Doubts about Social Work School

[MilaMSW]

Hi all,

 

I'm supposed to start school in September and am starting to have doubts about whether I should really do this. I think most of the anxiety is coming from balancing the school work with my at home responsibilities (I have an 18 month old and also want to have more kids...). True, the program is only part-time, but I am also worried about having to do the interships +schoolwork. Another concern I have is the financial aspect. I'm worried that the money will be too little and my husband won't think all of that work and time away from home was worth it... not sure what to do . I have a BA in Psychology with a minor in Business and don't have a lot of work experience. I've worked for a hospital in the role of research coordinator but do not want to pursue that further. I know that I really want to help people and I like being a source of information. I"ve worked with spinal cord injury patients (interviewed them about their psychological and physical status) and have enjoyed hearing their stories and providing them with information about events and ongoing research. Any ideas?

 

Thanks,

 

Mila

Edited May 12, 2014 by MilaMSW

[pdwilks]

 Mila,

 

This is a tough decision only the two of you can make. You will have to talk it out, all the pros and cons.

 

That being said, I wish I had kept going to school, but instead I went to work full time, got married, had two boys and ended up divorced (not that this is a bad thing in my case, it is where we needed to be, not good for each other).  I don't expect this to be your story or one similar, but I really do wish I had gone to school 15-20 years ago, although then my wants for education were different.

 

Since my divorce I've gone back to school, got my AA, soon my BA and hopefully soon will be accepted into the MSW program. I am my moms full time care giver and I can tell you shes sick of hearing "I have homework". This keeps us at home instead of running around town doing other things, but after some long conversations, we agreed, me in school helps my future and hers too as she ages. We make it work with cooking, chores, shopping and just about everything else. We argue like mother and daughter, we laugh and cry too. She is my biggest champion in this endeavor. Is your husband the same?

 

What I'm trying to say, is really talk it out with hubby. If he knows what it was like when you got your BA, then hes on board some at least with it being time consuming. I'm guessing you will be working at some point and earning a good income that will help the family after you graduate.

 

Now to the not so lovely side, if something happens and you do end up on your own, wouldn't it be better to have the education under your belt when it comes to working instead of having to go back to school to finish out a higher degree? 

 

Good luck.

[nightwolf1129]

Mila,

 

Graduate school (especially in the field of Social Work) is not a decision to be taken lightly and like pdwilks mentioned, it's important that you have the love, encouragement, and support from your husband as MSW programs are quite demanding (even as a part-time student).  I'm assuming the concern about $$ is from what you'd be earning as a practicing Social Worker out in the field?  As someone who's currently working for the Veterans Administration, I can personally tell you that landing a social worker position within the VA is one of the best paying opportunities you could find.  If you have a VA hospital nearby, you may want to consider possibly interning with the VA during your final year---or at the very least applying for an internship opportunity.  Not only are most of them paid internship positions, but it could help you secure a potential job upon graduation.  I think the bigger issue, like I said, is to have the support and encouragement from your husband--especially since you have a child and most likely you'll need assistance from him to help take care of him/her.  Furthermore, it'd probably be a good idea to sit down and discuss what your future career goals and potential salary ranges along with the approximate cost of debt and how that may affect your family.  This way there is a lesser chance of being caught offguard.  There are quite a few non-profit organizations that employ social workers in low-income/high need areas that offer different types of loan forgiveness benefit programs.

 

Either way it's okay to have these doubts and concerns because it's good to look at things realistically so you're better prepared for what's to come.  Graduate school is a huge step and you're doing the right thing by facing your doubts, fears, and concerns head-on.  Hopefully, with the love, support and encouragement from your husband and family, you'll be able to battle through them and succeed.