I feel like many of us struggle with this question, especially the soon-to-be seniors. I mean, we are reaching our graduation dates. I have asked many of my friends and most of them they don’t know. So what should you do? What questions should you ask yourself? Most importantly, what is it that you WANT?
Being a go getter myself, I had always known what I wanted to do: get my masters in higher education. Or write a book. Or start a blog. But I understand that some of us aren’t so lucky and struggle with the idea of what to do. Here are some questions that you should ask yourself on what to do in the upcoming future:
What can I see myself doing in the future?
Do you enjoy reading? Studying or researching? (I know some people think that is ridiculous, but there are people out there that love to do these things.) Learning new things? Have a passion for knowledge? Ambitious? Maybe graduate program is for you. For additional questions, you can search up questions. Here is a link that links to some important questions you should ask yourself if you decide to go through the graduate program:
You might want to jump straight into the workforce. Do I want to make money as soon as possible? Do I want to become more independent and move out? Do I want to explore? Do I want to get to know more people and test out my social skills? What about networking? Is the job that I want requiring me to only have a bachelor’s degree? And if so, you’ll have to prepare for interviews. Ask yourself these questions. Here is a link to that:
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/questions-to-ask-yourself-before-a-job-interview
Downsides:
Just like everything else, these decisions have severe downsides and require big sacrifices. If you decide to go to grad school and pursue a master’s degree, how will you pay? Get scholarships? Financial Aid? Join Fellowships? In the long run, are you prepared to sacrifice your potential time in the workforce to go after a master’s degree in something?
The workforce isn’t easy either. Preparing cover letters? Getting ready for interviews and ready to answer their questions? Honing in your skills? Plunging into something you had never done before? Learning and adapting to change? There’s a whole new world out there in the work force, are you ready for it? In the long run, are you prepared to go into the work force and sacrifice your opportunity to get out of grad school sooner as opposed to later?
The bottom line is, decide what you want to do. Weigh each pros and cons separately. Make a list. Ask yourself what do I really want. What were my hopes and dreams, and will my decision help me get there? Will it be a opportunity that I am comfortable with? And what about the issue with money? What are my values and goals? WHAT DO I WANT TO ACHIEVE LATER ON IN LIFE?