Should I quit my full-time job to do a Masters degree full time instead?
November 21, 2015 4:28 PM   Subscribe

Obviously it will be more expensive, but if I'm not taking the program seriously enough, is it foolish to keep overworking myself?

I am in my mid-20s and in the early stages of my career. I graduated with an undergrad degree in the humanities and promptly got a job working for my alma mater. That job ended up being a serious pain (low pay, stress and yelling and verbal abuse, working on holidays, weekends, and evenings). I stuck with it for a year and then got another full time job in a different department of the university, with similar pay but a much more predictable schedule and work flow and very nice people. I still work there now, and while it's pleasant enough, I quickly realized I don't want to be doing this kind of admin/office work forever. I have nothing against it-- I just have a mind like a sieve when it comes to this industry (it just bores me to tears), and I have a really hard time taking ownership of my work. I know most jobs have their fun parts and their tedious parts, but for me in this job, all the parts are tedious. I would genuinely prefer to be working at Starbucks again (under-caffeinated people, snotty rich kids, mopping the floor and all). At least there I got to stand up and talk to people and feel like I was good at something! I could froth a mean latte. (There are lots of cool, interesting people here who do a great job, so I think it's a not-great fit and not me or the job in particular. They hired me because of a specific skill set I have, which was cool, but I end up using that skill set here almost never. I do my best, but it's just not me. I feel like a pastry chef who was hired at a sushi restaurant.)

So with this in mind I applied to a part-time grad program (in a STEM field I have experience in) with the intention to eventually make a career change. I'd been tossing around the idea for a long time. I figured it would take me about 1.5-2.5 years to finish the program at a part-time pace, and by then I'd have a few years in at my job and no reservations about leaving when the time came. I was even thinking I might stay at my current workplace but move into a different division with my new specialty (very common here).

However, this Masters program has really started to blow up for me-- in a good way! The coursework is good, but there are also so many opportunities to work in my new field right now, as a student. In fact, I applied for a research position on a whim (I'm time-crunched right now but it was a perfect opportunity to pursue my main research interest), and happily enough, I got the appointment. I'm super psyched about it and they made it clear that it could turn into a paying position in its own right at the end of the semester.

The only thing I don't love about it is... my real job. I have no time. I want to do a great job in my classes, and a great job on this research, and my job is a) exhausting and b) mindnumbing and c) time consuming. I've sort of realized that this is probably one of my last chances to just be a student and go all in, and I have very few financial obligations to worry about at the moment, so I want to just do it! The pros are all there. Plus, if I do a shit job on my research because I'm stretched too thin, I'm sabotaging my future self.

But the cons are there too. For one, it feels really irresponsible to leave one job after a year, then get a similar job and leave that after a year as well. (On the other hand-- this is going to be a big career switch for me, so maybe no one will care?) Plus losing my income and my tuition benefit at work (which pays for only part of my tuition) is a whole wad of money. Thousands of dollars. Tens of thousands of dollars altogether. I know people go into debt for school every day, but I feel like I... shouldn't be one of them. (I've always been a working class scholarship student so I have no gut about taking out loans, etc.) But even if I do go into debt, my debt will be less than the undergrads you hear about with $50,000+ loans. And I'll be looking for another paying gig (probably through the school) right away, so I'll most likely be able to pay my own living expenses, just not any of my tuition.

I guess I feel like I'm pretty much living up to the stereotype of a terrible millennial and I'm just looking for some perspective/guidance on whether I'm doing something smart for myself or just being terribly lame. Should I quit my job and be a bit of a flake but go all in and make the most of my expensive education? Or should I try to be steady as she goes, fulfill my obligations (workwise and moneywise) and not be in as much debt at the end? Does the fact that my new field is well-paid change the calculus? Does the fact that I'm new to this new field matter? (as in, I need all the related experience I can get?)

Also to add... not only do I have this research position to look forward to, but there are great volunteer opportunities all the time (community engagement, which I'm interested in), and if I weren't working full-time I would actually have the time to take them. Plus internship applications are coming up, and if my research doesn't lead to a paying gig I would really like to get an actual relevant-to-my-field internship. I feel like I'm being a bit silly? stupid? by feeling so attached to my low paying job that is holding me back in terms of experience, when I could probably afford to break free and take some risks and get some experience. It would be more responsible to stay in the short term... but am I doing one of those poor people things that actually ends up being a long-term impediment? This is a field where they really care about your experience/research/projects when hiring time comes around. I have very little wisdom on this.
posted by easter queen to Work & Money (12 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Overall, once you look for a job as a software developer, I doubt anyone will care about two irrelevant humanities jobs you held earlier. You should 100% aim to get a professional internship and skipping that step will harm your chances of getting a grad job, if you need to quit your current job to do that you definitely should.

What will your finances really look like if you quit and go full-time: when will loans come through, how will you pay your rent until then, what is the actual amount of loans you will graduate with, and how does that compare to your expected income the first year out of school? (Which will vary greatly depending on whether you want to go into CS research after the Masters, or get a job developing software professionally).

And I'll be looking for another paying gig (probably through the school) right away, so I'll most likely be able to pay my own living expenses, just not any of my tuition.

What does this mean, is 'right away' you just want to switch from your current job to a new one without going unemployed for school, or is 'right away' as soon as you graduate?
posted by the agents of KAOS at 4:56 PM on November 21, 2015


Or should I try to be steady as she goes, fulfill my obligations (workwise and moneywise) and not be in as much debt at the end?

