With graduation a mere fortnight away for the class of 2009, many students feel like they are out of options on the job front and are hoping graduate school will be their saving grace. Although this option provides a seemingly acceptable solution, students need to be sure they are choosing graduate school for the right reasons and not trying to hide from the recession or the real world.

The entire purpose of a student attending graduate school is to increase how marketable they are to potential employers. Deciding on a major as an undergraduate is not as painstakingly important as many students believe, since many jobs require applicants to simply have a bachelor’s degree. For these jobs, employers are not as concerned with specific majors; they merely need to know that a student has the intelligence and competence to graduate. So for undergraduates, it is only logical to major in a field that interests you. However, students who continue onward into graduate school and get a Master’s degree or a Ph.D. in a field that does not offer significant job opportunities or substantial long-term pay actually set themselves up for failure.

Spending exorbitant amounts of money for a degree that does not increase one’s net worth and may not pay for itself is shortsighted, unrealistic and absurd. Usually the on-the-job experience a bachelor’s degree student would receive in the real world during the few years after graduation is much more valuable to employers than a superfluous degree. Not only that, but a Master’s or a Ph.D. candidate will usually demand a higher salary when applying for jobs. If an employer can hire applicants with a bachelor’s degree who can do the job just as well without requiring higher pay, there is no reason not to hire them instead. Since having no career experience puts recent graduates behind the curve already, it does not make sense to add to the deficit with a few more years of grad school before facing the reality of a cutthroat job market.

Students attempting to avoid the job market by staying in academia indefinitely may also face a rude awakening. Even though some students intend to eventually become professors, few students fully understand the reality of the situation. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, the amount of students who flood into grad schools to become professors may be undermining their own future job prospects. With so many graduate students willing to work like serfs, why would a university ever need to hire more full time personnel? Graduate schools continue to reinforce an idyllic perspective that education opens doors; the more education students receive, the more opportunities they will have in the future. But just because a person has a Ph.D. doesn’t mean they are impervious to unemployment.

There are legitimate reasons to attend graduate school. If students are looking to build upon an existing skill set or focus their training within a specific field, graduate school would be an excellent opportunity to do so. Although some students go to graduate school with a specific career path in mind, other students choose to continue on into graduate school because it is the subsequent step after college. It’s no secret that the real world can be a cruel and unyielding place for recent college grads. While adulthood is rife with uncertainty, climbing the ladder of higher education is comforting and safe; one always knows where to find the next rung. The Associated Press recently reported current graduates will change careers an average of three times in the first five years following graduation. This means graduate students may be paying to go through all of grad school only to change careers within a few years of graduating. Although such unbridled ambiguity about choosing a career can seem daunting, college graduates have much fewer existing responsibilities than older generations and should optimistically view the possibilities available to them. The situation may seem dire for graduates, but students need to make sure if they are considering graduate school, it is really the best option for them. Students should be sure to evaluate the opportunity costs of pursuing an additional degree and applying directly for jobs and weigh them against one another, because pursuing graduate studies just because it feels safe and familiar may prove a detrimentally na?ve decision.

Casey Skeens ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in English and French.