<p>Seriously, I am having a ridiculous time choosing a major. Currently I am a psychology major but I it looks as though you have to go to school for a very long time to do anything with that major at all. I almost am to the point where I have my A.A. and I seriously don't want to make a mistake by choosing the wrong major. </p>
<p>My biggest problem is that I am VERY poor, and I am going to school full-time right now in order to become a psychologist and I am just living off of loans an financial aid. I would go less, but it takes forever to get a PH. D so I really don't want to go less than full-time. I am in a situation where I don't have much support from my parents right now and my father, brother, and I all live in a 1 bedroom house and we all split the rent. I currently can not afford a car and I have to take the bus. Another thing to consider is that I live in Jacksonville, Florida and it is the largest city in terms of landmass in the entire U.S. So in order to travel from one place to another is a BIG hassle. In a car, you can travel to a place in 15-45 minutes depending on how close your destination is to where you live. However our bus system is so God-awful that it takes me 2 hours or to travel from place to place (that's not there and back either, that's one trip). This really makes it hard to work and do school simultaneously. This creates many problems including not ever being able to afford good health care for example. </p>
<p>I am seriously thinking about switching majors because it really seems like you can not do much with a psy major until you at least have a master's, but really I am seeing that everyone wants the PH. D in order for you to really make any money at it. I mean, you could do an LMHC, but IMO they get paid **** money for going to school for as long as they do. What should I do? I heard that you can apply for a PH. D program right after your bachelor's and can be paid to be a research/teaching assistant, but I'm not really sure how much money that will make me. I seriously need money now. After school fees and book fees are subtracted, I have about 8,000 a year to live off of and I have no financial backing. I CAN'T STAND THIS ANYMORE. Any advice people?</p>
<p>True, you can apply straight to a PhD program after a BA/BS without needing to obtain a master’s degree first. But they are HIGHLY competitive, accepting 10% or far fewer applicants. </p>
<p>Stipends range from $12,000 to $25,000 per 9-month school year on average, depending on the location of the school and the amount of funding they have to give. Some schools may be much less, some might give more. And you would have the opportunity to earn more over the summer.</p>
<p>I would not suggest working toward a PhD in psychology given your situation. It is not a guaranteed profession, and it can take a long time to earn a good salary, if it ever comes at all. Academia is getting tough for the humanities to earn a living, and practicing psychologists don’t earn a huge starting salary immediately. It takes time to build up a clientele.</p>
<p>What other interests do you have? If the salary is the main reason you’re shooting to be a psychologist, I would suggest exploring other options. Undergraduate degrees in psychology are fairly flexible, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for you to change majors at this point in your academic career.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help. I didn’t know that the stipends were only 12,000 to 25,000 a year: thats crappy money. I’m so poor right now, and I can’t afford to live on the atrocious salary that I am living on for several more years. I think that I can stomach it for two more years to get a bachelor’s, and then maybe go to school part time after that and work on a masters tough. What are majors that I can do that will get me a decent job with just a bachelor’s to degree to start out with? I really need to get to work as fast as possible.</p>
<p>If you want to earn money after as short an education as possible, look into two-year programs at your local community college. There are nursing, respiratory therapy, emergency medical technician, ultrasound technician and many others that will allow you to make decent money after only two years of schooling and earning a certificate or other credential. RNs can earn anywhere from 35,000-100,000+; other fields can also earn good money.</p>
<p>Good luck! You are right that a BA/BS in psych is unlikely to get you a very high-paying job; most have to get masters or PhDs to earn more.</p>
<p>I’d think the temperment for IT & skills needed to do well in it are pretty different from the skillset & things you would like for psych (as someone who majored in sociology & had a kid who majored in electrical engineering). For many/most engineering majors, you really have to start down that path about 4 years prior to when you are going to get that degree as it has a LOT of tough requirements and not much room for extra courses or changing your mind. This means you MAY need another 4 years, but check with your advisor. Since you’re a student, ask for some career counseling to get a better idea of your options and aptitudes. You may also want to have a few in-depth info-gathering info with folks in fields you’re interested in to see what they do & their environments to be sure that’s the path you want.</p>
<p>I wanted to add that those stipends usually also include full tuition remission and health insurance, so the actual value of the financial package is much more.</p>
<p>I agree that nursing might be a good option. Your background in psychology can be applied, and you shouldn’t have any problems finding a job quickly with a good salary. My local CC offers a one-year LPN program (might start you out at $30,000 - $50,000/yr), but most schools have 2-year for LPN or RN. If you go for the RN I suggest going for the bachelors of nursing if you can, as that is more highly valued and can offer some more advancement opportunities than just an associates degree RN.</p>
<p>RNs are also generally paid MUCH more than LPNs, tho some of the other techs & fields also pay well. Certified folks who work with computers can also make good money–ask around at your local CC–they may have information about wages/salaries & placement, as well as what it takes to earn the required certification/credentials if IT is your interest and aptitude.</p>
<p>Well, I think it’s down to some type of health care degree having to do with business (like healthcare administration) for example or Computer Science/IT. Yes, I looked into engineering and it’s like I would have to start all over again to do that. I may decide to go back and get a master’s in computer engineering later and get a master’s but now I just need some money. </p>
<p>I really just don’t know what to major in. I have take every damn aptitude test there is. I took the myers briggs assessement and I am an ENTP personality. I took the holland test and I am social/investigative/enterprising.</p>
<p>Could you become certified as a CNA and work in healthcare for a bit to see if you like it before committing to a major in that field? If you can find other entry-level positions that will help you to see what people really do in certain jobs, it may help. This way you could make some money and get some real-world experience and perspective before choosing a major. Or maybe try to find someone to allow you to job shadow for a few days, or to interview them about their job. </p>
<p>Also, speak to the career counselors or academic advisors and see what they say. Or speak to professors who have worked in those areas before they began teaching. There are lots of people you could get in touch with to get more information about those jobs in particular.</p>
<p>Well, I can’t take a sabbatical off of school for a while. I took about 6500 bucks in loans and I have to start paying them off immediately after I go below part time. And I don’t want to neglect paying the loans either, because I think that then I wouldn’t be able to get loans in the future.</p>