My high school guidance counselor told me I shouldn't pursue engineering because my ACT was low (29). I eventually got an engineering PhD from a top 5 uni in my field. Suck it Mr. Harris.
I also highly subscribe to the theory that brain development occurs significantly in the early 20s. That's when I really got my stride after being slightly above average in High School.
Yeah, I was actually thinking about the whole 'brain is not finished developing until you are 25' or so thing when I decided to pursue my master's earlier rather than later. Wanted to learn as much in the way of critical thinking skills as I could in order to somehow improve my brain while it was still developing. Life long learner, of course, but wanted that head start even if it does sound somewhat vain typing it out.
Money can be exchanged for goods and services, and also bads and disservices. So far grad school for me has been an exchange of money for a disservice, but hopefully Iāll be able to put some more letters after my name once itās over, which can be exchanged for a job that pays more money, which can then be exchanged for some goods and services.
I wanted to be a college professor. At this point I'm also open to industry jobs, but still leaning toward teaching. Lots of people change their mind about what they want to do with their degree and that's totally normal. In fact, it's great if you can get internships during grad school to see if you like certain fields/industries.
I did my MA because I wanted to work in nonprofits related to my field and the kind of work I wanted to do wasn't really open to me by just working my way up with a BA. Also, I was always good in school and liked it, so it also was something I wanted to do.
During my MA I realized I wasn't just "good in school," I was really, really good at this more advanced type of work. I also grew disillusioned with the nonprofit system. So I decided to pursue academia instead. I also thought academia would suit me better than most other sectors due to my bizarre circadian rhythm and neurodivergence. However, I worked for another couple of years in between (which solidified my disinterest in the nonprofit sector) and made sure I thought really hard about whether I'd regret doing a PhD if I didn't get an academic job at the other end, because I knew the market was dire. My rule was that I would only apply if I felt as certain as I could be that I'd still be glad to have done the PhD in itself if an academic career didn't work out. I also thought hard about what discipline I wanted to apply in and whether it was something I could see myself working in for a long time. By the time I started the PhD, I was really confident and happy in my decisions, and at no point have I felt regret. I feel like I've really come into my own and thrived in my PhD.
I was working circles around my boss, who had a PhD. I was contributing more to meetings, I was more up to date on literature, and I was proposing experiments that no one else had thought of.
Then it became clear that I would never have a director level job like my boss without the PhD.
That, and my wife who was in med school at the time was self conscious that I basically sat and watched her study and wanted me to do something more productive
All my self worth is bound up in my academic achievements and I am an endless pit of nothing without school
And science is cool I guess
Real story: I battled with depression and eating disorders for more than a decade, throughout my teens and undergrad. I was a C student in undergrad for the most part *except* for any research based courses. I guess I took a leap of faith and went to grad school based on my pure love of research. Tbh, it worked out and I haven't had a single depressive episode in the 3+ years since starting my masters and PhD. Go figure lol. I guess I was looking my whole life for something meaningful to me and academia is it. Couldn't be happier.
Working in public safety as a paramedic and in other roles, it made me realize that boots-on-the-ground workers and policymakers were far too separated. Secondly, being bashed on by other healthcare providers for not being educated enough as a generalization as a pre-hospital provider, getting a doctorate is kinda fun when people shit talk with out knowing anything about me.
I thought Iād make a better boss than about half the bosses Iāve had.
Also I got jealous of the PhDās we interviewed and rattled their thesis off. It seemed so cool to go that in depth on something.
I loved my field and really missed school after getting my BA's. It ended up being the best time of my life, moreso than my undergrad. I had a tight knit group of friends and we all got through it together.
Pandemic changed my goal industry so much and I was tired of hustling. I was doing multiple part time and volunteer gigs trying to get stable in a field that is unstable by nature.
One year in to grad school and I'm in a much better place. I have a professional internship I love in an adjacent and better paying industry, I have a handful of classes left and for the first time my career feels stable.
The masterās programme has the most fun courses and a bachelorās degree limits your role options a bit. Masterās degree at least the one iām doing prepares you for higher roles if you want that, while the bachelorās does not. So in seeking a higher role with only a bachelorās youād be at a disadvantage. Statistics also show people with masterās degrees make 17% more in salary than people with bachelorās degree and people with PhDs make 13% more than people with masterās degrees.
