anonak

Hello all, I am considering a rather unorthodox plan to complete an MSW and I wanted to run it by the forum to see what the members here think. I have a BA in psychology that I received 8 years ago, but I have been working in a business field since I graduated. I would like to go to graduate school, but I face a few challenges. I haven't kept in touch with any professors, nor do I think I was particularly memorable, despite quite good grades. I only did 1 semester as a research assistant and only did 1 internship in a tangentially related area. Truthfully, I had no idea what I was doing. I have been considering going back to school to get a certificate in Addictions Studies because it would allow me the opportunity to gain certification in my state to work as an addictions counselor and it will also allow me the chance to make connections and experiences that I could use get into an MSW program. I could do the addictions studies course either at a local community college for a certificate or at an easy to get into local state school where I would obtain an MA. I'm leaning towards the state school because the price difference is not really that much and both take about the same amount of time. Am I crazy to consider pursuing 2 master's degrees one after one another? Does this seem like a decent plan?

No, I think that you are probably right about grad school for me, right now at least. School was always something that I was always really good at, so I think that since I am currently kind of lost, my mind immediately goes back there. It's funny that you mention Peace Corps/AmeriCorps/TFA - The PeaceCorps are basically my dream job, but unfortunately, I wouldn't qualify due to medical issues. I actually applied to an AmeriCorps program last year and was not selected for it (I think I managed to choose one of the more popular ones). You know what, though? Just thinking about these programs made me light up in a way that researching graduate programs never did.

So here's the deal. I'm almost 30, I make no money, and I'm kind of miserable at my job. I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life when I graduated high school, I had no idea when I graduated college, and I still have no idea. I'm thinking Grad School - probably a terrible idea, right? I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BA in Psychology from a not very highly ranked liberal arts college (higher than 50, lower than 100). I picked Psychology because I needed a major and I liked the classes, but I decided quickly that I didn't want to be a therapist. I was told that it didn't really matter what I majored in, as long as I had a degree, and I actually believed it. So, I graduated jobless, directionless, and penniless, so I went back to a summer job as a teller so that I could pay my student loans. Over 7 years (and 4 low level positions) later, I am still in at the bank, now as a pseudo administrative assistant (who is bored out her mind most days). I'm not one of those people who has to make a ton of money to feel successful, but I want to be able to live my life without fear of being able to pay my rent. I'm single, so I have to support myself for the immediate future. I want to be able to travel. So after all that, what is my question? Well, I'll take any advice that anyone can offer. I still don't know what I want to do with life, but I'm starting to think that I will never figure it out. I cannot really afford to do a ton of undergraduate prereqs unless I get a better job. I'm willing to go into some debt for grad school, but not so much that I will be paying it off for decades. I was thinking of going for an MBA - not because I have a great love of business, but because it seems like it could be useful. I considered a MLIS, but just about everything I have read says that it is not a great field to get into right now. Honestly, I'm thinking of spending the next year researching grad school options just so I can find something that might eventually get me somewhere.