John recently pointed out that Queercents folks are experiencing an education bug. I found the cure for said bug: 20 years of school. On Facebook I recently noted that I’m looking forward to being done with 20 years of school and there were more than a few enthusiastic nods of agreement from my friends who are also about to graduate soon.

Aundi’s contributions have covered the money issues associated with returning to graduate school very well. For me law school has been an experience in personal enrichment. I never intended to be an attorney. My advice is to not do law school unless you want to be an attorney. There are other degrees that might be a better idea — but maybe any degree is a bad idea anyway.

Here is another perspective for professional folks considering time away from work to get another degree. The transition from a professional life to a student life is relatively smooth. Many have some form of savings or at least only moderate debt at the time they start to consider another degree. The small savings or moderate debt make it easy to get along during the first couple semesters of school with minimal life-style changes. Then the added freedom, longer breaks, and intellectual stimulation associated with being a student is hard to beat and serves to soften the inevitable financial blows associated with leaving a career for a degree.

When considering the decision to leave a career or pause one for another degree the debate centers on successfully making the transition back to school. Nobody ever talks about making the transition from school to career after the new degree. Now that most of my friends and I are facing the reality of not being students again we are kinda stressed. I’m good because I started a business almost a year ago now but the prospect of leaving the student life for good gives me pause.

It is a myth that getting a law degree or any other degree will automatically advance your career. The transition from graduate school to career is just as difficult if not more difficult than the transition from undergraduate school to career. After law school, if you want to be an attorney, you must start at the very beginning as an associate — the paralegals know more than first-year associates do. If you had a career before law school, especially a career that you did well in or advanced even a little ways in, then starting over financially and professionally in a new career is tough.

Discussions about the value of a graduate degree should focus more on the difficulty associated with making a second transition into career life. Any Queercents readers have thoughts on that particular issue?