4 answers
Kahla
Student
Wesley Chapel, Florida
2
Questions
Asked
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Is it ok to only go to college for four years and not pursue a master's degree?
I can't even afford the 4 years of schooling I am taking on and I can't imagine any school after that. #college #experience
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4 answers
Elizabeth Douglas
Process Control Engineer
6
Answers
Richmond, Virginia
Updated
Elizabeth’s Answer
Hey, Kahla, I noticed from another question you are majoring in psychology. If you can't afford to go to school for a MAsters and/or PhD, I suggest changing your major. You will not be able to find a job in that field without a post graduate degree.
You need to decide on a new major and there are two places to start: first, take the Myers-Briggs personality test for career placement to see what would be a good fit for your personality. Look into those options. Take a career-placement test like the ASFAB. You can find a free one online somewhere. Once you have a list of new career ideas, go to your college's career center. Every college has one. Set up an appointment to meet with a career counselor and talk about your unhappiness in your current degree and what other options you might be interested in. They will be able to set you on your way to success. I did this myself and it was great to vent all my insecurity about my future career path to someone who could give me sound advice. Nothing I or anyone on this forum will say anything of value to you, but a career counselor will help.
Who knows, maybe they will tell you that you don't need a Bachelor's degree for your career and you can transfer your credits to a community college and get an Associate's degree. You don't need a college degree to be successful or make money. You just need a few things: 1)Motivation. You need the will to succeed and you need the self discipline to take you there. 2)Belief in yourself. When you doubt yourself, you are only hurting yourself. And if you take stock in other people's opinions you will never be happy with yourself or your career. 3)Hard Work. You won't get anywhere if you don't put everything you've got into it.
Talk to a friend about this. They might point you in a different direction. Go to a bar and talk to a random stranger. Ask them how they found their career. There is no one way career path to success. People find it in different ways.
One other thing to note is that if you're going to school for psychology, that tells me you either really want to be a therapist or you have no idea what you want to do. You are the latter and I highly suggest taking a break for a semester to figure out what you want to do instead of wasting more money on school that you might not need to attend. Be a bartender for a semester while you figure things out. It's great money and great hours if you don't mind working weekends and nights. Whatever you do, don't waste your college money until you're sure about what you want. If you're coming here to ask questions, you haven't figured that out.
You need to decide on a new major and there are two places to start: first, take the Myers-Briggs personality test for career placement to see what would be a good fit for your personality. Look into those options. Take a career-placement test like the ASFAB. You can find a free one online somewhere. Once you have a list of new career ideas, go to your college's career center. Every college has one. Set up an appointment to meet with a career counselor and talk about your unhappiness in your current degree and what other options you might be interested in. They will be able to set you on your way to success. I did this myself and it was great to vent all my insecurity about my future career path to someone who could give me sound advice. Nothing I or anyone on this forum will say anything of value to you, but a career counselor will help.
Who knows, maybe they will tell you that you don't need a Bachelor's degree for your career and you can transfer your credits to a community college and get an Associate's degree. You don't need a college degree to be successful or make money. You just need a few things: 1)Motivation. You need the will to succeed and you need the self discipline to take you there. 2)Belief in yourself. When you doubt yourself, you are only hurting yourself. And if you take stock in other people's opinions you will never be happy with yourself or your career. 3)Hard Work. You won't get anywhere if you don't put everything you've got into it.
Talk to a friend about this. They might point you in a different direction. Go to a bar and talk to a random stranger. Ask them how they found their career. There is no one way career path to success. People find it in different ways.
One other thing to note is that if you're going to school for psychology, that tells me you either really want to be a therapist or you have no idea what you want to do. You are the latter and I highly suggest taking a break for a semester to figure out what you want to do instead of wasting more money on school that you might not need to attend. Be a bartender for a semester while you figure things out. It's great money and great hours if you don't mind working weekends and nights. Whatever you do, don't waste your college money until you're sure about what you want. If you're coming here to ask questions, you haven't figured that out.
Jackie Kostreba
EEO/AAP Compliance at Dell Inc
5
Answers
Austin, Texas
Updated
Jackie’s Answer
Absolutely. Not every one goes on to graduate school - most people do not. I think it also depends on your major and personal career goals. While there are some fields that may require an advanced degree most do not.
Rebecca Tang
Banking
1497
Answers
Hong Kong
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
Postgraduate degree is not a must indeed. It would be subject to your interest or inspiration to acquire more advance knowledge on particular subject. It is not necessary to take Master degree immediately after you finish your undergraduate degree.
In some subjects, e.g. MBA, you may benefit more after you have acquire more working experience. On the other hand, you can consider to take a part time Master degree in part time mode if you really would like to pursue the Master degree.
Anyway, it is your own choice not a must.
In some subjects, e.g. MBA, you may benefit more after you have acquire more working experience. On the other hand, you can consider to take a part time Master degree in part time mode if you really would like to pursue the Master degree.
Anyway, it is your own choice not a must.
Meagan Snodell
Technology Consultant
3
Answers
Dallas, Texas
Updated
Meagan’s Answer
Although some career paths require master degrees (medical field, professors, etc.), most only require a bachelor's degree. In my business experience, I've found companies value years of experience over masters degrees much of the time. In terms of funding, many companies will pay for all or part of your masters degrees (such as an MBA degree) as an incentive to keep working for them once you earn the degree. I would focus on earning a bachelor's degree first and then finding a job. Then once you have a couple years experience, see if you have a passion to pursue a graduate degree and if your company will help with the finances.