Saturday, August 06, 2011

"100 Reasons NOT to go to Graduate School"

One could offer plenty of reasons for not going to most colleges and universities today, even most high schools, if you want to preserve your love of learning, let alone your faith. On the one hand, I get the gist of the point this writer is making. On the other hand, I can think of some very good reasons for SOME individuals to pursue graduate studies -- even in the citadels of Babylon.

[Hat tip to C.B.]

2 comments:

Joe @ Defend Us In Battle said...

This is subject near my heart. I didn't jump into college because I had no idea what I wanted to do. I knew that I was intelligent, but I want to feel a vocational call.

I had wanted to go the Theology route, but I wasn't a confirmed Catholic at the time so I was confused as to the "call" of that idea. I eventually went and got a History degree (as I was persuaded out of Philosophy and didn't want the cliched Poli-Sci). I did this in prep. for Law school.

I now have a Law degree, but wish I would have gone Theology or Philosophy like I intended so that I could go Canon Law.

The point of my long comment is that schools sweep you up into thinking or not thinking that you can do certain things, just to push you through. I think the best person can do, is to really do what they want. If they want college (UG or Grad), great, but what are you REALLY going to do with that degree at the end?

I think folks listen to the wrong advice on their way through things. I know I am a "lawyer" struggling to find work because my goal was NEVER to practice everyday law. I cant be a DRE, Catechist or Theologian of any type because I only have cursory "training" in those areas. Canon law at this point would be almost impossible due to the time and added cost of getting the nec. pre-reqs out of the way, that I could have had...if I would have just charted the path I had intended.

So while this artilce touches on a lot of it. I think you are right, there are tons of reasons to go to grad school and not to go. It isn't a meal ticket, and you have to really want and know that you want to do something with what you end up with. There needs to be realistic expectations and an understanding of what you will at the end of things. Taking into account family, marriage, and all of that is necessary as well.

Ralph Roister-Doister said...

Here's one that didn't make the top 100: You risk being attacked by a senior professor of medieval literature, a lesbian who is convinced that you are hitting on her girl friend, a fellow grad student with whom you share an office, and from whom you have learned such things as her favorite song of all time is "When I Need You", by Leo Sayer (we're talking late seventies here).