In some disciplines, having a graduate degree is a necessity for getting a \u201ccareer\u201d job. That does not mean you should dive right in immediately after completing your undergrad degree. Just make sure you have a good reason for going. Some of the reasons below are more valid than others, but they are all\u00a0common reasons for which people attend grad schools.<\/p>\n
1. \u00a0Greater earning power.<\/strong>\u00a0This is a\u00a0popular reason why people go to grad school. However, it should not be the only reason, since getting a grad degree is a very serious commitment.<\/p>\n 2. \u00a0Advance your career.<\/strong>\u00a0A grad degree can open up a wider array of career opportunities: in psychology, social work, healthcare, for example.<\/p>\n 3. \u00a0Career change.<\/strong>\u00a0Many people are finding their current careers unrewarding. An advanced degree can help transition to another career\u2014whether out of desire or necessity.<\/p>\n 4. \u00a0Enhance your education.<\/strong>\u00a0Graduate schools can provide opportunities to explore theories you may have about a topic.<\/p>\n 5. \u00a0Get community recognition.<\/strong>\u00a0If you explore your theories and discover something new, you will get recognition for it.<\/p>\n 6. \u00a0Get international recognition.<\/strong>\u00a0Carry that recognition further. If your discovery is truly groundbreaking, you may receive international recognition, not to mention awards. Who knows? Maybe you have a Nobel prize within you.<\/p>\n 7. \u00a0Get research opportunities.<\/strong>\u00a0Even if you do not get to explore your own theories, there are other opportunities to participate in funded research.<\/p>\n 8. \u00a0Upgrade your education.<\/strong>\u00a0Your knowledge of your field is outdated and you find it difficult to keep up with advancements without following up and getting an advanced degree.<\/p>\n 9. \u00a0Enjoy travel opportunities.<\/strong>\u00a0Some programs, such as archaeology, require studying abroad for research purposes. For those who like to travel, this is a bonus.<\/p>\n 10. \u00a0Find teaching opportunities.<\/strong>\u00a0Not everyone is suited to teaching, but for those who are, getting a PhD can lead to a tenured position at a university or college, with a nice salary, a teaching or research assistant to help with workload, consulting opportunities (partly shared with your department), and a nice pension upon retirement.<\/p>\n 11. \u00a0Work on advanced projects.<\/strong>\u00a0For example, the computer scientists who delved early into computer graphics set the standards for much of the CGI technology used in movies today.<\/p>\n 12. \u00a0Access to advanced equipment and tools.<\/strong>\u00a0In a similar vein, entering a grad program could mean having access to advanced equipment on campus\u2014such as the astronomy lab, supercomputers, rare books, and even great minds.<\/p>\n 13. \u00a0Higher potential for future promotion.<\/strong>\u00a0While obtaining a graduate degree does not necessarily always lead to a high-paying job right away, it can open up opportunities for future promotions.<\/p>\n 14. \u00a0Not being stuck behind a desk.<\/strong>\u00a0If you have the necessary education to qualify for a high-ranking position in your chosen industry, it means that you often have the option of not sitting behind a desk all day. You might go meet colleagues or clients, travel, or even play golf in the afternoon on a nice day.<\/p>\n 15. \u00a0Employer incentives.<\/strong>\u00a0Some large corporations have funds set aside that will pay partial or full fees for qualified employees.<\/p>\n 16. \u00a0Be part of a chain of knowledge.<\/strong>\u00a0This doesn\u2019t tickle everyone\u2019s fancy, but just imagine that the knowledge handed to you by your professor came from another professor who learned it from someone who learned it from a famous scientist or philosopher. You become part of a chain of knowledge.<\/p>\n 17. \u00a0Because you want to.<\/strong>\u00a0To learn, to think critically, to accept the academic challenge.<\/p>\n 18. \u00a0To stand out.<\/strong>\u00a0By attending grad school and completing a degree, you join an elite segment of the population.<\/p>\n 19. \u00a0Free tuition.<\/strong>\u00a0In some cases, grad schools might not only waive your tuition, but also give you a stipend for living expenses in return for taking on the work of a teaching assistant or research assistant.<\/p>\n 20. \u00a0Realization of interest.<\/strong>\u00a0Not everyone realizes during undergraduate studies that they are suited for grad studies. Some of your professors might recommend it to you and offer to supervise\u2014with tuition waived and a research assistant position to cover expenses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In some disciplines, having a graduate degree is a necessity for getting a \u201ccareer\u201d job. That does not mean you should dive right in immediately after completing your undergrad degree. Just make sure you have a good reason for going. Some of the reasons below are more valid than others, but they are all\u00a0common reasons […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8,15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-547","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-admissions","8":"category-advice","9":"category-new-student"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/Stock_Fall_Color_Students_7NOV18_00026.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=547"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":549,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547\/revisions\/549"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}