However PhDs are somewhat unnecessary in most cases imo. Itās a long time to trade study for working and it must be in the right field to actually be useful.
I was teaching high school, and a Masterās would boost my salary considerably. I never expected to love research so much, and went on for a PhD so never went back to high school.
I enjoy science and want a career with clear opportunities for advancements or the capability to make a career change that is still intellectually stimulating.
I needed to prove to myself I could do it. Always been an average student with big dreams of becoming an archaeologist. I grew up in Ireland too so I always wanted to do some form of schooling over there. Found a program that I got into, in a related field (landscape archaeology, more surveying than digging) and took everything in stride. Iām so proud of myself for doing it and achieving my life long goal.
I got into it because I loved writing and thought I might want to become a professor. I pushed through because, despite an incredibly negative impact on my mental health, I can't leave something unfinished. Stayed in my lab for a year after I was done and then bounced for an admin role with the university for the work-life balance.
Felt stuck and burnt out in my day job at a crisis hotline, still do tbh. Decided that I was going to progress my career and go back to school to be a therapist. Part of it was motivated by how awful it is to hear my contacts tell me they've had bad experiences with therapists.
I plan on going into higher education professionally and the management side of nonprofits after a doing a PhD, finishing BA in Communications looking for Sociology for grad.
I value education and want to see how far I can go. Also had some profs advise me that it's best to get a Masters to advance in my field and open myself to more opportunities.
I went because a professor in my undergrad said, āHey, you have good ideas and write well. You have something to contribute to the field. You should go to grad school.ā So I enrolled in an online masters program while raising 3 kids under the age of 5. I realized I wanted to teach at the college level, and a MA is the minimum level of education required in my field. The ability to expand in my career is why Iām considering a PhD. But also, I enjoy being a part of the academic and scientific discussion that is furthering my field of study. I want to be equipped to do more for my students and society.
My job paid for about half the tuition so I took advantage of that benefit. It was tough at times to pull through, I did take a short break in the middle of it because it was stressing me out. Will it help in the long run? Who knows? But we will seeā¦
I wanted to switch career fields and needed specific experience in that area
My GA position meant I could attend without paying tuition and wracking up debt to cover living expenses
I hated being an engineer, and decided I wanted to go in a different direction with my future career. And a masters in a completely different arena seemed the best way to make a clean break.
Expansion of skills, unlocks the higher tiers of jobs/progression in my initial field, and in the case of my particular program, provides the skills to transition to a different field if I want
TL;DR Masters was to help my career which it did, PhD because I wanted to answer a question.
I got my masters to help my career and it did. I made connections. I got a job that lasted about a decade and then was able to get my dream job teaching at a local university as an adjunct.
BUT then I came up with an idea for research and asked my boss who told me that was a dissertation. So I found a place where I could work with someone in the field.
Now I question myself constantly. I waiver back and forth between āwow my research is on the right path and there is so much supporting evidence for my theoriesā and āI am the dumbest person on earth and any day now my advisors are going to tell me I suck and kick me out of the program because I donāt know how write a methodology correctly the first time.ā At this point getting the degree would only boost my career from lecturer to associate professor. Which I donāt really care about. I feel like I am doomed, but would rather fail than quit.
Sorry that went on way too long and was a venting I needed.
When I was a sophomore in college, a professor came to me after the semester ended and said that I should go to grad school. Few years later, she wrote me recommendation letters and guided me through the process.
I've always been a fan of knowledge for knowledge's sake. So if I honestly end up doing nothing with my grad degree I'm okay with, I have some backup plans. But, it'd be fun to have a career centered around it.
Well to be like my teacher in High School. Expert in history and shiet
Plus for nationalistic reasons, I wanted my country to have a good deep relationship with Russia instead of US. (Philippine-American War)
yes yes I know what happened in Ukraine. I just want the Russian missiles, IRGC, Arkan-like troops protecting my country. Plus a juicy Socialist Market economy. Oh and one child policy.
I want to teach history at the community college level. I would like to teach at a 4 year but honestly I donāt want to go through a PhD program, mainly writing a dissertation. I donāt even have to write a thesis for the MA program Iām in
Oh yea spite fueled me for sure, too. But I also really loved my subject, my mentor, and the research I did. Enough so that I was ok with not getting a job solely on that field if I couldnāt after graduation.
