<p>I really don’t have any other way to support myself. My parents house is being foreclosed so I have to find a way to support myself and move out soon. I was planning on attending graduate school anyway, but after I had worked a bit and fully stabilized my life. I don’t have 6-12 months to spend on looking for a job. I have no savings and no money. I literally am running on empty. My parents and family have nothing to contribute. The economy in my area is terrible. THERE are no full time jobs willing to hire psych majors. I’ve been looking for 3-4 months now. That is ultimately why I enrolled in the paralegal program to begin with because I was looking for direct employability. But since I am not dedicated to being a paralegal its torture. At least with the PhD or Master’s I can spend my time in a field I enjoy doing something I like.</p>
<p>I am sure that I would be happy in I/O psych or Human Factors. I have internship and research experience in I/O and I really enjoyed it. I was planning on pursuing a grad degree eventually, just not this early in life. … research is my favorite thing in the world.</p>
<p>I think going back to school instead of waiting tables at a pizza joint or being an assistant manager at Hollister looks better to employers and shows my drive and dedication to succeed. The certificate program isn’t something I’m doing for kicks. It would be to get my foot in the door and take some grad classes before I start dropping thousands of dollars on something I’m unsure about. It would also give me a chance to really prepare for the GRE and meet significant professors who could write me excellent LORs. The point of the certificate program would be to prepare myself for the rigorous work required in grad school. It is also covered by financial aid so I would not have to pay out of pocket. And in the long run it would help because I can then spend time perfecting my application and making myself a stronger candidate for a fellowship or assistantship and ultimately take out less loans.</p>