Now that job application season has rolled around, it feels like I’m running on a hamster wheel. I’ve convinced myself I only have one shot at success: apply for a marketing internship at Big Tech Company, accept a full-time position with said tech giant and make millions upon millions of dollars a year. Simple enough. 

Part of this anxiety I have is a side effect of the challenging world circumstances I’m about to enter. I’m mentally preparing myself to join a job market during a pandemic and recession, and those conditions are not particularly kind to college students with limited experience. Big Tech Company is a safe bet. Big Tech Company will guarantee financial stability. 

The reality, though, is that entry-level job openings were down by 68 percent this summer compared to 2019, according to Glassdoor. That means I’ll likely still be competing with more people for fewer spots — those odds aren’t promising for anyone.

So, I’ve been having debates with my friends over what we should do next. Do we take our chances and stick to our original career paths, or do we put our goals on hold and give graduate school a try?

Graduate school wasn’t always on my radar for post-grad plans. But after looking through the pros and cons, getting a master’s degree seems like a very promising endeavor as opposed to the questionable, and very stressful, job hunt that would usually await a senior in college.

It is reasonable to predict there will be an increase in graduate school applications for the coming year. During the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, the Council of Graduate Schools saw a spike in applications. In the years leading up to the crisis, applications had been increasing by an annual average of 5.7 percent over the decade. However, that percentage unsurprisingly jumped to 8.4 percent in 2009. 

More people are beginning to consider a master’s degree more seriously because it’s an opportunity for them to still pursue their interests while gaining relevant experience. To those who can afford it, spending money on a couple more years of school will not only alleviate the anxiety of unemployment, but also increase their chances of getting hired. 

The data backs that up. A 2015 Georgetown University study found that across all majors, those with graduate degrees made $17,000 more, annually, than those who only had bachelor’s degrees. 

And Strada Education Network has found that those without degrees are almost as concerned about “finding a satisfying career” as they are about having enough to eat or paying rent.

So, if you’re feeling particularly stressed about your future and the option of graduate school is financially available to you, it’ll probably be worth the initial price. 

Not only will it give you a boost in networking and career experience, it will also make room for those who can’t afford higher education to find entry-level positions that fit their qualifications. 

Disruptions to your long-term goals are always difficult to stomach — it wasn’t easy for me to confront the fact that my path to Big Tech Company might be put on pause.

But I’ve also learned to accept that it’s okay to not know how the world is going to turn out as long as I remain open-minded and optimistic. There are always more routes in life than one.