Where it all began, Part 2

My first couple years at university were spent figuring out how to study (or get away with doing as little work as possible) and trying different courses and programs.  I went through three or four different changes to my major, as my high-profile first-choice program wasn't all I expected it to be.  Even after one year, I still had no true direction regarding my program, and the last thing I was considering was the job I would be doing after university.  I was content with being a university student, and with that came a certain level of prestige; I could tell everyone I was going to university and doing some hard-to-explain science stuff.  During my second year, I finally came upon a couple of science courses I really enjoyed, and so I changed my major again and never looked back.

Of course, it was still pure science, and I didn't consider what I could do with my degree at that point.

The following summer, I did a co-op placement (doing co-op was supposed to increase your chances of getting a job after your degree because you would then have 'real world' experience), which I utterly hated.  During that time, I focused on the future - getting back to the university, where I belonged and could learn important and new things in class.  Looking back now, that co-op job was not bad at all and I was merely blinded by the bright lights of my previous (and soon to be continued) forays in the academic world.  On coming back, I studied hard and applied myself like I had never before, and ended up graduating second in my class.  (Granted, there were only about thirty people in my class, but I still thought it was quite an achievement. Also, this is not meant to enlighten everyone on how brilliant I was, but rather to convey my situation and how it affected further choices and prospects.)

I had no exposure to anyone with a degree in my field other than the professors in my department, and so I believed that, in order to be competitive for any kind of job, I needed to get my Ph.D.  Actually, at that time, I never even considered getting a job.  I was already investigating graduate studies in my final year.  I was informed by academics though, that it is not possible to get a job with an undergraduate science degree, and that you need to do at least a Master's to obtain employment.  I know I heard this directly spoken to me, and in other cases, it was very implied.

There are no jobs for an undergraduate degree in science - you need at least a Master's.  And it stuck.  I didn't come to the realization suddenly, but rather over a period of brainwashing and propaganda.  Not once were alternative (why are they even 'alternative'?) careers mentioned - but I probably wouldn't have listened anyway.

I was a student of science.  What better way is there to learn science than continue in a formal program?

In my last couple of weeks of undergrad, the department head called me into his office, and I had no clue in advance what it would be about.  As it turns out, a company had contacted him about recruiting a couple of would-be graduates to come and work for them.  The pay at the time was much better than what postdoctoral fellows make now (although I didn't know that then).  I kind of thought, 'Are you kidding me?  I just got a degree in science, and I am going to grad school soon - if an employer wants to sway my course, they had better put a '0' on the end of that number, because after grad school, that's what I will be making.'  That was definitely a major oversight on my part, with no information to back it up.  When did I even check any job boards to see what a science Ph.D. would be making, or a professor for that matter?  Did I ever even talk to a career counselor?  Of course I didn't do those things, I had three offers from graduate schools in my hand, and they were going to pay me to go to school!  I wouldn't have to pay tuition!  (But I forgot I also had to live on the measly stipend plus play tuition, so the job I was offered actually paid around 5 times as much, and not to mention the experience I would have gained...).

Do you see the obvious flaw in my logic?  If there are no jobs available with 'just' an undergrad degree, why was I offered one?  My mind never considered the possibility, and the job I was offered was not a 'job' in the truest sense, but merely impersonated an equivalent position, summed up with:  "Would you like fries with that?"  I am an academic!  I am prestigious!  This thinking also accounted for my lack of insight regarding the stipend I would be paid at grad school.

I ended up picking the intermediate offer (in terms of money) for grad school, as it was a more recognized university with a better program and facilities.  Really, what did I know at the time?  I had little tangible experience in my grad school field (only from a small project in my last year).  However, the field was labeled more like 'applied science' than pure science, so there would be definite connections and more doors opening in the future compared to those stuck in obscure fields.

Or so I thought.  In the end, did it really matter?

Off to grad school...