Grad school?

[prettycutie]

It's been about a year since I graduated with my undergrad degree in Psychology. I love the degree and I'm happy with it but at this point in my life, idk what I want. With everything that's happened in my life, I would like a new start, but idk if continuing school (at least at this point) is critical.

 

With Psychology, it's "recommended" you continue school. I've applied to jobs with my undergrad degree but nothing has happened. They all want experience which of course I don't have. Well not at the moment. I am working somewhere now but not with my degree. So it kind of makes me depressed on top of many other things.

 

So my question is, should I continue school? and when? I'd like to go to grad school out of state but the loans is what scares me. I know I'd get better jobs and offers if I continued and such but is it for me? Undergrad was hard enough and it's almost been a year off for me when it comes to school. And now that I see what my life is like working at a job where you don't need a degree, it makes me see things in a different perspective.

 

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[mhowe]

I think you would be better served to get a job in your filed. Most grad schools want to see experience in the field of study. Going on for a Masters will leave you in debt AND the.same position...another degree and still no experience.

[chickadeedee]

What kind of psychology do you want to do? Most counseling psychology (clinical psychology) requires advanced degrees. If you want to be a therapist, most likely you will have to get at least a Master's degree to practice.

 

A psychology degree without a master's is considered a 'soft' degree like getting a degree in English or Philosophy where that is very hard to translate into a job since most psychologists have to be practitioners and have an advanced degree to do so.

 

So do your research on the field to determine what job you want, and what the qualifications are in terms of advanced degrees (or not).

[Batya33]

If you want a job in the psychology field I would continue soon and to my knowledge those grad schools do not need to see work experience between college and grad school. I would not continue to take jobs that do not require a college degree if at all possible - you accomplished your degree for a reason.

[Doc Blaze]

IMO without furthering your education, things will be limited. depends on what your looking for though..

 

everyone that ive known to go for Psychology, has gone on to grad school...

[bulletproof]

Don't go to graduate school if you don't know what you want to ultimately do yet.

 

I have an undergraduate degree in psychology. When I finished it, I volunteered in multiple places to get experience. One was a suicide hotline, one was a halfway house, etc. This helped me to have something to put on my resume and also connected me with people in the field.

 

Ultimately, I got a job in human services doing direct care. The options for having an undergrad degree only are somewhat limited, but you could become a case manager, program manager, intensive in-home worker, etc., without a masters. I got out of the field after a year and changed careers, but if I would have followed the psychology path, I probably would have worked for a while, specifically pinpointed what I wanted to do, and then gotten a master's.

 

Having an undergraduate degree is helpful; some jobs don't necessarily care what the major was, so keep your options open.

[Fudgie]

In order to advance in psychology, you need to further your education.

 

Now, job wise, there is an option. I work in a hospital and in the psych ward, they hire techs. This is an entry level position, high school degree only. Wouldn't pay much but you would get clinical experience and would get a taste for the field.

 

Many techs I know go to school while they work.

[prettycutie]

Thanks everyone for your opinions. I know with an undergrad I still can get a job. But at this point I think I will do more research on some volunteer work I can do for experience. Or research where I want to go for grad school while maybe getting experience somewhere. I've been hired for like case manager jobs but I turned them down which was a huge mistake. It's the experience that counts even if the company isn't the best. I'm debating between a therapist or clinical. HR has also been an option. The only thing that bothers me is getting a grad degree, ending in loads of debt and then landing exactly where I am now, struggling to find a job. However I know it's easier to get a job once you have a master's.

[alli]

I got a degree in psychology as well and I was in the same boat as you. It took 4 months to find a job & the job wasn't even one that required any sort of degree at all. I had also considered going for a Master's in psychology but I think I would have ended up in the same place anyway- still no clear career path but with more debt. I never looked really hard at all of the job opportunities with a Master's in psychology but the ones I did see didn't seem to pay much, which is important in order to be able to repay student loans. I took 4 years off before I went back to school for something completely different (pharmacy) where now I have no doubt of what my job options may be after I am finished with school this time.

 

I enjoyed learning about psychology but I don't think I would enjoy working in the field. As others have said, look at volunteer opportunities that will give you a better idea of what you would like to do. Maybe find some clinical psychologists in your area that will agree to let you job shadow them. If all you can find is a job unrelated to your degree that doesn't pay well, I think you should take it. But keep searching for more jobs that more align with your education. It's better than no job at all for now. That is something I never did- keep searching for better opportunities. I definitely don't think you should go back to school & take on loans until you have a clearer idea of what type of work you want to do. You don't have to have it all figured out right now. But it is also easy to fall into a daily routine and end up never going back to school or finding a better job for you.

[Snny]

Best friend of mine got her undergraduate degree in psychology and was a straight A student from a state university. No job. She went back to school and got a second degree in IT business. She makes... "Ok" money.

 

I second doing research on the job markets before going back to school.