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wanted to start a topic from the election thread to find out who is doing what and going/gone where and how things are going for them after grad school. also, a thread for suggestions for those thinking about grad school in the near future, or starting this semester.

I took off 7 years after undergrad before I went to grad school, started in January at Indiana University of PA for Employment & Labor Relations. Graduating in December 2013, looking for employment in the future with either the EEOC, NLRB or DOL... but I would easily work in HR for a private/public company, ha.

the most I ever wrote in undergrad was maybe an 8 - 10 page paper in one class? this semester in my one class ive written 3 25+ page papers with one more due in two weeks, and now a 20+ page discrim law paper for an online class. never written so much in my life, but i think the difference is im writing about things I actually am interested in, rather than writing a paper on history or some stupid lit 101 class.

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I am in my last year of my PhD in Industrial Engineering. I am funded through this program:

http://smart.asee.org/

It is awesome. I make 40k a year + tuition + health insurance as a student, and because of my situation I pay under 10% taxes. Work when I want and from home. Just expected to graduate, that's it.

The catch is that when I graduate, I am locked into 2 years working at a local army base (we do all the engineering for land based vehicles like tanks and humvees). The government work pays a little less than industry but I should be over $65k when I start (in industry I would start at jobs in the $75k plus range).

Dissertation probably gonna be about 150-200 pages (engineering dissertations are typically shorter than say history or english. More math, less prose). I really need to start being more diligent about it. But overall, ZERO regrets about going back to school.

Edit: Plus civilian Army Engineers have the option to work 9 hour days and take every other Friday off. Pretty nice perk to make up for the lower pay.

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I'm finishing up my undergrad accounting degree this May and then going straight into the master of accounting (MAcc) program at the University of Arizona. It's a 1-year program that's going to suck pretty badly, but it'll be nice to get it over with.

Besides being nearly essential for my career plans, I know myself well enough that if I didn't do it right after my undergrad, I wouldn't do it at all.

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I'm finishing up my undergrad accounting degree this May and then going straight into the master of accounting (MAcc) program at my university. It's a 1-year program that's going to suck pretty badly, but it'll be nice to get it over with.

Besides being nearly essential for my career plans, I know myself well enough that if I didn't do it right after my undergrad, I wouldn't do it at all.

Where do you go? Not that more schooling is ever a bad thing and we can't all go to Harvard, but I was told by a professor I respect that if you go for a grad degree in business / accounting / law where you go to school makes a big difference in your expected income when you graduate. Go for the best degree you can possibly get.

For math, engineering, sciences, etc. it makes a difference too but not on the same scale. Calculus is pretty much calculus wherever you go.

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I'm doing a double major in IT and Events Management, with a fifth year to get my masters in IT.

I'm in my fourth year, currently, and it's not too bad. I'm not too sure what I want to do when I get out, but my current internship will be more full time during my fifth year, and I'm paid well at the moment.

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I have a BS degree in Computer / Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics from NJIT. I am now working just outside Philadelphia as a Network Engineer which is applicable to my discipline in school of Communication Systems Engineering but more on the IT side than actually engineering. I wish I got paid closer to the estimated amounts upon graduation, but I can't complain with how many jobs are out there right now. I'm also getting a ton of experience and can (barely) afford to live in Philadelphia. I want to go back to school, but with it seems more like a cash grab than anything. I can't really afford it especially considering I need to pay to get all these certifications. If I eventually end up with a job in the government I'm sure I will be working with many of the type of technologies that I'd be researching for a dissertation.

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i have a BS in biochemistry and an MS in analytical chemistry. i just graduated in august and started my first "real world" job 2 weeks ago. i'm working in industry as an R&D analytical technician. i'm loving it so far. it kind of blows my mind how well things can run--grad school was a shitstorm at times.

honestly the keys to finding a good job are persistence, willingness to relocate, and luck. and you also have to be aware that most employers are more interested in your personal values than your technical skills. both are important, but at the end of the day they want someone who will fit in with their culture. values are innate, but skills can be taught.

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i have a BS in biochemistry and an MS in analytical chemistry. i just graduated in august and started my first "real world" job 2 weeks ago. i'm working in industry as an R&D analytical technician. i'm loving it so far. it kind of blows my mind how well things can run--grad school was a shitstorm at times.

honestly the keys to finding a good job are persistence, willingness to relocate, and luck. and you also have to be aware that most employers are more interested in your personal values than your technical skills. both are important, but at the end of the day they want someone who will fit in with their culture. values are innate, but skills can be taught.

hiring based on personal values can be grounds for discrimination suits though

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I'm getting my MFA in graphic design from Academy of Art University. I graduated with BFA in GD from Kendall College of Ferris State University (Fun fact: where Maynard from Tool went/The ugly figurines Precious Moments created here too). It's been 5 years since I went to school and just getting back into the swing. I'm about 1/4 of the way through.

