Becoming a scientist will be a huge step in your life. The
work can be both incredibly rewarding and frustrating. The same
can be said about getting your degree. You'll be learning a
tremendous amount of valuable information, meeting interesting
people, and gaining experience. But getting a graduate degree in
science also takes a serious commitment of time and money.
When weighing whether or not to go to graduate school, you
should realistically assess what you expect from your degree and
exactly what program will suit you best.
A masters in science can significantly improve your career. If
you've already got a bachelor's or even a master's degree in
science, you may want to go on for a higher degree because of
career advancement.
Making Your Investment Pay
Off
Any graduate degree is a significant investment of time, money,
and work. Most master's programs take a year or two to complete —
at a private school, tuition can easily run $20,000 a year or
more. A doctorate generally takes at least four years, and
usually more, so the financial strain is even more significant
(financial aid is generally more available at the doctoral
than at the master's level though). Even if you're willing to
take on loan debt to finance your degree, you may be looking at
twenty years of loan payments!
