Deciding on a Field of Study

[Andrebenjamin]

Hello everyone,

First time poster. I've recently earned my BS in Psych and was pretty sure on my path after this milestone, but things aren't quite as clear as they were while I was still in school. I want to work in a field where I am most needed, not in terms of position openings but service to the population. I love working with children and my feeling is that I can do the most good within a school, and in all honesty that's where I'd like to work. Teaching isn't quite for me so I've narrowed down my options to a school psychologist, counselor, or social worker.

What would be most helpful would be to hear a little from anyone working in any of the fields I mentioned or in a similar one. What does a typical day look like for you? How long have you held the position? Future plans? What are some positives and negatives of the job? What surprised you after working a few months?

Paper work is an unavoidable responsibility with any of these occupations, but what I'm looking for is the job that requires me to interact with and help individuals/groups more than anything else.

[psyforfunfun]

School Psychology

[Emotix]

From what I've seen, social workers tend to have the highest burn out rate among those options and often the lowest pay. Money might not be all that important to you, but you can only be helpful so long as you're able to take care of your own well-being, too. That's not to sway anyone away from social work - it's incredibly important - but you'll need to think about your own strengths, how you would handle the stress and unwind, and I think asking about daily routines is a good start.

Are you able to reach out to any local social workers, counselors, or school psychologists and ask them if they'd be willing to have a chat with you over the phone, or have coffee? Since you can't shadow due to confidentiality, a brief informal interview would be the next best thing. 

[COGSCI]

Clinical psychologist with specialization in child development would allow you to work with people in various fields. Psyc grad programs are highly competitive in general so if you  wish to work with children, apply to psyc AND social work programs. Social work programs are still competitive but not as competitive as clinical psyc programs. You can specialize in clinical social work and work within the childcare or school system as a counselor when you graduate. 

Since you would need to build relevant experience for your application, I would advise you to volunteer at a local organization that you can have opportunities to work with social workers AND psychologists. Shadowing might not be an option but you can definitely find out how much non-counseling/paperwork hours are devoted to each role. 

[Love3]

On 12/23/2016 at 0:11 AM, Andrebenjamin said:

Hello everyone,

First time poster. I've recently earned my BS in Psych and was pretty sure on my path after this milestone, but things aren't quite as clear as they were while I was still in school. I want to work in a field where I am most needed, not in terms of position openings but service to the population. I love working with children and my feeling is that I can do the most good within a school, and in all honesty that's where I'd like to work. Teaching isn't quite for me so I've narrowed down my options to a school psychologist, counselor, or social worker.

What would be most helpful would be to hear a little from anyone working in any of the fields I mentioned or in a similar one. What does a typical day look like for you? How long have you held the position? Future plans? What are some positives and negatives of the job? What surprised you after working a few months?

Paper work is an unavoidable responsibility with any of these occupations, but what I'm looking for is the job that requires me to interact with and help individuals/groups more than anything else.

School psychology also gives you the flexibility to do what you want plus more. If you know you just want to work in a school as a psychologist, then Ed.S. school psych programs are the best fit. As a PhD student in school psychology, I can give you a little insight into the day and the life of a PhD school psychology student. We work in schools, clinics, do research and classes of course. Ultimately, a PhD in school psychology will allow you to work in schools as a psychologist, a supervisor of a special education/education program, as a a clinican in a hospital or clinic setting with children and so one. If you want specific information, feel free to PM me. 

[Andrebenjamin]

Thank you so much for all of your input everybody. After much thought I've decided to take the path of social work. Having experienced an incredibly strenuous year of volunteer work in South Side Chicago, I feel very comfortable in my ability to avoid burnout. I'm a positive person with enough optimism to last me a lifetime! Again, I really appreciate all the responses.