Phd? Or Am I Aiming Too High?

[Casey_03]

So everything is settled now and I am definitely moving back to the States within the next few months -- the embassy took pity on me and issued the documents I'll need. That said, I have now started to seriously consider going back to school, mainly because a) I need to have something to work towards and b) I will never earn enough in writing/journalism.

So I'm considering doing a doctoral program in clinical psychology, with a specialization in forensic psychology. But the whole thing is contingent on me being able to get a scholarship or grant of some kind. (I can't take out anymore student loans, have terrible credit and still owe loads from my undergraduate studies).

I'm also wondering whether it's even feasible for me to be able to complete a doctorate program while raising a child. So far I have been operating on the assumption that if I am able to get a scholarship and don't have to work, it should be fine. But maybe I'm being naive? Anybody here know?

My other concern is that, well, I kind of hate psychology as an industry. Most clinical psychologists I've known have been shockingly ignorant. I started out majoring in psychology in college and was so disgusted by my peers (who wanted to become psychologists) that I dropped it and chose a new major.

Maybe I'm aiming too high?

(I know it might be better to allow myself to settle in first before making grandiose plans, but if I am to make the next deadline I will have to start preparing for this program now ... )

 

[Kintsugi]

Casey, there is no such thing as aiming too high in education. You may take longer. You may have to defer now and again. You may need to stay home with a sick kid. You may have to be late. You may not sleep for four months. You may need to take night classes so your 16-year-old babysitter can sit after school while you go to school. Whatever.

But do what you want to do. Aim as high as you want to. There is no such thing as a stupid dream if you're willing to go the distance for it. :)

 

[rosey]

If you really want to do it then you should. You can always make adjustments to your schedule as you go.

Why not aim high.

 

[NaeNae75]

Good for you! I'm happy for you. You are obviously a highly capable person, so why not aim high? Congrats.

 

[theshadowoftheliving]

I've often thought about this. I know that PhD programs come with a lot of stress, but I do wonder if it would be any MORE stressful that what I am already doing. Plus, universities tend to have a lot of built-in support like disability services offices and counseling centers and advisors, which, atleast for me, my current life doesn't provide at all.

Plus - those programs come with health insurance!

 

[pixel]

the whole thing is contingent on me being able to get a scholarship or grant of some kind.

Naturally, you are optimistic about your future, as you are planing to return home. That's so nice for you.

Being realistic, not everyone gets funding.

You said you already have debt, a bad credit history and a child to raise. You sound like you already have at least one qualification, can't you use that to find a job? Start paying off your debts. Set an example for your child on properly managing finances.

If you can't get work in your industry, look elsewhere. Humbling yourself to do menial work that no one else wants to do? It pays well. And it teaches your child that no task is "beneath" them.
You might even find that a regular job will give you more time together as a family :)

 

[Casey_03]

Thanks, guys. I guess I will aim for it, but only if I can get funding. And @pixel I do realize it's probably a long shot in terms of funding. So I'm not holding my breath, but I guess I will at least try to get a scholarship. I already am paying off my debt and managing my finances just fine, so it's not as if I'd stop making payments if I go back to school. The problem is finding a job with my current qualifications means earning a very very meager salary -- we're talking below or just at the poverty line. Journalism does not pay. That's why many journalists supplement their jobs with freelance work. But realistically, if I do that, I will be working 70 hours a week, leaving no time for my son. My current plan is to seek a mediocre job doing just about anything, but also apply for a doctorate program and see if I can get funding. If I can, then that'd be amazing, but if not, I will stick to meaningless work.

At the end of the day, I might regret it later if I don't at least try.

 

[EveHarrington]

This sounds like a very ill-conceived plan

1) psychology is hardly a "cash-cow" field. It could take you the better part of a decade or more to get your degree and then you have to launch your career, etc-------many psychologists don't make a lot of money. I say this as it seems like you're looking for a better paying field-----a higher salary isn't guaranteed.

2) full rides are quite hard to come by and if you were fortunate enough to get one, throw flexibility out the window. I doubt it would be easy to find a program that would pay your way and let you take a light load or offer flexibility to raise a kid------remember it's not "free"------you'd be earning your keep by engaging in extensive research time and or teaching/TA'ing classes.

3) and most importantly it's never really a good idea to go into a field that you hate------ever.