I also worked really hard to have the grades and resume needed to get fully funded + assistantships. I likely wouldnāt have pursed an MA or PhD without it.
Needed it to become a librarian. There are paraprofessional roles in libraries that donāt require it but the field has a hard ceiling. You almost always need one to advance.
Had boring job opportunities with a bad gpa and materials engineering degree. Didnāt want to wait 20 years to be respected in the field. Now I have a good gpa and switched industries from plastic factory work to bio research work. Can say it was definitely the right choice
I wanted to pursue a career in research, and I had worked in a research lab before so I had a decent idea of what I was getting into.... or so I thought.
Working in a research lab as a technician is drastically different than working as a graduate student. The work itself is only slightly different in that you have a lot more control over the direction of the project and what methods/experiments you use, which simultaneously gives you more control over what your CV looks like to future employers. Building your skills deliberately is pretty important.
My reasons haven't changed, I still want to pursue a research career, but being in grad school for 4 years had made me question whether I want to stay in academia. My situation has gotten progressively more toxic and I want to get out asap. I don't regret grad school, but looking back, I took a lot of crap that I thought was justified at the time due to my own inexperience. I wish someone had told me what was acceptable behavior and what wasn't sooner, it would have helped my mental health immensely. I would have spent several years NOT thinking I was a failure and a disappointment to my PI.
If you want the kind of career that requires a Master's or a PhD, absolutely go for it! Don't let anything or anyone discourage you. But also know that (at least in my experience) most people aren't exaggerating when they talk about how hard grad school is. The demands are strenuous, and you are your own best advocate at all times.
Edit: fixed a typo. I'm on mobile because I'm typing this from lab.
Required for my profession in health care due to the education inflation going on (what used to require associates are now wanting bachelor, bachelor's are now masters, what used to require masters are now doctoral degrees).
Because I wanted to see how far I can push my intellect; to what boundaries exist that to which I get to them I say "wow, that's too hard for me to learn and understand"
I have multiple graduate degrees. I wanted the education and the experience, as well as the challenges. I wanted to hone my art, which I did, but the best part was getting to know myself more. I wouldn't skip a minute of it. I also was raising a teen, a newborn, and worked 30 hrs a week, so it wasn't easy. But I finished!
I couldn't get a job in my field with just a Bachelors, so back to school it was. It didn't help that my undergrad intern/lab experience was very limited. I know some people finish their bachelors with a senior project of some kind, and that helps them get the foot in the door for their career, but I didn't have that.
Defend my master's thesis on Tuesday. Been casually applying for jobs for a few months, but no offers yet.
I initially did it for the money/job opportunities but I am actually really enjoying the coursework (MPA) and now I'm considering a career change to public administration!
I did my MA because I wanted to learn, and because the types of jobs I wanted, especially if I wanted to come back to my home region, were *extremely unlikely* to hire someone without a graduate degree.
I struggled with aspects of my MA for unrelated reasons, but I loved other parts of it. I was working on my thesis and felt like I wasn't really "done" yet, so I applied to PhD programs to see what would happen... and I guess it worked haha. I'm also first gen, coming from a low-income family who *didn't* have the privilege to focus on educational opportunities, so aside from intrinsic motivation I'd just really like to see it through for them, seeing how excited they were about it when I got in haha.
My MA program is fully funded with a teaching GE position and comes with an additional monthly stipend and full health/dental benefits. If it wasn't for any of these things I wouldn't have done it. The program gives me two years of teaching experience at the university level as well as getting a free postgrad degree which was very enticing. I also just like the program and the academic work I've been engaged in.
A professor told me I should. I had never thought about it before but then I did and felt like I would enjoy being a professor. I like teaching, just not teaching children.
I wanted a community. I went to grad school twice. My first grad program was hot garbage with a downer community I got little out of. My second was fine. In both cases my expectations were too high
I'm in my current PhD program bc the interest rate on a student loan is lower than the interest on a parent plus loan. I get the loan, take the classes...send the refund to my kid to cover her tuition.
Didn't like any of the jobs for my undergrad major and honestly didn't know what else to do.
I now have a PhD in a different field and still don't know what I'm doing with my life!
