Fun Post: Best and Craziest Backup Plans

[Quantitative_Psychology]

Hi guys,

I think we could go with some entertainment mixed in with some good advice. Therefore, I made this thread. I'm thinking everyone should identify their "best" backup and their "craziest" backup plans (doesn't have to be feasible in the slightest; in fact, it is probably better if it isn't) for if this application season is a bust. Hopefully, some of the crazy will be amusing, and some of the best will be helpful.

Best: Take a position I've been informally offered as a predoctoral fellow for a health research center that my advisor's husband is employed at.

Crazy: You know that movie where the guy gets rejected from universities as an undergraduate and he makes his own school, I'm just saying...

[PsyZei]

Legit backup plan: masters of science in psychology, research tract. You'll see me again in a year or two with a better CV with another degree and research experience.

Best/craziest discussed by hubs and I: selling home, buying rv and boat then going world schooling for a bit. You'll see me again in a year or two with a CV with... more experiences. 

[Quantitative_Psychology]

53 minutes ago, PsyZei said:

Legit backup plan: masters of science in psychology, research tract. You'll see me again in a year or two with a better CV with another degree and research experience.

Best/craziest discussed by hubs and I: selling home, buying rv and boat then going world schooling for a bit. You'll see me again in a year or two with a CV with... more experiences. 

I like this idea of World Schooling. You're only young once! I had an advisor who didn't get into a Ph.D. first go around, and she taught English in China for a year. Talk about World Schooling!

[pataka]

This is a great idea!

"Best"/actual plan: stay in my current full-time position as a research coordinator to gain more research experience and earn a letter of rec from my current PI (I've only known him for 3 months so I didn't ask for an LOR from him this time 'round). 

Crazy plan: Quit my job, move to Europe, and intern under a pastry chef.

[vallaboop]

Haha cool idea!

Best: stay in my current research assistant position and try to leverage my new degree (graduate with a Master's in May) for a promotion/substantial raise

Craziest: quit my job and open a restaurant. My significant other has always wanted to, we are both great cooks and I love to bake

[Quantitative_Psychology]

1 hour ago, pataka said:

This is a great idea!

"Best"/actual plan: stay in my current full-time position as a research coordinator to gain more research experience and earn a letter of rec from my current PI (I've only known him for 3 months so I didn't ask for an LOR from him this time 'round). 

Crazy plan: Quit my job, move to Europe, and intern under a pastry chef.

Wouldn't it be fantastic to live in Europe for a period? Would it be a French pastry chef? 

58 minutes ago, cindyboop said:

Haha cool idea!

Best: stay in my current research assistant position and try to leverage my new degree (graduate with a Master's in May) for a promotion/substantial raise

Craziest: quit my job and open a restaurant. My significant other has always wanted to, we are both great cooks and I love to bake

You know, I've secretly (or not so secretly) always wanted to open a pub. I thought it would be the coolest place ever. I LOVE your restaurant idea 

[pataka]

16 minutes ago, Quant_Psych_2018 said:

Wouldn't it be fantastic to live in Europe for a period? Would it be a French pastry chef? 

Yes! Ideally it would be a French pastry chef because there are a few whose work I really admire, but I don't speak French so that might be a problem 

[PsyZei]

1 minute ago, pataka said:

Yes! Ideally it would be a French pastry chef because there are a few whose work I really admire, but I don't speak French so that might be a problem 

Emersion is the best way to learn a language 

[pataka]

1 minute ago, PsyZei said:

Emersion is the best way to learn a language 

I have heard this with the distinct exception of French, but perhaps that's just in Paris, haha

[PokePsych]

Best: Stay on my working holiday in Asia a bit longer. Publish some manuscripts that I have in preparation, work with a local professor here (will try to do that in spring anyway), apply again  Travel in the region. Then either go back to my own country next winter or get a different visa to stay here.

Craziest: Start my own 'Dutch' coffee & tea place here in Seoul where I make fresh stroopwafels and other Dutch treats. Actually confident there is a market for this hahahaa

[2ndTimeHopeful]

On 12/23/2017 at 1:11 PM, PsyZei said:

Legit backup plan: masters of science in psychology, research tract. You'll see me again in a year or two with a better CV with another degree and research experience.

Best/craziest discussed by hubs and I: selling home, buying rv and boat then going world schooling for a bit. You'll see me again in a year or two with a CV with... more experiences. 

I hope that works out for you. I had that plan two years ago. Running  a 4.0 in a MS program, working & doing relevant research. Haven’t heard from any schools. I’m trying to figure out my second backup plan now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

[historygeek]

 Tour guide with a company, specializing in tours of Rome, Florence, and the Vatican! Probably both the best and craziest. 