This one. For the time being. Start saving every spare penny and build up a bank so you can jump ship in the near future, but not right now. Maybe when you only have six months to go, then go all in, but not now. You are young. You can always catch up on research and study (I'm 50 and doing a Masters), but debt can fuck up all your plans regardless of your marks. Don't count chickens before hatching, don't put all eggs in one basket.

Use this time to become incredibly organised, and learn to compartmentalise your job and your studies and find the best way to integrate them while keeping healthy. Prioritise your studies, they are your promotion goal. But keep your job, that's your prevention goal. Then, when you have much less at risk, take the jump.

By doing this, you will be paying your future self the biggest of favours - saving them from debt, developing great organisational habits, etc. And you will have accomplished two things at once - your studies and a small/no debt future. By leaving now you are guaranteeing one, the debt, without a guarantee that the other will pay off.

Your job is currently paying way above salary by subsidising tuition. Don't give that up on a whim, it's too important. Do both job and study.
posted by Thella at 5:00 PM on November 21, 2015 [4 favorites]


Response by poster: By "right away" I mean I'll be looking for a technology-related job on campus that is part-time or less, as soon as I put in notice at my current job. Possibly a work study job, but here that's enough to pay my (cheap) rent and groceries, etc.

(I know it is because I've done it in the past, at the same school. Not a big concern.)

Thanks for the insight.
posted by easter queen at 5:10 PM on November 21, 2015


Response by poster: I should also add that I don't have enough savings to make a big dent in my tuition, but I have enough to pay my rent/expenses for about 6 months. I am still living a student-esque life, so my monthly expenses are pretty low.
posted by easter queen at 5:12 PM on November 21, 2015


Why can't you start looking for a new job before giving notice? Do you think you'll be unable to get any campus jobs if you say you need two weeks before starting?
posted by the agents of KAOS at 5:17 PM on November 21, 2015 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Actually, I hadn't thought of that, but yes-- a month is standard notice in my position, and most jobs probably wouldn't want to wait a month for a student hire. But I also just started thinking about this so yes, I would probably start looking as soon as I made a serious decision to leave. I've had an eye out already to get a sense for my options.
posted by easter queen at 5:21 PM on November 21, 2015


Response by poster: learn to compartmentalise your job and your studies and find the best way to integrate them while keeping healthy

Last bit and then I'll bow out, but this is kind of the problem: I'm not healthy. I've been pretty organized and on task for the last six months, but my edges are starting to fray, and I don't have any time to exercise, cook, or sleep enough. Plus I realize that I'm doing all this hustling to the detriment of my actual career transition, because I'm not getting the experiences I will need to be successful. I'm willing to be temporarily unhappy for a long-term benefit, but in this case I'm also holding myself back from riskier decisions with better payoff (like getting an internship or doing more serious research). So it's a balance.

I do value the tuition benefit at my job though-- I think it's something like a 30% increase on my income, which makes it actually a pretty good income at this stage in my life.
posted by easter queen at 5:30 PM on November 21, 2015 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Quit your job and take out loans, give yourself 100% to school. I don't say this lightly, but as another working class scholarship kid who quit a University job with tuition benefits to attend a Master's program full-time and took out loans to do so.

Look, there is such a thing as smart debt. How many extra years will you be stuck in the job you don't like and that has no future attending your program part-time? Don't forget that if you jump into your field earlier you may offset the loans with several years of higher pay.

Five years later, I still have loans. In fact, I'll be paying them off until I'm 40. But I also have a job I enjoy much more, that pays more, with better benefits, with growth potential, and in a dream locale. A bargain given the increase in my quality of life. Don't forget to factor that in too.

If you were to say you were going take out $100k in loans to major in philosophy, I'd say, uh, no. But you said less than $50k, in a STEM field, which sounds practical. I doubt employers will care about the two jobs at one year each. They know you're young and just trying things out and trying to support yourself. Plus if you build an impressive CV in grad school...

The thing is, and I see that you get this, that school is so much more than class. Trying new things and gaining experience through volunteer work and internships, getting to know your classmates - this is all super important. Yes, I think you are sabotaging your future self if you can't take advantage of it all. This is the only time you will have access to some of these opportunities. For example, because I wasn't working during my program, I was able to spend the summer in between years doing a cool and informative internship in another city.

Could you possibly reapply to the program as a full-time student or talk to the aid office about what's available to you in scholarships? Don't forget outside scholarships and grants!
posted by unannihilated at 5:39 PM on November 21, 2015 [6 favorites]


Best answer: All things considered, you have more to gain from being a FT student than you have by trying to keep this job while being an underoptimized PT student. Go FT. You won't have such an easy choice about it later in life; get the degree done now, fast, with full engagement and network all the way through it. You'll come out ahead in the end.
posted by Miko at 8:01 PM on November 21, 2015 [3 favorites]


Best answer: Professional experience in the field you want to move into will be worth far more than $10,000. Having access to opportunities like those is a prime reason TO go to grad school rather than teaching yourself at home. While you're in the program, I'd take advantage of opportunities like that to accelerate your career switch.
posted by slidell at 8:37 PM on November 21, 2015 [4 favorites]


Is there any chance a research assistantship would come with a tuition waiver? Most of them do. In the humanities, that's frequently the only benefit, because the stipend is next to nothing. But in STEM, it's reasonable to at least ask if you get tuition waiver in addition to your (good) stipend.
posted by hydropsyche at 3:57 AM on November 22, 2015


Best answer: Student loan debt is still "good debt" if managed wisely. If you feel like quitting your job is going to significantly improve your performance in school and the level of debt is modest, and your job prospects are good, then it absolutely makes sense to focus on school exclusively.
posted by yarly at 4:46 AM on November 22, 2015


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