Help me figure out what to do with my life.

I went the grad school route straight out of college, and I’m still trying to figure out whether it was a good decision. So I’m probably the last person who should be giving advice, but here’s my two cents anyway.

Pluses:

  1. It’s really rather fun, if you like your field and you’re in a friendly department (make sure you visit and get a feel for this before you commit – there’s nothing worse than sitting through one class after another with people who are always at each other’s throats.)

  2. Teaching at the college level is a blast, and even if you don’t finish your degree the experience will help you get a job elsewhere.

  3. You get loads of vacation time – and in theory you can always travel then. But see under minuses…

Minuses:

  1. Poverty is a bitch. It won’t hit you all at once; for the first year or so, trying to live on a budget can even be enjoyable. But later, when the car starts to break down and the university trustees vote for a tuition increase without increasing TA pay and the first summer of traveling just leaves you hungry for more … well, it sucks.

  2. It’s easy to let exams and theses take over your life. Some of my colleagues seem as driven as 60-hour-a-week white-collar workers – only the rewards are far smaller. I’ve promised myself that if it gets to the point where it’s just NOT fun any more, I’m leaving … but to be honest, I’m not sure I’d really have the nerve to keep that promise.

  3. If you don’t love what you’re doing for its own sake – and not for the brilliant career it may or may not lead to – you’ll end up burned out and extremely bitter.

Thank you for the advice, everyone. I’ve almost decided to take another year off and do some travelling. If I can legally work and live in another country, that would be super, too. Living abroad was absolutely the best experience of my life so far, and I would love to do it again. I’ve looked into going to grad school abroad, but it’s not a very realistic option, unfortunately. (Very little financial aid available for non-citizens.)

I’m just kind of scared. I’ve been in school my whole life, and that was always easy. There were no surprises involved. So going to grad school seems like the easy, safe choice. But I’m just not sure it’s the right choice. And after reading Maeglin’s post, that makes me think that if I’m unsure, it’s almost certainly the wrong choice. For the moment. Of course, I’m worried that Suo Na is correct, and that I won’t end up going back. But looking at Stormi’s thread about going back to college has lifted my spirits. I still need to think about it, but I need to think fast. Any more advice is welcome.

It’s not necessarily a given that you won’t go back if you chill for a year. I have two friends, one who graduated in '98, and the other in '99, who are just starting med school this year. A year or two wandering the world wide-eyed might help you focus, realize what’s important to you, and give you a sharper picture of where you want to take your academic career. Or it might leave you a year older and several thousand dollars broker. You pays your money and you takes your chances. 'Course, it’s been my experience that the former is much more frequently the result than the latter when it comes to intelligent, grounded people, which by all indications you are. It’s important to remember that you’re most likely going to learn some valuable stuff whichever path you take, and let’s face it, you’ve got your whole life to change your mind if things turn out differently than you’d expected.

I know, I know. “Thanks, Lux, for illuminating my dillema with the brilliant lantern of your ambiguity.” Any time.