When to do graduate school?

People often ask me why I decided to do graduate school and why now. I graduated from undergrad in 2006 and told myself I would never go back! Yet, here I am 7 years later working on my Master's. I greatly value the work and life experience I had before coming here. I know a lot of people now like to go to graduate school right after undergrad or perhaps after taking one year off. This can be beneficial in the sense that you are still in the "mode" of school work and can perhaps find it easier to get back into the habit of studying and writing papers. However, I definitely think there is a lot of value in spending several years out in the work field. Often times people still are unsure what they want to do with their life when they graduate from undergrad, or perhaps they think they know but it may change. I thought I wanted to teach 1st/2nd grade when I first graduated. Yet, my first job offer was to teach 5th grade and well you take what you can get. Now, having taught upper elementary and middle school for so many years, I run away after just spending an hour in a 1st grade classroom! Working for a few years before going to graduate school also adds meaning to your learning I think. You have real experiences and context to relate to when you are learning in your classes. I choose to come back to school because when I was teaching overseas I ran into challenges that I just didn't know how to tackle. Either way, choosing to go to graduate school is an investment and a commitment so make sure that you are ready and that you have a purpose for what you are doing.