Son wants to start working after undergraduate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be CRAZY for him to waste money and time on a graduate degree when he isnt sure what he wants/ Yes, he should graduate college, get a job, work, pay his own way. What grad program do you want him to even do?? Many are a waste of time and money

Ditto. At first I thought the title of this thread was a typo. How could "son wants to start working after undergraduate" be a problem??? That's what I want my kids to do.

Yes, yes, yes. Many people work for a few years right after undergrad to get a sense of what they want their career to be. Dropping money for a graduate or professional program without any inkling of whether it's what they want to do, whether that degree is actually of value to move into that career path, or just because your mom is horrified you "only" have a bachelor's are all bad ideas (even if it's mom and dad's money). Particularly law school. Dear lord, do not drop six figures on a JD unless your kid actually wants to be a lawyer or you'll end up with a miserable associate who flames out in his third year or a contract document review attorney.

Let the kid graduate and get a job and see where it makes the best sense for him to go from there.

I agree completely!

A few things:
a) law school doesn't provide the secure future it used to. So lets not even talk about that.
b) a PhD is grueling. There are serious rewards, but the process is not for the meek. If a kid is wavering going in, the odds of finishing and finishing well are small. Work, clear your head, get perspective!
c) OP - is part of your concern that you are generally a cautious person who chose a relatively safe path with the career choice you made and this is outside your comfort zone (like me)? Repeat what I repeat every night as I worry about my own kid "this worry is about you, not about him. Keep your mouth shut.)
d) If he is unhappy working, he will make a new decision and he will be lucky to have supportive parents when and if that occurs.

[Anonymous]

By 25 he will get tired of the paycheck to paycheck life. He'll think about turning his interests into something more profitable. He doesn't need to be rich but 30k or 40k doesn't go far unless he's lived in the middle of nowhere.

[Anonymous]

With the possible exception of med school or a grad degree in the hard sciences, I would highly recommend that anyone graduating from college now try to work before going to grad school. Economy is good and it will give you a better idea of what is out there and what you want to do. Too many people go straight to grab school without really thinking about what they want (many of these people become lawyers) and then have debt that limits their career options.Your kid sounds smart to me.

[Anonymous]

Most prestigious mbas won’t ecen consider you unless you have worked first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With the possible exception of med school or a grad degree in the hard sciences, I would highly recommend that anyone graduating from college now try to work before going to grad school. Economy is good and it will give you a better idea of what is out there and what you want to do. Too many people go straight to grab school without really thinking about what they want (many of these people become lawyers) and then have debt that limits their career options.Your kid sounds smart to me.

Yes he is very smart, but quite laidback about everything in life. However this thread has given me a clarity to help him follow his heart.

[Anonymous]

I graduated w/ a liberal arts degree & went straight into investment banking. There was no need to get an mba. I toyed with getting one (in all honestly just to essentially buy a two year break from the crazy hours) but decided not to. Lack of grad degree didn’t hurt at all. It actually let me be two years ahead of others who got their undergrad at the same time.

I wouldn’t necessarily encourage my own kids to go into banking but I’m sure there are other career paths where if you get the job right out of undergrad, you can keep moving up.

[Anonymous]

I haven’t read all the replies, but I went to school for a STEM related field and earned my MS right away. DH has a liberal arts degree and never went to grad school. 20 years later he makes 4 times my salary easily. We are both happy with our choice of careers. It sounds like your son has a strong work work ethic, wants to find a job right away and has a plan. Be proud of him.

[Anonymous]

I went to grad school at 26, then got a job in a related field and got another advanced degree paid for by my employer. Meanwhile my sibling went to grad school straight from undergrad and dropped out after one semester when he realized it wasn’t for him. Better to wait and work for a while, and then get a grad degree in the field of interest—which may look different a few years after undergrad. Lots of college grads don’t have that part figured out yet, and just need more time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a great idea for him to work for a couple years and then evaluate whether he needs additional education to achieve his goals. Too many young people rush into advanced degrees.

Couldn’t agree with this more. People really should have actual life experience before going to grad school IMO.

[Anonymous]

Op, are you from another country? Asian?

It’s good to work for a while before going to grad school. Grad school is expensive and time consuming. Are you prepared to pay for grad school or are you encouraging him to saddle himself with debt?

I don’t think you are in a position to give him good advice.

[Anonymous]

I took off 3-4 years between my Bachelors and Masters and my masters and phd. Having work experience is helpful. I teach masters students now and they are clueless bc all they have done is school. Sounds like a good plan to me!

[Anonymous]

OP's post is 3 years old! Hope he's found a path by now.