Tough Decision

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As many of you know, I will get my BS in Geography/Urban Planning in 5.7 months. However, I am faced with a tough decision. Should I go ahead into the working world and pay off the $5,500 in student loans, or should I press on and pursue graduate studies?

I found an excellent graduate program in "sustainability", which is related to urban planning. It's at Slippery Rock University, which is in western Pennsylvania, about halfway between Pittsburgh and Youngstown, Ohio. If I go full-time, I can have my Master's degree in one year. It would cost about $17,000 to do it.

So I am in a bit of a pickle, although a bachelor's degree is sufficient for my field of work, plus I have nearly 5 years of experience already.

What are your thoughts?

I can tell you now that loans = slavery.

I'd get a job and pay off your debt. If you want another degree, get it part time and pay it off as you go. At least when that is done you'll have both your degrees and actual working experience...with the later what employers really count as valuable to them.

That's considerably less debt than most college grads have, and you're not exactly buried under loans. Having a master's degree would help boost your salary once you got it, and jobs might be somewhat scarce at the moment. I'd say go for it.

I think you should grab the job and try to do a part-time Master's course. Very few Aspies have the skills and the experience to fulfil the job demands of the job offer like you! Plus, job offers are so scarce nowadays, they are hard to come by, so treasure them. In addition, I think the student loans need to be repaid first, because in the end, we still use money for a living. As zer0netgain mentioned, loans=slavery. However, you can always consider graduate degrees if you can do them part-time.

I think you should go for the Masters. That way, when you do eventually get a job, it'll probably be a better job that you would have gotten with just an undergrad degree. Also, I've found grad school to be much different and much more fulfilling than undergrad. What could be better than being in small classes with people and professors who are genuinely interested in the subject matter? =)

Also, if you need any advice on Slippery Rock, I spent most of my teen years at summer camps there and have a few friends who are currently students. (I'm originally from PA - about 35 minutes from Slippery Rock.)

Getting a Master's may boost your chances of getting a job, but it's definitely not guaranteed. In my town, we have a bunch of people with Master's degrees flipping burgers.

I think my plan will be to work full-time and go to school part-time.

That sounds like the wise thing to do.

It is --- and best wishes for your job!