{"id":113065,"date":"2021-05-10T20:58:59","date_gmt":"2021-05-11T01:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/?p=113065"},"modified":"2024-12-19T16:31:41","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T22:31:41","slug":"is-grad-school-worth-it-how-to-decide-for-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/psychology\/is-grad-school-worth-it-how-to-decide-for-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"Is grad school worth it? How to decide for yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"clearfix\"><p>Considering grad school? If the answer is yes, you\u2019re probably stressed over a laundry list of questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Is grad school worth it?<\/li>\n<li>What program makes sense for me?<\/li>\n<li>How do I pay for it?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We\u2019re here to help. Our first tip: Take a deep breath. Unfortunately, there is no one universal answer to if grad school is worth it\u2014there\u2019s a unique answer for every person.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll need to consider a wide variety of things ranging from your field of interest to finances in order to determine if grad school makes sense for you. Read on to discover six factors you should think about when you\u2019re wondering about grad school.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Field of interest<\/h3>\n<p>Before you delve deeper into your grad school research, you should have a clear idea of exactly what you\u2019d like to study. If you\u2019re just interested in grad school as a vague next step in your educational and professional development, we\u2019d recommend taking a step back and identifying your field of interest.<\/p>\n<p>When you enroll in a postgraduate program, you\u2019re committing a significant amount of time, money, and energy to learn about a specific subject. Make sure it\u2019s something you\u2019re passionate about.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Career goals<\/h3>\n<p>Grad school can have a major impact on your career trajectory. Consider your career goals and weigh in whether they either require a postgraduate degree. If you\u2019re interested in working in the psychology field, a wide range of jobs for people with a B.A., M.A., Ph.D., or Psy.D. are available.<\/p>\n<p>For example, becoming a licensed clinical psychologist requires a doctorate while a bachelor\u2019s in forensic psychology opens up jobs in victim advocacy or working as a probation officer. For the most part, becoming a licensed or certified psychologist does require a postgraduate degree.<\/p>\n<p>A broad spectrum of psychology professions are out there. Just do your research. Keep in mind that your research doesn\u2019t have to be limited to surfing the web. You can schedule informational interviews with people who work in professions you\u2019re interested in. By chatting with these people, you can get a better idea of what their day-to-day looks like and if it\u2019s the right career path for you.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Salary<\/h3>\n<p>Another common reason people want to attend grad school is to increase their earning potential. Postgraduate degrees often open up a wider range of higher-level positions. Whether that\u2019s working as a licensed psychologist or using an M.A. to apply for management positions, a graduate degree can increase your salary throughout the rest of your life.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, this is definitely something you should dive into. Use online resources such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.glassdoor.com\/index.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Glassdoor<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/salary.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Salary.com<\/a>\u00a0to get a better idea of what kind of salary range you can expect to see in specific jobs and geographic regions. Compare jobs that you could get with an undergraduate degree against jobs that require a postgraduate degree.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Employment outlook<\/h3>\n<p>While you\u2019re researching salary potential, be sure to study up on your field\u2019s employment outlook. Job outlook is extremely important to consider if a graduate degree is necessary to pursue it. After all, you may not want to spend a significant amount of time and money on a degree that only applies to a job with a decreasing growth rate.<\/p>\n<p>Use the U.S. Department of Labor\u2019s Bureau of Labor Statistics\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/ooh\/fastest-growing.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">resources<\/a>\u00a0to gather some data. You can research a specific job or industry\u2019s median pay, projected number of new jobs, and projected growth rate. If the growth rate is promising, this can help support the decision to attend grad school.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Grad school options<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re leaning toward going to grad school, look into specific programs and schools. Take the time to ensure that these programs fit your interests and offer courses and experience directly relevant to your desired career path.<\/p>\n<p>You should also attend informational sessions, sign up for webinars, and even try to reach out to students currently enrolled in the grad programs you\u2019re looking in to. You can get a more in-depth look into courses, professors, workload, internships, and more.<\/p>\n<h3>6. Finances<\/h3>\n<p>Ah yes, the question that\u2019s probably been weighing on you the most. Does it make financial sense to go to grad school? Again, that\u2019s something only you can decide. If you do want to pursue a career that requires a postgraduate degree, has a high earning potential, and a strong employment outlook for the future, it probably is worth it.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, you should always carefully assess the cost of any program and look into all of the ways you could get financial assistance. This isn\u2019t limited to scholarships, grants, and financial aid. If you\u2019re looking into part-time programs, you could ask your employer if they have a tuition assistance program.<\/p>\n<p>Alternatively, you could look into online programs. The online graduate program offerings are constantly growing. It\u2019s a more affordable and flexible path that allows you to continue balancing a job and other responsibilities while still following your passion.<\/p>\n<h3>The bottom line<\/h3>\n<p>The bottom line is that\u2014there is no bottom line. There is no single answer to whether grad school is worth it for you. Grad school can be a wonderful way to expand your knowledge about a discipline you love, grow into management positions, increase your salary, and pursue your dream job.<\/p>\n<p>Make sure you take your time and do your research. Establish a clear intention for what you want your grad degree to provide you with, whether it\u2019s opening up new career opportunities or building a strong network.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Learn about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/academics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">graduate programs and more<\/a> offered from The Chicago School.<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Consider these six factors when deciding if going to grad school is the right choice for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":113068,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[113],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1073],"class_list":["post-113065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychology"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Is grad school worth it? How to decide for yourself - Insight Digital Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Consider these six factors when deciding if going to grad school is the right choice for you.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/psychology\/is-grad-school-worth-it-how-to-decide-for-yourself\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is grad school worth it? 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