preface: this is the opinion of someone who has yet to go to grad school but is in the same boat as you. I think if you just want to have a professional career as a counselor/therapist/social worker then you can do a master's degree that will help you get some from of clinical license (MSW, CCMHC, LMFT). I'm working in a direct care/nonprofit job before I apply for my master's just so that I know what I'm getting into before I lock in to a career doing this for the rest of my life lol. Getting prepared for a PhD is trickier because it's more competitive; you'll need research experience since that is mainly what a PhD student is doing (writing academic papers rather than working directly with patients). Since you've already graduated, you would need to do a post-bac program/volunteer in a psychology lab at a nearby university/or find a job doing psychology research to get that experience. I don't think a master's degree in psychology alone is the move unless you plan to go on to get a PhD.
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I did a two year masters program to receive my masters in social work. It was definitely worth it for me, because I needed that in order to become a licensed clinical social worker. I will say that there were pros and cons. I felt that I learned a lot more in my internships than in my classes, which makes a lot of sense to me knowing how I learn. My second year internship is where I discovered my loved and gift for working with children, and I canāt be more grateful that I found this work. I also got to go to Guatemala for two weeks as part of a class, which was amazing. I never got a chance to study abroad in my undergrad for various reasons so that was the closest I could get. Overall, it was a really positive experience for me.
I would say do some research on if people that are working in your desired field have found it useful. I do think that the connections and internships you can get from grad school alone can really make it worth it.
Oct 17, 2024
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But currently not working in that field at all cuz Iām in a stage of arrested development teaching english to schoolchildren in a foreign country but I plan to get a masters and start working when I go back home in a year or two
Feb 9, 2024
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iām not in grad school/havenāt applied for other reasons, but a big piece of advice my v wise mentor/professor in college about grad school was that she really stressed not going into debt for grad school, especially in todayās world and job market. so even if you arenāt sure youād 100% āuseā it, if itās with scholarships and a fellowship so you graduate debt-free, worry less. on the other hand, even if youāre very sure you would āuseā it but youād have to go into debt seriously ask yourself if itās that worth it.
if you only want a masterās (in the US), there are not always as many fellowships / assistantships for masterās students so go for a PhD program with a āterminal masterāsā so you can do two years, decide if you like it, and if you donāt you still get a masterās at the two year mark (this was also advice i received). my obvious caveat is that iām not in grad school (yet?) but iād literally trust this professor with my life so i trust that this advice is sage enough to pass on!
Oct 18, 2024
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for anyone born before 1995 they might have different opinions on this song. i can only experience the 2000s through pre-made nostalgia playlists and Deja Vu always sticks out as something I need to press repeat on
May 10, 2024
My top artist on spotify for the last 4 years is Hiromi Iwasaki, a Japanese singer whose heyday was in the 70s and 80s. I think her voice is incredible. Many of her singles are disco-ey but also romantic and mature. I also find her original music show performances to be very charming, but most of them have been deleted from Youtube only to be uploaded again in worse quality.
May 10, 2024