Edited December 29, 2017 by straordinario

[PsyZei]

19 minutes ago, umlemaillist said:

I hope that works out for you. I had that plan two years ago. Running  a 4.0 in a MS program, working & doing relevant research. Haven’t heard from any schools. I’m trying to figure out my second backup plan now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

I haven't heard from any of my PhD program schools so far, either. I think it's still fairly early. I've only seen one of my schools pop up with two interview invites for my program, but the person I talked to did not have the same POI as I do. The other of my school programs that has popped up on survey has been only for rejections, so I'm not bummed at all to have not heard from the program for those emails. 

I don't think we should get too worried about not being contacted. It sounds like you are a very strong candidate and there's still lots of time during this application season. If you do end up needing a second backup plan.... worldschooling is a thing 

[Eigen]

My wife and I always talked about combining raising corgis with a coffee shop. Coffee and Corgis. 

We'd have a big amphitheater-like pen with pillows and corgi puppies, so people could get coffee and then go play with the puppies. Ideally right off campus somewhere. 

[topsailpsych]

Legit backup plan A: take a position I've been informally offered at my practicum site and pursue my LPC and apply again next year.  Plan B: Go back to work in the finance industry and make a lot more money than as an LPC, and find ways to do research within the company I would be working for.

Fun back up plan: Start a concierge travel planning business.  People tell me roughly what they want from their vacation, length of time and rough budget and I give them 3 options for each thing they request help with (picking the the location, hotels, transportation, activities, etc.).  And maybe also get my pilot's license, because why not?

-

[2ndTimeHopeful]

4 hours ago, PsyZei said:

I haven't heard from any of my PhD program schools so far, either. I think it's still fairly early. I've only seen one of my schools pop up with two interview invites for my program, but the person I talked to did not have the same POI as I do. The other of my school programs that has popped up on survey has been only for rejections, so I'm not bummed at all to have not heard from the program for those emails. 

I don't think we should get too worried about not being contacted. It sounds like you are a very strong candidate and there's still lots of time during this application season. If you do end up needing a second backup plan.... worldschooling is a thing 

What is worldschooling? I will probably try for an RA position for two years and try again. I will have to retake my GRE’s & I was happy with my scores so I’m not looking forward to that. Most of my schools have been posted so the outlook is not good right now. 

[pinoysoc]

2 hours ago, Eigen said:

My wife and I always talked about combining raising corgis with a coffee shop. Coffee and Corgis. 

We'd have a big amphitheater-like pen with pillows and corgi puppies, so people could get coffee and then go play with the puppies. Ideally right off campus somewhere. 

OH MY GOD! I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE corgis! 

I have  a corgi puppy now. But I would love to run a Corgi Cafe!

[Eigen]

We had one for years that we recently had to put to sleep, and are waiting until I start my next position in the fall (and us buying a house) to get more. It's already hard enough to rent with the animals we have!

[Left Skew]

Best and Craziest: Find a 9-to-5 job. Spend my nights crying myself to sleep, but capture my tears. I'll save my tears until I can fill a bath tub. Proceed to bath in my tears, but record it and post it on social media. The post will go viral, igniting my YouTube career. In my videos, I'll call out all those who've rejected me in the past; though I will still cry myself to sleep at night. 

[rheya19]

Only back-up plan when I applied for MA programs: If I didn't get in anywhere, I was going to throw my hands up, leave, and go teach English in Dubai. I guess I just have a flare for dramatic reactions, lol, but I was younger then and still had an "all-or-nothing" approach to my life.

[FacelessMage]

Last year my best and craziest back-up plans were as follows:

Best: continue working my government position

Craziest: move to Costa Rica and help rehabilitate baby sloths

[psychonerd]

Ahh this is such a relevant thread right now..

I think everyone in my life would be disappointed if I didn't try again so...

best: work in a lab for a year or two with an extraneous part-time job since LA is crazy expensive and re-apply 

craziest: drop everything, become a flight attendant and get excellent benefits while flying to all of my pintrest- dream countries/islands! My friend has made it so lucrative honestly shell be making more than I will if I go to PhD at least for the next 5 to 8 years hahaha

[PsychedSloth]

Best: Keep volunteering in my lab and try to get a job at the local hospital

Craziest: I'd agree with @FacelessMage and rehabilitate baby sloths in Costa Rica. They're just adorable. 

[Jung@Heart]

Best: continue working a soul draining job in EMS and volunteer in a lab until I can apply again.

Craziest : sell everything and move to India to train under traditional meditation gurus, discovering the true nature of consciousness, becoming one with the universe and potentially losing all sense of self.

Edited January 8, 2018 by Jung@Heart

[vallaboop]

On 1/2/2018 at 12:59 PM, FacelessMage said:

Last year my best and craziest back-up plans were as follows:

Best: continue working my government position

Craziest: move to Costa Rica and help rehabilitate baby sloths

baby sloths!! That's a such a cool idea! And freaking adorable