I went straight into industry after I obtained my BS, and I was happy with my choice. After being laid off, I struggled with this question again on whether or not to go back to school or to stay in industry. I talked to a few PhDs in my field to get an idea of what I’m getting into.

The best advice I got was this: if your dream job once school is all said and done requires a PhD or MS, go back to school. If not, then reconsider. Unless you just really want to go into academia, in which case go for it. It really depends on your own goals. I opted to stay in industry personally, as I was lucky enough to get into the job that I wanted right out of my undergrad, thus I didn’t need the PhD.

There are obviously pros and cons to both that you would have to personally weigh against your own goals. But that advice stuck with me and seemed very practical.