4) it's almost always a bad idea to listen to people who have no idea what they're talking about. An embassy worker commenting on journalism salaries?--------this is probably like 99% of the world commenting on PTSD----just plain ignorant and uninformed.

It's not about aiming too high. I just think this is otherwise a bad plan. Make a good plan and go for it. This-----isn't it.

 

[Casey_03]

@EveHarrington I realize it's not a "cash cow" field but have consulted psychologists who work in the county where I'll be living to find out about how it would all work. I could work for them as an assistant even before I graduate and make three times what I am earning now. So, sure, it's not a "cash cow" field but it pays a hell of a lot better than what I make now, and I do find the field interesting, even if I hate certain aspects of it. I've also consulted psychologists in this field about job security -- and it's at an all time high were I live.

2) -- Agree with you about the scholarship aspect. That's why I said this is all contingent on me getting funding.

3) I should clarify -- I don't hate the field so much as I hate the lack of professionalism that seems to plague the field. But then I can say the same about my current field, and just about any other field I'm interested in.

4) I don't understand this comment at all. What are you referring to here? I don't know where this embassy worker comment came from. I'm a journalist commenting on journalist salaries.

 

[rosey]

@Casey_03 i cannot thank you enough for this post. I have been feeling very despondent of late wondering what to do with my life and watching everyone around me go in their directions. So this afternoon i came to the conclusion i should just do something start somewhere. I phoned a uni to make enquiries and by the time i had put the phone down i had been accepted on a msc in pyschology starting next week.

Thank you for the inspiration

 

[Friday]

It's virtually impossible to get into a masters or PhD program in psych without your BS/MS in it. So plan on post-bacc'ing... Which doesn't get funding... But as you already have a BA/BS (and masters?) is only about a year. Which is convenient... Because it takes a minimum of a year to get funding for most people (apply a year in advance), and there is also usually a lag year between applying for the program & starting it.

Is it possible? Sure. With the right CV & contacts. I don't know yours, so just following the most probable course:

So you've got at least a year of prep. Could easily stretch that to 2, by going part time.

1-2 years of filling in credit hours part time, with all the subsidized childcare & housing benefits (even without aid, family student services is an entirely seperate department from financial aid), will let you get your feet wet, learn the working-student-mom-juggle, make contacts, attend the APA conferences, get some lab time, do all the schmoozing you'll need to do to get into one of the forensic programs.

Honestly it sounds like a very good transition, to me, if that's the field you want to go into.

ETA... I didn't start school until my son was 2mo old... So I've never known anything but school+mom. I started out very easy, but the program I was aiming for was competitive as f*ck. 30-40 slots out of 6,000 applicants. And then once accepted into it, in theory it ate all your time, but it was so much easier being in school than working? Shrug. I think outside of certain things like Medschool where they're deliberately trying to wash out as many students as possible, it's the age & inexperience (young & none) that make university programs seem so hard in people's memories. Is school hard? In certain programs, absolutely. Is it anywhere near as hard as working 40-80 hours a week? No. If you've already done that? School won't be relaxing, per se, but it's a helluva lot easier IME being in school with a small child, even being in school & working part time, than working with a small child. Although, fair warning, every time they drop a nap? Or their schedule / phase changes. It only feels like the world is ending. ;) In reality kids change their schedules all the time, as while the transition sucks for reordering when you study? It's pretty short lived. Unless you luck out with a kid who plays quietly by themselves. LeSigh. My firends daughter would draw for hours at the same table. My son? Snort. If he was awake, and in my care, I didn't even try to study. It was an exercise in futility & frustration.

 

[Casey_03]

Thanks @Friday You're right, I would have to complete a few classes before I can start, but found a transition program that doesn't actually require a masters, it just requires I take some mandatory classes first. But they said I can apply and if I get accepted, I'd just have to complete those classes before the fall session begins. Fortunately, all those classes can be completed online, which makes it easier. That's part of the reason i want to apply now, sooner rather than later, so I can plan ahead enough to be ready and have those classes done. The downside is, as you said, that I'd have to pay for those classes myself.

A great deal also depends on how well I do on the GRE, which I'd have to take when I move back. Honestly, even if it doesn't work out and I'm not able to get funding, it feels good to at least be working towards a goal. There seem to be a lot of scholarships out there for single moms, so that is inspiring. And if I'm not able to complete the program, it should at least provide the groundwork to get a job in a similar field.