Don't Graduate During the Recession; Study for the GRE now.

It may seem like a costly investment right now, delaying your entry into the workforce during a recession by going to graduate school could earn you an extra $100,000.

Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, Yale School of Management economist Lisa Khan tracked wages of college graduates before, during, and after the last major recession of the 80s, and found that the impact of graduating during a recession can be extremely long lasting – up to 15 years. During her research Kahn found that those who graduated during a recession earned up to 8% less in their first year than similar workers who graduated in stronger economic times, and still earning up to 5% less by their 12th year out of college. To break it down to dollars, this means the average recession college graduate will earn $100,000 less over an 18 year period compared to those who graduate during strong economic times. Recession graduates also have a slower and more difficult climb up the career ladder, plus an increasing widening gap between the most successful and least successful grads. And the worst news from the study? There is very little you can do about it – except delay your entry into the workforce, increase your qualifications, and hope for better economic times.

A pretty compelling reason to consider graduate school now.