- #1
Valhalla
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I'm really stuck here and trying to find some advice here. I am graduating on May 1st with my BSEE from a good engineering school. I have a 3 job offers and I also have a TA offer. I had originally planned to attend graduate school to achieve at least my Master's degree with a desire to go for a PhD if feasible with a focus in digital signal processing and array processing.
The TA offer is from my current school and includes an entire tuition waiver plus a small stipend. Out of my my 3 job offers, I got my top choice which is in the field of interest to me and what I wanted to study in graduate school. The pay is very good and they also will pay for tuition and books for me to attend part time graduate school up to a PhD (distance learning or at the local university). The local university is small and obscure but has a good department in ECE due to the area (high tech area and large military base supporting the area).
Also I am a finalist for a national SMART fellowship (which would be my top choice obviously). ASEE and SMART have not announced awards yet and I have to make a decision soon. If I receive this I will take this clearly, but I am assuming I will not because I don't want to get stuck without a plan.
So I guess what I am wondering and stuck on is how do I choose what to do. If the economy didn't suck so bad right now I would be very inclined to go with grad school but I am worried about how available jobs will be in 1-1.5 years due to budget issues. On that same note, if I take the job will it be cut in 1-1.5 years. I feel that this job will not be cut because this company treats their employees very well (I interned there for a summer).
I already have about $20k in student loans and a small amount of debt so finances are an issue too. Plus, I was active duty in the military so I am also older and that effects my decision as well. I do not ever want to be stuck in a position like I was in the military though where my lack of education was holding opportunities from me.
I know that spending 1-1.5 years I can get a Master's which equals an approximate starting salary of about $10k more than what I have seen so far on average. I would probably have to get another $10k in loans to pay for that much time too though.
I don't know and I have to decide within a week for the job offer. Has anyone made a decision like this in the past few years? I can't talk to the professors because they just tell me to go to grad school, my friends in industry say go to work, and my family tells me to do what I want! I guess it is just the engineer in me trying to optimize my position and make the best decision :tongue2: Thanks in advance for any advice, words of wisdom and even just listening to me!
The TA offer is from my current school and includes an entire tuition waiver plus a small stipend. Out of my my 3 job offers, I got my top choice which is in the field of interest to me and what I wanted to study in graduate school. The pay is very good and they also will pay for tuition and books for me to attend part time graduate school up to a PhD (distance learning or at the local university). The local university is small and obscure but has a good department in ECE due to the area (high tech area and large military base supporting the area).
Also I am a finalist for a national SMART fellowship (which would be my top choice obviously). ASEE and SMART have not announced awards yet and I have to make a decision soon. If I receive this I will take this clearly, but I am assuming I will not because I don't want to get stuck without a plan.
So I guess what I am wondering and stuck on is how do I choose what to do. If the economy didn't suck so bad right now I would be very inclined to go with grad school but I am worried about how available jobs will be in 1-1.5 years due to budget issues. On that same note, if I take the job will it be cut in 1-1.5 years. I feel that this job will not be cut because this company treats their employees very well (I interned there for a summer).
I already have about $20k in student loans and a small amount of debt so finances are an issue too. Plus, I was active duty in the military so I am also older and that effects my decision as well. I do not ever want to be stuck in a position like I was in the military though where my lack of education was holding opportunities from me.
I know that spending 1-1.5 years I can get a Master's which equals an approximate starting salary of about $10k more than what I have seen so far on average. I would probably have to get another $10k in loans to pay for that much time too though.
I don't know and I have to decide within a week for the job offer. Has anyone made a decision like this in the past few years? I can't talk to the professors because they just tell me to go to grad school, my friends in industry say go to work, and my family tells me to do what I want! I guess it is just the engineer in me trying to optimize my position and make the best decision :tongue2: Thanks in advance for any advice, words of wisdom and even just listening to me!
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