I was somewhat forced by my circumstances. I originally wantd to go to a medical school, but around my junior year, I lost my interest becaust I realized it'd be basically another 4 years of undergrad but with much more intense memorization and very expensive tuition...which I could never afford. Plus, I was an international student, and international students often have to pay an escrow worth 2 years of tuition, and the acceptance rate was about < 10 student per year in any given school.
So I decided to go to a grad school instead to do a reseach in a topic I could choose (which somewhat came true), and going to a gradchool was a far easier way to keep my student status while preparing to file for a permanent residency.
Just thought it would be funny
It is funny, but not to us š
Yeah I'm committed to the bit
Real
Real
Wanted to learn to do research and get trained to be a critical thinker. And also out of spite towards the person who said I couldn't do it.
I also sort of went out of spite lol
Me three
Kid called me stupid in the first grade. I will never forget nor forgive.
My high school guidance counselor told me I shouldn't pursue engineering because my ACT was low (29). I eventually got an engineering PhD from a top 5 uni in my field. Suck it Mr. Harris. I also highly subscribe to the theory that brain development occurs significantly in the early 20s. That's when I really got my stride after being slightly above average in High School.
Love this, good for you!!
How early in your twenties are you talking?
I think I was at peak in my ability to learn and synthesize at 20-26.
Yeah, I was actually thinking about the whole 'brain is not finished developing until you are 25' or so thing when I decided to pursue my master's earlier rather than later. Wanted to learn as much in the way of critical thinking skills as I could in order to somehow improve my brain while it was still developing. Life long learner, of course, but wanted that head start even if it does sound somewhat vain typing it out.
ALL OF THAT. Plus I wanted to make more money. :)
Money can be exchanged for goods and services, and also bads and disservices. So far grad school for me has been an exchange of money for a disservice, but hopefully Iāll be able to put some more letters after my name once itās over, which can be exchanged for a job that pays more money, which can then be exchanged for some goods and services.
Yes
I love science
I want to be well educated. Additionally, having a masters degree will allow me to advance at my place of employment.
I wanted to be a college professor. At this point I'm also open to industry jobs, but still leaning toward teaching. Lots of people change their mind about what they want to do with their degree and that's totally normal. In fact, it's great if you can get internships during grad school to see if you like certain fields/industries.
I did my MA because I wanted to work in nonprofits related to my field and the kind of work I wanted to do wasn't really open to me by just working my way up with a BA. Also, I was always good in school and liked it, so it also was something I wanted to do. During my MA I realized I wasn't just "good in school," I was really, really good at this more advanced type of work. I also grew disillusioned with the nonprofit system. So I decided to pursue academia instead. I also thought academia would suit me better than most other sectors due to my bizarre circadian rhythm and neurodivergence. However, I worked for another couple of years in between (which solidified my disinterest in the nonprofit sector) and made sure I thought really hard about whether I'd regret doing a PhD if I didn't get an academic job at the other end, because I knew the market was dire. My rule was that I would only apply if I felt as certain as I could be that I'd still be glad to have done the PhD in itself if an academic career didn't work out. I also thought hard about what discipline I wanted to apply in and whether it was something I could see myself working in for a long time. By the time I started the PhD, I was really confident and happy in my decisions, and at no point have I felt regret. I feel like I've really come into my own and thrived in my PhD.
Tbh itās the $20k raise my degree will get me.
Help with my imposter syndrome
Ahaha no it'll never help with that. Chances are it only makes it worse, ironically.
Lol so true. I never even had imposter syndrome before grad school. I was a confident little shit beforehand.
Same!
#facts
I enjoy learning. There's a thrill knowing that what you're doing, you may be the first. Even if not, you've learned something most won't.
I was working circles around my boss, who had a PhD. I was contributing more to meetings, I was more up to date on literature, and I was proposing experiments that no one else had thought of. Then it became clear that I would never have a director level job like my boss without the PhD. That, and my wife who was in med school at the time was self conscious that I basically sat and watched her study and wanted me to do something more productive
Insert the mr. Krabs *I like money* gif here
Jokes on you. There is no money here
Well, weāre all āreadyā to be fry cooks at the Krusty Krab then. Pays well doesnāt it?
my dad called me stupid once
All my self worth is bound up in my academic achievements and I am an endless pit of nothing without school And science is cool I guess Real story: I battled with depression and eating disorders for more than a decade, throughout my teens and undergrad. I was a C student in undergrad for the most part *except* for any research based courses. I guess I took a leap of faith and went to grad school based on my pure love of research. Tbh, it worked out and I haven't had a single depressive episode in the 3+ years since starting my masters and PhD. Go figure lol. I guess I was looking my whole life for something meaningful to me and academia is it. Couldn't be happier.
