Job/Degree Change...worth it?

[Ash20]

I'm very confused about my job situation right now. I graduated from college over a year ago. I sent out my resume to job after job and received no interest. After a year, I finally found a job and I absolutely hate it. Lucky (or maybe not so lucky) for me, it's only a temp job. I'm desperately trying to figure out my next move before my time at this place runs out. I'm worried I'll have the same problem I did before I found this job, and go another year or more without anything else. When I was in college I was considering two different majors and I went with one of them thinking it would be the best choice for me. Now I'm thinking maybe it wasn't. Would going back to school be worth it? I'm already in debt from this degree and I don't want to waste more time and money if I'm just going to end up with the same problem. What would be the best option (most time and money saving option) to further my education if I already went through the 4 year process?

[Balzac]

I get your thought process and basic question BUT you've not revealed

nearly enough info here to elicit a valid suggestion.

[MsSmurf]

Without knowing what your current degree is in or what the other degree you're considering it's hard to say. You could check job boards for both degrees to see what prospects exist if any.

 

As for the cost of returning to school, typically a 2nd bachelor's is less expensive because you've already done your general ed. You'd just be taking the required courses for the major. However if whatever that degree is isn't in demand in the job market and you aren't able to get a scholarship/grant or work your way through it may not be a cost effective solution.

 

I understand you hate your current temp job, I've certainly been there. When that job ends will the agency have more work for you? If so, even that new gig sucks, it'd probably be better than unemployment until you figure out a better long term solution.

[Balzac]

Are you in a major urban center? Is this reviled temp gig your first adult job?

 

Have you continued to submit resume during this past year?

Has your résumé been updated?

 

Not that it's a huge factor but what type of school is your BA/BS from?

Often alum networking is key to employment.

 

People here are eager to help you. It's more a matter of facts specifically

related to your unique situation.

 

Have you been interviewed but no offered?

Never got to the interview?

 

Relocate? Regional search or bigger?

[pink_sugar]

Assuming your degree is one that isn't high in demand, consider this when returning to school. Choose a degree that will get you into a field that is in high demand to make the debt worth your while.

[Leigh 87]

I would only go back to college if you were SURE that your field will not likely yield stable employment or many job prospects. Talk to career experts at your college before making any concrete decisions.

 

Once you determine that another degree in a more in demand area will be far more likely to land you full time, stable employment than your current degree, I would go to college part time, and work part time in any job you can get with your current degree.

 

It would be ideal to have money coming in, while you work part time towards your real future career. You never know, maybe you will improve the situation with your current job before you even gain your second degree?

[Els]

What major are you switching from, and to?

 

The second degree can take a lot less time. I don't know about where you live, but here you can waive all subject prerequisites as a graduate, so you can essentially jump straight into final year material (although whether or not you can cope with that is another matter entirely - I did it and it was hell in a handbasket).

 

But if your second degree isn't any more marketable (or you don't have any specific plans on what to do with it), you'll find yourself back in the same situation again.

[Phoebe]

What is your work experience? Is it just this one temp job that you hate? That would be a problem for you regardless of whether you have one degree or two. Check out the video below, yes it's comedy but it has valid points too.

 

Stay Out of School - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - 05/09/13 - Video Clip | Comedy Central

[MsSmurf]

That video was funny, but you're right there were valid points. I love how they were picking on the artsy degrees because those are the majors that are struggling more than say a science or technical degree.

[Ash20]

My degree is in biology. I was thinking of switching to psychology. I am currently working in a lab. No, this is not my only job, but I'm still young. I haven't had many jobs. You have to start somewhere.

[Balzac]

Switching as in goal of PhD or PsyD?

[Ash20]

I have been sending my resume still. I've only been interviewed a couple times. I have said that I'm willing to relocate and have applied to jobs in several different states.

[Ash20]

Switching as in goal of PhD or PsyD?

 

Yes that is correct

[Balzac]

Are these jobs the basic commit for two years in a research lab?