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i have a BS in biochemistry and an MS in analytical chemistry. i just graduated in august and started my first "real world" job 2 weeks ago. i'm working in industry as an R&D analytical technician. i'm loving it so far. it kind of blows my mind how well things can run--grad school was a shitstorm at times.

honestly the keys to finding a good job are persistence, willingness to relocate, and luck. and you also have to be aware that most employers are more interested in your personal values than your technical skills. both are important, but at the end of the day they want someone who will fit in with their culture. values are innate, but skills can be taught.

This kind of hints at a point I've believed for a long time -- employers undervalue grades when hiring entry levels. Interviewers want to think they have some innate skill to project how someone will do based on things like behavioral based interviews. The truth is, the interview should be there to make sure you can communicate and aren't a psycho. But there is no better indicator of how someone will perform in the future than how they have performed in the past (ie, how they performed in school).

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^^^^ THIS is huge with me.

I have to hire people at just above minimum wage. They get $10/hour if they have a degree. Most of the time, if they have a degree, that shows me that they have the tenacity to complete a difficult task. That's it. I don't care what their major was.

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^^^^ THIS is huge with me.

I have to hire people at just above minimum wage. They get $10/hour if they have a degree. Most of the time, if they have a degree, that shows me that they have the tenacity to complete a difficult task. That's it. I don't care what their major was.

$20K a year? LOL. I wouldn't even apply.

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Dude, I did that job here for a few years with a Master's Degree. Glad you're doing well but in case you're unaware, a lot of the country isn't.

OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!

I didn't mean it negatively toward people working those jobs. I just find it thievery that businesses don't pay employees what they deserve. And yes, I'd rather work at McDonalds than work for someone who doesn't value me.

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Well, staying positive, what exactly is your non-profit? Maybe for something like an animal shelter you could get away with paying someone that little and still have them enjoy their job.

My old roommate is a social worker at a non-profit, however, and eff his job. I think he made about $25k and had to deal with the worst shit from the retarded people he cared for. Guns pointed at him, guys giving BJs for crack money. It was only 20% of his clientele that did that stuff, but it made up 90% of his job dealing with them. He deserved at least about $50k.

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I only have one friend who made it through the first four years of college, with about 5 more who dropped out, me being one of them.

I'm a union laborer, and I make 27.80/hr. which turns into ~55k/year, while she has a bachelors in journalism and just got a job making ~20-25k/year, and she has about 50k in school loan debt...

Maybe i'll go to school one day, but why go to make less money?

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I only have one friend who made it through the first four years of college, with about 5 more who dropped out, me being one of them.

I'm a union laborer, and I make 27.80/hr. which turns into ~55k/year, while she has a bachelors in journalism and just got a job making ~20-25k/year, and she has about 50k in school loan debt...

Maybe i'll go to school one day, but why go to make less money?

Nice work man. There is nothing financially wrong with a job like yours if you can get them. It might even be more enjoyable for some than a typical desk job. What you have to worry about (I'm assuming) is more the work disappearing. A lot of union guys make great money while they are working but spend a lot of their time on unemployment (look at the UAW. I think they have 10% the numbers of what they had in 1980 or something like that). Hopefully your work is safe.This isn't based on statistical analysis or anything but I think I general (and ONLY speaking in terms of finances, separating job satisfaction) the options in decreasing order of desirability are:1) any degree that requires higher level mathematics training (math, engineering, medical doctor, scientist, computer tech jobs) and lawyer (the exception to the rule). You could argue business and accounting belong in this tier but it's kinda debatable. A business degree from devry or something doesn't. A business degree from Harvard definitely does. I think most people would be surprised the amount of mathematical skill required for a Harvard business degree, though.2) Skilled labor. Make good money, no student debt, start earning real money much quicker (18 vs. 22 if you do it right).3) College degree in history, communications, music, journalism, etc. The earning potential of these degrees just don't justify the expense, lost income from joining the workforce late, interest on debt, etc. Some exceptions but a lot of unhappy people at age 30.Edit: Board not respecting my spacing. Sorry for poor readability.

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yeah the work right now has been in a low point for the last couple of years obviously, but there's still work out there. i've been pretty steady with one company for the last 2.5 years, so i guess if you work well you'll almost always have work. my father is a union carpenter and has worked the past 24 years without a layoff. then again, you see guys that are working 2 weeks for this company, a month off, 3 weeks here, 2 weeks off, etc...

but it kinda feels like being layed off is just part of the business. and for me, sitting home on my ass all week and getting a check for 480 bucks in the mail ain't too bad of a deal either...

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