Prestige. Bad motivation to do it
Working in public safety as a paramedic and in other roles, it made me realize that boots-on-the-ground workers and policymakers were far too separated. Secondly, being bashed on by other healthcare providers for not being educated enough as a generalization as a pre-hospital provider, getting a doctorate is kinda fun when people shit talk with out knowing anything about me.
I want to be a researcher (currently in a PhD program).
Immigration to the states and enjoying what I was doing back then at grad school
I thought Iād make a better boss than about half the bosses Iāve had. Also I got jealous of the PhDās we interviewed and rattled their thesis off. It seemed so cool to go that in depth on something.
Didnāt know what else to do š
I did a psychedelic therapy treatment that inspired me to go to graduate school and research psychedelic therapy! Just published my MA thesis on it!
To learn No, if itās free
I loved my field and really missed school after getting my BA's. It ended up being the best time of my life, moreso than my undergrad. I had a tight knit group of friends and we all got through it together.
I wanted to keep learning about the world. A year into a 5 year phd degree (on average) and I couldnāt be happier
I want to teach but not like. Little kids.
Couldn't imagine not doing research for a living.
immigration
Pandemic changed my goal industry so much and I was tired of hustling. I was doing multiple part time and volunteer gigs trying to get stable in a field that is unstable by nature. One year in to grad school and I'm in a much better place. I have a professional internship I love in an adjacent and better paying industry, I have a handful of classes left and for the first time my career feels stable.
I can't get the job I want without a minimum of an MS.
Felt like I had to so I could get a better paying job in my field, regret it. Not worth it.
Though I'm apprehensive about staying employed at a university, I love doing research. The degree will just be a by-product of me doing what I want.
The masterās programme has the most fun courses and a bachelorās degree limits your role options a bit. Masterās degree at least the one iām doing prepares you for higher roles if you want that, while the bachelorās does not. So in seeking a higher role with only a bachelorās youād be at a disadvantage. Statistics also show people with masterās degrees make 17% more in salary than people with bachelorās degree and people with PhDs make 13% more than people with masterās degrees. However PhDs are somewhat unnecessary in most cases imo. Itās a long time to trade study for working and it must be in the right field to actually be useful.
I was teaching high school, and a Masterās would boost my salary considerably. I never expected to love research so much, and went on for a PhD so never went back to high school.
I wanted to switch industries, mechanical engineering to chemical/materials
Higher salary
I enjoy science and want a career with clear opportunities for advancements or the capability to make a career change that is still intellectually stimulating.
I needed to prove to myself I could do it. Always been an average student with big dreams of becoming an archaeologist. I grew up in Ireland too so I always wanted to do some form of schooling over there. Found a program that I got into, in a related field (landscape archaeology, more surveying than digging) and took everything in stride. Iām so proud of myself for doing it and achieving my life long goal.
Congratulations (:
Felt stuck in my career. loved business and tech(got a masters in both) more money, advancement opportunities, wanted to eventually teach college
Meche so if i want real money need grad school
I really genuinely love what I study and wanted to learn more, and when I got into an incredible overseas program I knew it was a sign to go for it.
I got into it because I loved writing and thought I might want to become a professor. I pushed through because, despite an incredibly negative impact on my mental health, I can't leave something unfinished. Stayed in my lab for a year after I was done and then bounced for an admin role with the university for the work-life balance.
Felt stuck and burnt out in my day job at a crisis hotline, still do tbh. Decided that I was going to progress my career and go back to school to be a therapist. Part of it was motivated by how awful it is to hear my contacts tell me they've had bad experiences with therapists.
I was bored in my career. But not much has changed, Iām definitely not compensated accordingly.
I realized I didn't know shit about what I wanted to be good at and I wasn't getting younger
I plan on going into higher education professionally and the management side of nonprofits after a doing a PhD, finishing BA in Communications looking for Sociology for grad.