Often a job sought by newly minted BS degree for a chance to

add your name to a published article / resume builder / recommendation for

next step in life?

[FitChick]

Sole practitioners (psychologists) are having trouble making a living because many health insurance companies pay minimally or limit the number of counseling sessions they will pay. It used to be pretty much open ended. What were you planning to do in psychology? Seems to me there would be more opportunities related to biology.

[Balzac]

Have you taken your GRE? What tier of grad programs are you

considering?

 

Obvious Q to a BIO degree is have you contemplated med school or

research/teaching?

 

I'm a proponent of grad degrees so I'll state that bias upfront.

[fyn]

Hi, I don't mean to hijack the thread, but i'm sort of in a dilemma too.

 

I recently graduated with a psychology degree. I've been looking for a job and I pretty gave up on psychology-related jobs because my grades arent really good enough. I have experience working in the supply chain industry, but no one seems to want to hire me without the right qualifications. Same goes for HR related jobs since I dont have the qualifications nor experience.

 

I dont know, should I study more? Or should I keep going? It's so discouraging.

[MsSmurf]

Ok Ash psychology is a broad field that definitely provides a lot of options, but I can't say they're better or worse than biology. That's sort of a matter of what is important to you. I did my BA in psych and am working my way toward a PhD. At the BA level there are not a lot of job options and they don't pay well, but since you're looking at PhD/PsyD options it seems you get that.

 

There are many other things you need to consider though. Is your goal to have a private psychotherapy practice or be hired at a hospital/nonprofit/private company as a psychotherapist? If so ok, there is a need for that but I believe someone else already addressed the hassle provided by the insurance companies and how that can sometimes lead to not so great pay (especially if you have high loans to pay back). Do you want to be a professor at a university? There can be better pay (and health benefits!) offered going that route, but you have to like academia and they expect that you'll be bringing in money and prestige via research. Do you want to do research? Because if so a PsyD won't give you a solid foundation for that. A PsyD definitely gears you toward psychotherapy. Regardless of what you actually want to do you need to consider what other options interest you in case you burn out, find yourself in an area that's highly saturated with whatever your first choice job is, etc.

 

You also need to realize that PhD/PsyD programs are extremely competitive and in many cases they encourage you to get a Master's degree first (I ran into this snag) to broaden your experience/skills and be a more competitive applicant. Nothing wrong with this option depending on what you get your Master's in and if relates to whatever PhD/PsyD program you aim for. Since you have a biology background you could look at things that further those strengths like bio-psychology, neuropsychology, etc.

 

And lastly you need to consider funding. If you're not independently wealthy and don't have parents (or a spouse) with deep pockets then you'll need to either get into a program with funding, hunt for scholarships/fellowships, or learn to love loans. Or perhaps all of the above. Based on my research (and I certainly don't know everything) I have found that there is rarely funding for Master's degrees unless you work for a company that considers that degree relevant and is willing to offer you some tuition reimbursement. Many programs are designed around working adults so you only have to borrow school costs and not living expenses. You can also hunt for independent scholarships and grants here. PhD programs have the broadest funding options. Some schools guarantee tuition waivers/remission via teaching assistants gigs, research assistant gigs, fellowships, etc. For those that don't guarantee funding its more of an ask and ye shall receive and they'll get you in the 80-100% funded range. They do this because they want you to not have to worry about needing a job that may be unrelated to your field to pay bills. You can also hunt for independent grants, scholarships, fellowships, and paid internships though. PsyD programs typically don't have funding and you just take out loans. I have yet to find a school that offers any sort of tuition waiver/remission (even partial) and given the nature of the work load its not easy to work full time at an unrelated job just to get your bills paid. You can however hunt for independent grants, scholarships, etc.

 

So it is also important to consider current salaries for whatever job intrigues you and how that will help you pay back the loans you may have to take out, will you be able to live the lifestyle you want, etc.

[MsSmurf]

Hi, I don't mean to hijack the thread, but i'm sort of in a dilemma too.

