You know how the song goes, it’s an all time favorite classic for many people but in terms of education and career I often think about the what ifs and the what should have beens. It is not the fact that I don’t like my program, because in fact, I love it. It’s the fact that I want to do everything. I want to be my own little version of superwoman in good old Clearfield County.
I want to break out of this little town and rock wherever I go. It was not until a few months ago that I really started considering all of this extra education. I think back to April 2008 when my aunt lay dying in the hospital in Erie. Being well aware that I was a newly chosen Psychology major, she told me that I should become a nurse. I think her exact words were something like, “stop that Psychology crap and be a nurse.” If you knew my aunt, you knew that she was not afraid to tell it like it was. A few days after telling me this, she passed away, and since then those words have always been with me throughout my educational journey. 3 years later, I graduated from Pitt, with my B.S. in Psychology, accepted to go to Penn State Grad School in the fall for my M.Ed. where I am now.
I love my program, I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but I’m already thinking about after. What will my next endeavor be? Will I get a job right out of school? The market is looking rather slim these days so sometimes it’s not looking so optimistic for me, especially in this area. So I’ve thought of other educational opportunities such as getting my RN. I looked into it, 10 classes and I would be done…that’s not half bad…it wasn’t til tonight when I saw a lot of my friends being pinned that it really sunk in that I think it is something I want to pursue down the road. This does not mean that I’m giving up on school counseling, rather I look at it as a way to continue my love for helping people and wanting to get rid of suffering that people might have.
I have found myself in so many ways through my counseling program, and it has been a very enriching experience. I feel that I am better able to help people in need and people that may be suffering through rough times in their lives. It’s a good feeling to have, and even though I’m in summer classes right now (first week to be exact) and I can’t wait for this semester to be over already, I love what I am doing.
So then there’s this other thought in my mind of going for the *dun dun dun* doctorate degree. It has always kind of been something in the back of my mind, but it’s been surfacing more lately as I see myself googling different options and different types of doctoral programs. I find myself questioning whether I have what it takes or if I could succeed in something such as that. I ask myself if I want to continue another almost four years. Funny thing is though that I’ve been in school my whole life, I don’t know any differently from studying, reading, and applying. I think I’m going to miss that if I give up on my education. I want to continue to learn, I want to keep growing in what I learn and I think that I may be able to do that with a doctoral degree.
I may be crazy, and maybe my head needs examined, but it has been on my mind lately. Whether or not it’s a good idea of not, I still have awhile to figure it out (thank goodness). If I were to go for my doctoral degree I would also be the first in my family…I’m still young, I’m not tied down, and I’m willing to learn…what’s the worst that could go wrong?