Do schools matter in industry?

[Linnea Ista]

Hi!  
I don't know much about industry.  I may be able to help on the grad 
school thing. I, too fell prey to the idea that I would "lose my edge" if 
I did not go straight through.  I wish I had worked a few years.  Ihave 
no idea of your age, but I was a "traditional" student, meaning I was 22 
when I started graduate school.  Although this seems like I was an adult, 
I still had a lot of growing up to do. I think trying to some to terms 
with exactly who I was, what I was going to tolerate and how I should 
live my life did not make the first two pressure-laden years of grad 
school any easier. It didn't help that my first advisor was 
certifiable, but at any rate I think that I personally would have done 
better if I had gone out and worked for a while. I would have been more 
focused for one thing and a lot more self-confident for another. There 
were a couple of people who didn't go the "traditional route" at my 
institution and they seemed to do just fine.

As far as the financial thing goes, you probably will be able to get a 
stipend. They tend to be meager and that may be yet another reason why
you may want to work for awhile. You may be able to find an industry job 
with a BS. 

Anyhow, that's my $0.02.  I am not saying that working is the best thing 
for you, just that in hind-sight, I think it would have been better for me!

Good luck!
Linnea