Master Class
“But was it worth it, though? ”
One of the many questions I get asked often is, “Why did you get your Masters first as opposed to going straight into the workforce?” and eventually, “Did that benefit you or do you feel you should have waited?”
Great question.
The first question is easy: it was a necessity. I was an Accounting major in undergrad. If you don’t know about accounting, just know that the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) is king. It is one of the toughest designations to obtain. Four separate exams. All recommended at least 100 hours’ worth of studying. Plus, a fifth exam (Ethics Exam) at the end of that. Oh yea, you also need at least a year’s worth of experience working in the field, after you’ve passed all the exams. THEN you need to have a superior (Manager, Director, etc.) to sign off on official documentation saying that you can obtain your CPA designation.
Even before all that, you need 150 credit hours in most states to even be able to SIT for the exam. So, unless you go into college with an extra 20-30 credits, you most likely need a fifth year to reach that 150, as I did.
Now, for the second – and probably most important – question: It did benefit me in terms of making me CPA eligible, YET I do recognize the benefits of taking a sabbatical from school for a while. Joining the workforce before getting your Masters can do wonders for your career, your mindset, perspective and well-being.
“Joining the workforce before getting your Masters can do wonders for your career, your mindset, perspective and well-being.”
Taking a break from school – while it can be tough – can in fact, help you when you return, if you choose to do so. For one, the break allows you to grow as a person without the burden of having to always study, do homework and constantly getting FOMO feeling like you forgot to do some arbitrary assignment. Peace of mind. You can finally take some time for yourself to learn about the things that you want to learn about….or not! Just hang out and chill for a while. Mental fatigue and stamina are worse than physical, because when your brain is tapped out YOU are tapped out. At least you can fight through the physical pain, it’s temporary. Mental pain is BRUTAL. So, taking some time to worry solely about you can only bring you more joy and happiness in the long run.
This is also a time that will lend perspective for you. Working in the field for a couple years gives you a good sense of the type of work that you DO NOT want to do, which may be even more important than knowing what you do want. Your ideas and what you think you like grows and changes with the more experience you get. As you grow as a person, naturally the type of work you are attracted to will change and grow as well. That being said, you will begin to learn about the type of work that you KNOW you can’t stand and do not want to be a part of. So, taking the sabbatical from school allows you the chance to think critically about your career and your likely trajectory, and (probably most importantly) about your true interests and how you can align them with your career. That is very hard to do if you have little to no experience.
In the grand scheme of things, you can never go wrong with whatever choice you make. You have to do what feels right at the time. For me, that was obtaining my MBA right away, as it made me CPA eligible. In a perfect world, though, I would have enjoyed working for a few years and allowing myself time to find my passion. Choosing to go back to school and which path to pursue would have been much more purposeful after gaining experience in the workforce. When you go straight through, it feels like you are just going through the motions because that’s what you are supposed to do. It’s less of a choice than a necessity.
While education is a necessity, experience is the best teacher. You must learn from experience in order to find out where you’re going. Choose wisely. Your life depends on it.
