Read on Twitter
This generated more discussion than I expected, so here's a thread on why working before grad school is a good idea. (0/9) https://twitter.com/polynoamial/status/1348639479041552388
1) PhD program dropout rates are high: 30-50%. That's not because people "don't make the cut". It's because they realize they'd rather do something else. Working gives you perspective and helps you decide what you want. It made me realize I'd rather do a CS PhD than an Econ PhD.
2) Working gives you skills and experience that will help in your academic career. Work at a tech company and you'll become a better coder, which is invaluable in CS grad school. (2/9)
3) Working gives you maturity that will help you adjust to grad school. A PhD is a highly self-directed full-time job. I know many students that went straight from undergrad to a PhD and had trouble managing their time. Working a full-time job will help prepare you for that.
4) Working gives you MONEY. Pay off loans and save up, and you'll be able to live a more comfortable and enjoyable life while in grad school. Plus, you'll be able to make decisions about which program to attend without worrying as much about short-term finances. (4/9)
5) If you're able to do research in industry (for example, as an engineer at Facebook AI Research) and work with PhDs, you could get valuable letters that will improve your grad school application. I had zero undergrad research experience, so this is what got me into grad school.
6) Once you start a PhD, any extended break to work on non-research will hurt your chances at a postdoc/faculty/tenure position. Working before grad school is the safest time to try something different. It's nice to see what life is like outside the ivory tower for a bit. (6/9)
7) Some folks asked if working hurts your chances at a top PhD program. For the reasons above, I think it's the opposite (would love to hear from faculty on this). But if you're worried about stale letters, apply to PhDs right after graduating and then defer your start by a year.
8) Some people advise against working because "once you get used to the money, you'll find it hard to leave". That's a bad reason. There's nothing wrong with NOT doing a PhD. If you're happy and don't want to do 5-6 years of low-pay self-directed research in a PhD, then don't.
9) I'll close by recommending this PhD apps guide: https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~harchol/gradschooltalk.pdf . It's a bit harsh, but it helped me a ton when I was debating going for a PhD. I was on the fence about applying and thought there was a good chance I'd drop out, but I ended up loving grad school. (9/9)