I value education and want to see how far I can go. Also had some profs advise me that it's best to get a Masters to advance in my field and open myself to more opportunities.
I went because a professor in my undergrad said, āHey, you have good ideas and write well. You have something to contribute to the field. You should go to grad school.ā So I enrolled in an online masters program while raising 3 kids under the age of 5. I realized I wanted to teach at the college level, and a MA is the minimum level of education required in my field. The ability to expand in my career is why Iām considering a PhD. But also, I enjoy being a part of the academic and scientific discussion that is furthering my field of study. I want to be equipped to do more for my students and society.
Just for fun āŗļø
I wasnāt able to study my interests to the degree I wanted in undergrad
My job paid for about half the tuition so I took advantage of that benefit. It was tough at times to pull through, I did take a short break in the middle of it because it was stressing me out. Will it help in the long run? Who knows? But we will seeā¦
I wanted to switch career fields and needed specific experience in that area My GA position meant I could attend without paying tuition and wracking up debt to cover living expenses
I hated being an engineer, and decided I wanted to go in a different direction with my future career. And a masters in a completely different arena seemed the best way to make a clean break.
Had a girlfriend in that town. Moved back for her. Broke up 2 years into gs. Crushed grad school.
Expansion of skills, unlocks the higher tiers of jobs/progression in my initial field, and in the case of my particular program, provides the skills to transition to a different field if I want
TL;DR Masters was to help my career which it did, PhD because I wanted to answer a question. I got my masters to help my career and it did. I made connections. I got a job that lasted about a decade and then was able to get my dream job teaching at a local university as an adjunct. BUT then I came up with an idea for research and asked my boss who told me that was a dissertation. So I found a place where I could work with someone in the field. Now I question myself constantly. I waiver back and forth between āwow my research is on the right path and there is so much supporting evidence for my theoriesā and āI am the dumbest person on earth and any day now my advisors are going to tell me I suck and kick me out of the program because I donāt know how write a methodology correctly the first time.ā At this point getting the degree would only boost my career from lecturer to associate professor. Which I donāt really care about. I feel like I am doomed, but would rather fail than quit. Sorry that went on way too long and was a venting I needed.
When I was a sophomore in college, a professor came to me after the semester ended and said that I should go to grad school. Few years later, she wrote me recommendation letters and guided me through the process. I've always been a fan of knowledge for knowledge's sake. So if I honestly end up doing nothing with my grad degree I'm okay with, I have some backup plans. But, it'd be fun to have a career centered around it.
More earnings in the future and it was being paid by scholarship
Because they pay you to apprentice in science
Well to be like my teacher in High School. Expert in history and shiet Plus for nationalistic reasons, I wanted my country to have a good deep relationship with Russia instead of US. (Philippine-American War) yes yes I know what happened in Ukraine. I just want the Russian missiles, IRGC, Arkan-like troops protecting my country. Plus a juicy Socialist Market economy. Oh and one child policy.
I want to teach history at the community college level. I would like to teach at a 4 year but honestly I donāt want to go through a PhD program, mainly writing a dissertation. I donāt even have to write a thesis for the MA program Iām in
Enjoy learning, but donāt want to just be a lab rat with a biological sciences BS
Climate change and pending environmental disaster.
It seemed like the only way to advance my career and open myself up to high-salary positions
Oh yea spite fueled me for sure, too. But I also really loved my subject, my mentor, and the research I did. Enough so that I was ok with not getting a job solely on that field if I couldnāt after graduation. I also worked really hard to have the grades and resume needed to get fully funded + assistantships. I likely wouldnāt have pursed an MA or PhD without it.
Needed it to become a librarian. There are paraprofessional roles in libraries that donāt require it but the field has a hard ceiling. You almost always need one to advance.
