[nabs-l] Is Graduate School Worth It?

[Joe]

Why do you want to go to graduate school? You generally felt college was
worth it. You got your bachelor's degree because you heard a college degree
leads to a better salary. Maybe you feel grad school is the next logical
step because you think the specialty of a Master's will make you more
marketable. A doctoral degree? Outside of academia, I don't know that the
degree will open up that many more doors than an undergraduate diploma. In
most cases people are continuing to climb the scholastic ladder because they
want to gain a distinct advantage over competing job applicants, but the
diminishing returns of graduate studies should make us wonder if we are
making the wisest investments of our energy, time, and money.

Some career tracks require education beyond a Bachelor's. To my knowledge,
you can't become a licensed clinical social worker without a Master's in
social work. As far as I know, you can't become a doctor without medical
school. Attorneys can't be attorneys without taking the Bar, and in most
jurisdictions you can't take the Bar without graduating from an accredited
law school. If your interests lie in a highly specialized field that
requires advanced education, may your efforts be blessed. Nothing will be
more fulfilling than following your own dream.

For those of us considering careers in the humanities and social sciences,
we have to ask some hard questions. Let's start with one of the most obvious
ones:

 

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