<p>So here's a little background and my question...</p>
<p>Im currently 26 yrs olf (27 in July) and Ive been attending a junior college for a couple years.. Now Im at the point where I only have about 4 actual classes left, but I am planning on transferring before I finish out and get my degree for the JC.</p>
<p>It took me a long time to decide what i actually want to do with my life, and after some long evaluation, I came to the conclusion that I would pursue a career in psychology, and preferably clinical psychology..</p>
<p>Here are my main concerns</p>
<p>1.) I live in IL and have no clue which college I want to transfer too.. Id prefer a warm weather state, but staying in Illinois would save a ton of money and just seems easier.</p>
<p>2.) Im already 26, and Im at that point in life where I want to be able to start making money ASAP.. Is that possible as I work towards my degree in psych.. This is one of the bigger issues that I think about.. I know what its like to be broke, because I am right now.. I hate it.</p>
<p>Go and talk to the transfer advisor at your community college. You want to go somewhere that has an articulation agreement with your CC. This would guarantee that most, if not all, of your credits would transfer. The transfer advisor should also be able to help with finding a four year school that has your intended major.</p>
<p>It is my understanding that it is <em>extremely</em> difficult to get into clinical psych PhD programs, which is what you need to pursue a career in that field. I agree that talking to the transfer advisor is a good idea. If s/he points you in the direction of specific schools, I would then go to those schools and talk to the psych department about your career options and what you need to do to accomplish them. </p>
<p>If what you mean by “clinical” psych is something more along the lines of being a licensed therapist, that’s a different academic path.</p>
<p>I agree with consolation…think about what kind of therapy career you want to pursue. My son is in a similar situation to yours. He’s 26 years old, almost done with a degree in psychology (after some wandering and wondering around) and wants to work as a therapist. He knows that he will not get into a clinical psych PhD program, but he’s looking into other ways to do what he wants to do to. In Illinois, that can include BA plus certification training and work experience. Talk to your advisor about alternative routes to certification. You may also want to think of other careers that make use of similar skills, such as teaching or law enforcement. (Son, for example, is considering applying to the police academy.)</p>
<p>You can also be a school counselor, if that appeals to you. One of our friend’s S’s with a BA/BS psych degree worked with a law firm to be a mock jury panel. He enjoyed it, but decided he rather go to law school and be the attorney instead of the mock juror. He also helped administer tests with his psych degree. Our other friends with psych degrees have become teachers. One has taught in China and now Taiwan. The other is teaching in Hawaii. They had to get teaching credentials for where they wanted to teach. (Both have masters in psych and originally planned to do research but have changed their minds and opted to stop going to school.)</p>
<p>Ellie, its funny that you mention considering law enforcement… LE actually was my first goal, but in IL you need at least a 2yr degree for most applications, which is why I continued with school… </p>
<p>I don’t know that much about it, but it would depend on what type of therapy you want to be involved with. Marriage and family counselors usually have a Master’s degree. There are PsyD programs and PhD programs. I’m not sure which is harder to get accepted but PsyD is more clinical and less theoretical, I believe.</p>
<p>And yes, you could always work and finish your BS on a part time track. Also I know someone who worked and got his masters for marriage and family counseling thru University of Phoenix which was partly on-line.</p>