 

I recently graduated with a psychology degree. I've been looking for a job and I pretty gave up on psychology-related jobs because my grades arent really good enough. I have experience working in the supply chain industry, but no one seems to want to hire me without the right qualifications. Same goes for HR related jobs since I dont have the qualifications nor experience.

 

I dont know, should I study more? Or should I keep going? It's so discouraging.

 

I'd pm you, but you don't have that feature yet....sorry everyone for the additional hijack.

 

My original plan with my BA in psych was to go into HR and I ran into the same hurdle you did with the lack of experience. I got in as an Administrative Assistant and then started taking on a support role for the HR and Accounting departments. That then leads to an HR assistant (or Accounting Assistant/Payroll Assistant/you get the idea) position and will allow you to learn more about different aspects of HR to see what you like, are good at, etc. (FYI there may be other avenues to get your foot in the door and I don't know about them). And yes none of those jobs pay well. To make a decent living you do have to get to management and often that requires a Master's degree. I learned I hated HR and got off that train before committing myself to an advanced degree in that field.

 

Other BA related options in psychology that you're looking at may allow you to get your foot in the door as a clerical assistant or customer service rep or something like that and then you can start asking to learn new things/support a department/help out on a project. Again you're not going to make a lot of money, but the experience is valuable.

 

Do you have an idea of what you'd like to explore as a career possibility? If so you can go to your school's career center and see if there are internships or mentor programs that will allow you to shadow someone, learn, and enjoy being poorly paid lol. If you have no idea what you want to explore you can still do that because at least you'll be learning and can rule out what doesn't interest you.

 

The best piece of advice I can give you is this: DO NOT GO BACK TO SCHOOL JUST BECAUSE YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO. You go back to school because you have a clear career path in mind that requires more education or you can afford (meaning you already have a stable career or are wealthy) to learn just for personal development.

[Ash20]

I have not done the GRE although I've been considering it. I don't think med school is a good option for me. I thought about continuing my biology education but I have no idea what exact field I would go into. I often thought of becoming a counselor, but it's sounding like that might not be a good idea? Is it possible to go right into grad school for psych when my bachelor's isn't in psych?

[MsSmurf]

I have not done the GRE although I've been considering it. I don't think med school is a good option for me. I thought about continuing my biology education but I have no idea what exact field I would go into. I often thought of becoming a counselor, but it's sounding like that might not be a good idea? Is it possible to go right into grad school for psych when my bachelor's isn't in psych?

 

Yes you can enter a graduate program in psychology even though your undergraduate degree is in another field. You just have to make sure you have taken the required prerequisites for your chosen graduate program. Most psych graduate programs require Intro to Psychology, Statistics, Abnormal Psychology, and a Developmental Psychology course at the minimum but some schools add other courses to their prerequisite list. If you didn't already take those courses in undergrad you can find many of them at a community college which would also save you some money.

 

If counseling specifically interests you keep in mind you do not have to get a PhD/PsyD to do that. You can get a Master's in Counseling to become a Licensed Professional Counselor or a Master's in Social Work to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Yes having a PhD/PsyD would give you a few more career options, but if none of those extra options interest you it might be better to reduce the amount of time you'd spend in school and get back out into the workforce sooner.

[Ash20]

Thanks, MsSmurf, that helps me a lot!

[Nanuk]

Where do you live, Ash? OK, you don't have to tell me but I just wanted to point out that requirements can differ for counselling jobs depending on where you live. I live in a rural Aboriginal area in Canada, and I have just finished my bachelor of social work degree...we haven't even had our graduation ceremony yet. Two of my classmates have just been hired to work as mental health/addictions counsellors. I have done the same thing, counselled mental health clients, during my last internship a few months ago. My classmates, however, are living and working in small, isolated communities that are difficult to staff. In my job search, I have noted that several similar positions in 'more desirable' areas require a master's degree in social work. The counsellors I know who do the job with just bachelor's degrees, however, are very good at what they do, but if a job is in a high demand area, employers can demand more education from the people they hire.

Edited May 19, 2013 by Nanuk