Hello! Everybody:

I am doing my undergraduate in electrical engineering and computer engineering at one of the university in Midwest with 3.95+ CGPA, and graduating this December. My original plan was to go for a graduate school after 1 year of OPT. Now I have a job offer from one of the fortune 500 company here in Midwest and they say they will sponsor for H1B. Now I am in total dilemma whether to go for graduate school after OPT or continue the job. Some of my friends suggest me to go for graduate school first then find a better job, and others suggest to get some industry experience then go to the graduate school. Which option do you guys suggest? Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys,

Get some work experience. I am also doing MS in EE in Midwest and also working full time.

I would say, go for the job unless going for school would be more of a personal fulfillment for you. Regarding the salary, in 2 years time and with 2-3 yrs of experience, you can easily make equivalent to what you would make after graduating from grad school. Since you are being offered a job by a Fortune 500 company, the salary will be pretty good. After your Masters', if you do not find a job with a big company and would have to work for a smaller company, you might not even get the equivalent of what you are getting now. In that case, you might be disappointed then.

Strike while the iron is hot. Who knows what the job market will be like in 2 years' time and with limited time in the hands of international students, getting a job is also a lot about luck and timing. If you can, maybe you could do your masters part-time while going to school. That would be more of a win-win situation...

Get some work expericence first. You could also study while working. That is what I am doing. I am almost done with my master's. My company is paying for my study.

Pretty simple choice! Get some job experience and attend the Grad school! Go do the right thing girl!

job!!! experience is more important than education...

Don't put yourself in dilemma. Work before you choose to study further. Getting bachelors degree is a lot in US. Also, as you are getting H1 sponsored, go ahead and work for 4 years or more. Who knows may be you will get study sponsorship later on from the company itself. Good luck with your decision.

Go for a job.. !!!.. Man, I am here wondering here/there for job and there you've a choice...huh! Right now, i just feel like - dude, i should have done some internship or something.........darn it!

Thanks Mr bond , nepaliJose, Pra, Balbhadra, ShaKEEn, realis, and JhilkayDai for your invaluable suggestion.

I hope to hear more opinions from others. Thanks in advance....

take the job n study Masters part time ,make ur company pay for it..wat better than dat..in 2 yrs..u got masters as well as 2 yrs experinece..i'm doin the same thing.

It depends on the job. Are you going to be working as an electrical engineer? What kind of job do you really enjoy doing? For me, those questions are important.

If you want a job with a boss and a regular paycheck and some security, it is safest to just take it now. Most nepalese folks I think have similar attitudes and go for the job. Based on the general way you've framed the question, i think you dont know what you want. So, go for the job.

Then if you really want the MS later, do it part-time. I dont think there's any point returning to school full time to get a MS in engineering, simply because a) in any job, your entire coursework is not so relevant, so getting an advanced engineering degree wont help unless you wnat to do something very specialized later at a DIFFERNT Company. b) you wont want to because the opportunity cost of 1-2 yrs of lost income and the added cost and the added effort wont be enough to offset the increased income (and i'm not too sure if hte income increases anyway).

anywy, the short answer is: take the job and think about what you want for your life. You will still have the option of grad school later (maybe an MBA), plus the experience can be quite useful. Good luck. Btw, ask specific, detailed questions if you want good answers.

I agree with most of people above. Better to take that job and join Master program as a part timer. You even don't need to spend a penny for your degree.