| Case Studies | Margo | Daniel | Bill | John | Denise | Jane | Rocky | Samantha | Roy | Sam | Frank |
Denise's question:
"I can seem to get myself motivated to get my advanced degree
in Biochemistry. I've been in my current job for several
years now and it seems that the more interesting jobs are going to the
staff with more education. In due time and more
experience, I too will move up to these assignments. I
know I could get there quicker with a Master's Degree. But
I'm enjoying life too much as graduate school would eat up so much of
my social life. How can I decide and get going?"
Dear Denise,
I can sense your hesitation. You feel torn and
indecisive, because you want to earn an advanced degree but are not
yet willing to make the sacrifice to your social life that it would
require and haven't found a compromise you can live with.
Making decisions and accepting the result changes to pursue what you
want means giving up something you already have and would prefer to
keep. You are wrestling with a tough decision and wondering if
the relative value of what you would gain (a faster route to the jobs
you currently find interesting) is higher than what you would loose
(some of your social life). Without further inspection, both the
gain and the loss seem about the same, hence your
indecision. As suggested in the Web-page on decision-making,
making a default option in advance will give some mental relief,
because you have a decision you can live with in case you are unable
to make one or are forced to make one before you are ready. In
this case, the default option is the status quo - no to advanced
degree and yes to social life.
Consider thinking about your choices at the next level. Start by thinking of other possibilities for pursuing an advanced degree. Some simple questions to ask yourself are these. Could you start small, taking one class just to explore how it feels (no pressure to make a commitment) and how much sacrifice you'd actually be suffering?. Is there a way to preserve the most important aspects of your current social life, giving up only the least important parts?. Exploration questions like these will aid you in understanding both your values and expand the options open to you. You just might find a delightful compromise that gives you the best of both worlds.
Until you can find a deeper, more passionate reason for getting to the types of jobs you seek faster than what you expect, you will remain hesitate, wishful, and glued to the status quo. In other words, you are lacking a purpose with a passion that truly motivates you. By exploring your options in more depth, you will either find a passionate purpose or you won't. In the meantime, enjoy your social life and the dream that someday, you might qualify for one of these better jobs without the advanced degree. But when you do get one, you just might look up again and see even more interesting jobs that you do not yet qualify for and wish you have taken the time to get that advanced degree.
