[throwaway420]

Even if the actual monetary cost is paid for through an internship, the opportunity cost is still monumentally high. You're still paying for it mightily in terms of one less year spent collecting an actual salary or pursuing your dreams.

Now, if you'll be miserable doing what you studied for several decades, then yeah the equation is a bit different. But most people are fairly burned out by the end of a normal 4-year college, to say nothing of adding a master's degree on top of that and this might be the feeling you're experiencing.

In an ideal world, you could probably take a few months off and pursue something fun or travel and refresh yourself mentally. I bet you'll approach your current field with a renewed sense of passion and be able to evaluate what you want to do then much better with a little break.

[mirchada776]

So the basic idea is : A year in a company is better than a year in school?

But you're probably right, I can hardly remember my last vacation, a few months off sound like a good idea either way.

[paulcole]

Something to consider is the fact that the vast majority of people who say they're going to go back to school after a break never do [citation needed].

[arithma]

For the record, I returned to school after 6 years from graduating. Supporting a family (sole income) (one 3 year old boy, one 1 month old baby girl.) This in a third world country with practically 0 safety net. Just don't give up. Universities are the best place to learn from the masters by proxy (not the professors per se, but the ones who first wrote about new domains.)