A Letter from the Editor

Greetings, bienvenidos.

So you’ve been thinking about graduate school. Or better yet, you only began to consider it after reading this magazine. But why would someone, after the torture of going through a bachelor’s program, But why would someone, after the agony of going through a bachelor’s program, choose to pursue a master’s degree?

Well, let’s start with me.

I’ve wanted a doctorate since my first few weeks of kindergarten. My teacher, Mrs. Ranado, a kind woman with long brown hair, was visibly pregnant. Naturally, my class wanted to know all about the baby, her husband and how they’d met. She had met her husband at a place called ‘college,’ where smart young people went to only study what they wanted and hang out all day. Many lived on campus, turning the school year into a perpetual sleepover. The best part? You get to be something amazing after graduating from college. Astronaut, movie director, lawyer, doctor- all careers that needed a college degree. But if you wanted to study more and progress more in your career, you could earn as high as a doctorate degree. A Ph.D. You could be called a doctor without having to endure medical school.

And I definitely didn’t want to be a Doctor.

But I did want to be a doctor.

To me, a Ph.D. was a symbol of American royalty. Other nations have ‘duke,’ ‘princess,’ ‘lord’ or ‘viscountess,’ all symbols of a monarchy that makes both my Union side and ‘guanaca’ side skin crawl. But a Ph. D was a crown you earned. Joe would only be President Biden for four years, but Jill would be Dr. Biden forever. A key stepping stone between me and a doctorate was my master’s.

Journalism was never going to be lucrative. But I love the truth. I love writing, speaking, videography, long hours, hectic days and hard deadlines. I will milk reporting for as long as I can, but understand that a master’s degree will allow me the type of livable wage I can build a retirement fund on.

I understand the power that comes with a master’s degree both in the workplace and in potential earning levels, but I can’t deny ego played into my motivations. My parents didn’t finish grade school before having to flee El Salvador due to war. I was the first to graduate high school, let alone college. Why stop there? Why not take it as far as I could, give the family its first doctor?

But that’s just me. One tiny example. Most people pursue a masters in their 30s (if ever), with the second largest age group in their 50s. Many people have decades-long careers and families. Some seek to grow in their chosen field, overs seek to pivot career paths completely. Some can afford to pay their way, others take out loans. We are all different in our needs and desires.

There is no wrong way to be a graduate student. No wrong time, degree or purpose. In this edition of Cooglife, we try to give you a crash course on grad school. I hope you find our articles informative and funny. And if you find yourself on the fence about pursuing a masters degree, I hope we help you make the best decision for you, regardless of what it may be.

Cynthia Isabel Zelaya Ordoñez Executive Editor