea to explore the possibility of taking courses in different departments in order to expand your skill-set.

In terms of practicality for international students, especially those in the US, each completed degree allows the student to practice a period of OPT in their field after completion of their degree, which will allow them to gain valuable industrial and technical experience before deciding if they want to pursue a PhD. From my viewpoint, I definitely think that a year or two of industrial or technical experience, will not hurt a student looking to pursue the academic route in the future. There are many individuals who return to academia after long periods in the industry, and bring in their own unique skills, which may help with the management of research teams, and proposal writing that might be required of a professor in the future. Therefore, I would definitely recommend exploring internship and job opportunities right after graduating with a Master’s degree before considering the academic route.

---

Group 4 – Individuals currently pursuing a PhD evaluating what their options are

Many outsiders assume that everyone who looks to complete a PhD is doing so because they want to pursue a career path in academia. Unfortunately, academia produces PhD graduates quicker than it creates positions that match the supply. Therefore, a large number of students who graduate might either have to pursue a post-doctoral positions in order to gain more experience and make them more suitable candidates for faculty positions, explore research and development (R&D) option in industry, or change their line of work once they graduate.

One important lesson to learn, or rather one that strikes a PhD student as they are close to graduation is that they have gained a wide skill-set by working on multiple projects through the course of their PhD. This is why it is essential for a PhD student to increase the amount of collaboration projects that they are involved with, as this enhances their networking and teamwork skills. Through the course of the PhD, the student may be requested to solve problems that require them go deep into research on a particular topic, or come up with innovative solutions that might not be straightforward. Patience and perseverance learned while tackling numerous tasks in graduate school strengthens one’s character. However, what is important to know is that regardless of how long it takes someone to find their true calling once they graduate, they will eventually find what they were meant to do, and they do not owe anything to society and its norms as they look pursue their dreams. More on this topic in a future blog post! Like I always say: One Day At A Time

---