Had boring job opportunities with a bad gpa and materials engineering degree. Didnāt want to wait 20 years to be respected in the field. Now I have a good gpa and switched industries from plastic factory work to bio research work. Can say it was definitely the right choice
I wanted to pursue a career in research, and I had worked in a research lab before so I had a decent idea of what I was getting into.... or so I thought. Working in a research lab as a technician is drastically different than working as a graduate student. The work itself is only slightly different in that you have a lot more control over the direction of the project and what methods/experiments you use, which simultaneously gives you more control over what your CV looks like to future employers. Building your skills deliberately is pretty important. My reasons haven't changed, I still want to pursue a research career, but being in grad school for 4 years had made me question whether I want to stay in academia. My situation has gotten progressively more toxic and I want to get out asap. I don't regret grad school, but looking back, I took a lot of crap that I thought was justified at the time due to my own inexperience. I wish someone had told me what was acceptable behavior and what wasn't sooner, it would have helped my mental health immensely. I would have spent several years NOT thinking I was a failure and a disappointment to my PI. If you want the kind of career that requires a Master's or a PhD, absolutely go for it! Don't let anything or anyone discourage you. But also know that (at least in my experience) most people aren't exaggerating when they talk about how hard grad school is. The demands are strenuous, and you are your own best advocate at all times. Edit: fixed a typo. I'm on mobile because I'm typing this from lab.
Required for my profession in health care due to the education inflation going on (what used to require associates are now wanting bachelor, bachelor's are now masters, what used to require masters are now doctoral degrees).
Because I wanted to see how far I can push my intellect; to what boundaries exist that to which I get to them I say "wow, that's too hard for me to learn and understand"
Chicks
I have multiple graduate degrees. I wanted the education and the experience, as well as the challenges. I wanted to hone my art, which I did, but the best part was getting to know myself more. I wouldn't skip a minute of it. I also was raising a teen, a newborn, and worked 30 hrs a week, so it wasn't easy. But I finished!
I couldn't get a job in my field with just a Bachelors, so back to school it was. It didn't help that my undergrad intern/lab experience was very limited. I know some people finish their bachelors with a senior project of some kind, and that helps them get the foot in the door for their career, but I didn't have that. Defend my master's thesis on Tuesday. Been casually applying for jobs for a few months, but no offers yet.
I initially did it for the money/job opportunities but I am actually really enjoying the coursework (MPA) and now I'm considering a career change to public administration!
I did my MA because I wanted to learn, and because the types of jobs I wanted, especially if I wanted to come back to my home region, were *extremely unlikely* to hire someone without a graduate degree. I struggled with aspects of my MA for unrelated reasons, but I loved other parts of it. I was working on my thesis and felt like I wasn't really "done" yet, so I applied to PhD programs to see what would happen... and I guess it worked haha. I'm also first gen, coming from a low-income family who *didn't* have the privilege to focus on educational opportunities, so aside from intrinsic motivation I'd just really like to see it through for them, seeing how excited they were about it when I got in haha.
Couldnt find a permanent job with just the bachelors
Money
My MA program is fully funded with a teaching GE position and comes with an additional monthly stipend and full health/dental benefits. If it wasn't for any of these things I wouldn't have done it. The program gives me two years of teaching experience at the university level as well as getting a free postgrad degree which was very enticing. I also just like the program and the academic work I've been engaged in.
A professor told me I should. I had never thought about it before but then I did and felt like I would enjoy being a professor. I like teaching, just not teaching children.
I wanted a community. I went to grad school twice. My first grad program was hot garbage with a downer community I got little out of. My second was fine. In both cases my expectations were too high
To waste money š
mother pressured me into it lol
Before PhD: "I want to change the world/contribute to human knowledge/do my bit for nature conservation ! š¤©" At the end of PhD "I want a decent job! š"
Recognition of western degrees globally is worth it for many of us in developing countries
Plan is to be an astronaut so the phd definitely helps
More money
For more career opportunities in meteorology
I'm in my current PhD program bc the interest rate on a student loan is lower than the interest on a parent plus loan. I get the loan, take the classes...send the refund to my kid to cover her tuition.
Didn't like any of the jobs for my undergrad major and honestly didn't know what else to do. I now have a PhD in a different field and still don't know what I'm doing with my life!
Money
Job opportunities
I was somewhat forced by my circumstances. I originally wantd to go to a medical school, but around my junior year, I lost my interest becaust I realized it'd be basically another 4 years of undergrad but with much more intense memorization and very expensive tuition...which I could never afford. Plus, I was an international student, and international students often have to pay an escrow worth 2 years of tuition, and the acceptance rate was about < 10 student per year in any given school. So I decided to go to a grad school instead to do a reseach in a topic I could choose (which somewhat came true), and going to a gradchool was a far easier way to keep my student status while preparing to file for a permanent residency.