Consequences Of Not Pursuing Graduate School

Graduate School
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<p>Hello, Everyone.</p>

<p>I'm currently entering my senior year with a 4.0 GPA (going for a BA in Economics with a Math minor). My academic success can be ultimately attributed to my passion for learning as opposed to sheer cognitive strength. My professors, family members, and acquaintances all tell me that I should further my education and not "sell myself short". However, I'm not entirely convinced that I could handle the demands of a graduate program. Nor do I have any internal motivation to continue my academic career upon receiving my undergraduate degree.</p>

<p>I'll shortly be applying for internship positions, and it is my intention to find a job upon graduation and establish myself within a company. I don't want to sacrifice additional time and money to enter grad school simply for improving job prospects or to ride out the recession. I have no personal convictions for furthering my education. I would only be doing so in order to appease those who expect it of me. I'm currently enduring some health/psychological issues at this time and I truly have no desire to go through an application process and put my career on hold for another 2 years.</p>

<p>My question is this: Is it likely that I will have a moderately successful career even if I lack a post-graduate degree? By moderately successful I'm asking if I'd likely find a secure job with decent (average) pay even if I forgo additional studies.</p>

<p>This appears to be a forum which features intelligent people who have a wide range of theoretical and practical experience. Any input by this knowledgeable message board community would be greatly appreciated.</p>

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<p>Of course. It’s not as though PhD-holding people are successful. Or even the majority. You can most definitely get at least an okay-paying job after graduating with just a bachelor’s. Plenty do it. You can too.</p>

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<p>This says it all. Even if you do eventually attend grad school, now doesn’t seem to be the time. Get a job. See what’s out there. If after a year or two you realize that you can’t advance the way you’d like, go back to school. From your background, I suspect that you’re headed for an MBA, something that you will eventually need in business. MBA programs prefer (some even require) their students to get solid work experience before applying. The most important thing to do is keep in touch with your current professors so you can ask them for letters of recommendation when or if the time comes.</p>

<p>Real world experience gives you a better idea of what you want and what you to need to do to get there. </p>

<p>As for grad school being too tough, I doubt you’ll find it so, given your GPA. Yes, it’s more intense; however, your natural curiosity and work ethic should get you through the coursework. Most people finish their master’s degree. A PhD is a completely different animal given the nature of the dissertation. I’ve seen super smart people not make it through because they couldn’t latch onto a good topic or because they couldn’t write the thesis. And I’ve seen less brilliant students make it through without a hitch.</p>