Cannot make job/gradschool decision

[Tony11235]

Hi I'm a computer science student graduating this semester. As of now I don't mind taking programming related jobs or IT related jobs, but I want to eventually be a language analyst/translator/interpreter as well in Chinese. I've had a few years of Chinese and lived in Beijing for a few months. I'm planning on applying to a grad school for chinese language, but then I have a job offer at an IT company in Beijing (btw the pay is great for a graduate with just a BS in Beijing, poor for american standards). As of now I am not sure whether to just go and work there for a year or so, and then come back for grad school, or to go straight to grad school assuming I get accepted somewhere, and work over the summer. I am not sure whether I should depend on living in China for sometime to make improvements in my chinese fluency or rely on the grad school work to improve it more. Or should I just not even pursue this? and just work? I can't decide. Any suggestions?

 

[Dr. Courtney]

The biggest risk in taking a year off of school is losing your momentum and never going go grad school. Once you start to establish a life in Beijing (job, friends, girlfriend, income, stuff you love), are you sure you'll be able to leave it all behind and go to grad school?

Of course, you know yourself better than we do regarding whether you're likely to give into the temptation to remain in Beijing once you spend a year there getting established.

 

[makethings]

Someone once told me if you truly want to go to graduate school, better to do it right after undergrad because once you enter the working world, you could end up being addicted to your salary and find it difficult to give it up to go back to study later down the road. And this becomes even more important if you start raising a family.

On the other hand, you don't have a school offer yet, but you have a job offer. You can't do grad school now if you haven't been accepted by any school.

 

[Tony11235]

I don't think I would have any kind of urge to stay in Beijing. If I would choose to go to Beijing, it would be with a purpose: the language side of it, from which you unconsciously benefit from. The job side of it, for me, is just my way of getting there, although it benefits my resume.

 

[Tony11235]

Someone once told me if you truly want to go to graduate school, better to do it right after undergrad because once you enter the working world, you could end up being addicted to your salary and find it difficult to give it up to go back to study later down the road. And this becomes even more important if you start raising a family.

On the other hand, you don't have a school offer yet, but you have a job offer. You can't do grad school now if you haven't been accepted by any school.

Actually I was told specifically BY the school I applied to that they are accepting late applications for the fall. But, that's the not the point.