Hey all, throwaway account so I dont dox myself too much. I’m wondering what I should do with regards to my graduation date.
I’m currently one semester away from graduating from a T3 school with a degree in chemical engineering. Currently I have a 3.7 GPA, 2 prior internships, no research experience, and am a USMC veteran. I'll be done in May of this year.
My mother recently came down with an illness and I have become her primary caretaker for the foreseeable future. Due to her condition, her timeline for recovery is a large range – so I’m not sure exactly how long it will take for her to get back to her new normal. I feel the most confident in my abilities of being her caretaker and know that I will get her farther in her recovery than any other family member will. As a result, I would like to see her recovery through for as long as I can, which brings to my main question:
Would it be worth it to delay my graduation by a semester (graduate in December 2026) or two (graduate in May 2027), in order to get her to a position where she can get around easier, so she doesn’t need as much care when someone else takes over?
I’m worried that if I graduate this May, and end up sticking it out as her caretaker for another 6 months to a year, it will be nearly impossible to find a job. I’m hoping to get a position close to home so I can still live with her while I’m not at work if necessary. I also think I can hire a caretaker through IHSS since she has Medi-Cal, which is having me lean towards not delaying my grad date.
Any advice is appreciated, thank you.