Would you do it over again?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
UnicornDemon

UnicornDemon

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2013
Messages
101
Reaction score
6
Knowing what you know now, if given the option to all the way back to undergrad, would you choose again to pursue a PsyD or PhD in psychology?

If no, what would you have done instead?
Members don't see this ad.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Although I'm still a student, I don't regret my choice to attend a clinical psych program. I hope to feel the same when I graduate! :)
 
Some kind of surgeon.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: 1 users
G Costanza said:
Some kind of surgeon.
Click to expand...

Is this serious? If so, can you elaborate on the reasons? I'm intending to go into mental health care after graduating from my BSN program but my mom really wants me to be a CRNA, lol. I looked through some curricula for CRNA schools and it sounds absolutely boring as could be. Your post makes me wonder how someone so interested in mental health care could be also so interested in surgery. Just curious. =)
 
priorities2 said:
Is this serious? If so, can you elaborate on the reasons? I'm intending to go into mental health care after graduating from my BSN program but my mom really wants me to be a CRNA, lol. I looked through some curricula for CRNA schools and it sounds absolutely boring as could be. Your post makes me wonder how someone so interested in mental health care could be also so interested in surgery. Just curious. =)
Click to expand...

I don't see why they couldn't? Personally, if I didn't want to do psych, I would be trying to get my degree in microbiology, specifically virology.
 
mewtoo said:
I don't see why they couldn't? Personally, if I didn't want to do psych, I would be trying to get my degree in microbiology, specifically virology.
Click to expand...

What can I say, everyone can have more than one interest.
 
priorities2 said:
Is this serious? If so, can you elaborate on the reasons? I'm intending to go into mental health care after graduating from my BSN program but my mom really wants me to be a CRNA, lol. I looked through some curricula for CRNA schools and it sounds absolutely boring as could be. Your post makes me wonder how someone so interested in mental health care could be also so interested in surgery. Just curious. =)
Click to expand...

A couple of people in my program turned down CRNA school to become NPs. CRNA might make big money, but you're right - it is boring as all get out, until someone is crashing. Blech.
 
probably not. Likely I/O or just a masters in OD or something. Perhaps culinary school.
 
I'll second cullinary school. Maybe physics, but probably some area of med-surg. Definitely not clinical psych. That isn't to say I don't love what I do though.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
priorities2 said:
Is this serious? If so, can you elaborate on the reasons? I'm intending to go into mental health care after graduating from my BSN program but my mom really wants me to be a CRNA, lol. I looked through some curricula for CRNA schools and it sounds absolutely boring as could be. Your post makes me wonder how someone so interested in mental health care could be also so interested in surgery. Just curious. =)
Click to expand...

it's amazing how many psychiatrists I've asked have told me they had a tough time deciding between psych and surgery, and how many surgeons I asked told me they had a tough time deciding between the surgery and psych. Personally, I plan to apply to psych residencies soon but I loved my surgery rotation so much it was an unexpected close second. After some thought i decided mental health and surgery are probably less different than one might think
 
I'm a couple weeks from finishing a PhD program. I would absolutely do it all over again, as long as you wiped my memory so it didn't seem too tedious to start back at the beginning. :)
 
If I could do it all over again, I absolutely would-- now, I've made some mistakes that have potentially impacted my career, and I'd seek to amend those, but yeah.

If clinical psych wasnt an option, I'd probably do computer programming/own a coffee shop because I enjoy being a huge nerd. Still might do the coffee shop thing later in life.
 
Nope. The path is too long. I'd go into teaching or politics.
 
History teacher, probably. Which is also an over-saturated field at the moment ;) Or a graphic designer.
 
I don't regret anything that I've done since it was a great learning experience. I'm pretty sure though that I would be able to make a higher income with a BA degree going into business or starting my own company without the hassle of 7 years of training for my degree. I would have liked to work in the private sector in a management role and I may do that in the future since psychology does not pay well enough. Still a postdoc so i'm not sure what my career trajectory will be. Would have loved to get an MBA, but already spent too much time in school for clinical psychology.
 
I don't have any regrets about the training I got. I loved my program. Low compensation during the program, internship, and postdoc did make it quite stressful. In that sense, when I saw my medical resident friends getting paid more, I had some moments where I thought I would perhaps wanted to have gone to medical school instead. But if I had done that, I wouldn't have wanted to be a psychiatrist. I probably would have picked on non mental health specialty.

When I take a step back, I am grateful for all that I have learned. I am grateful my program was funded, even if the stipends weren't quite livable. I can't imagine having had to pay tuition and living expenses on my own.

The only thing that frustrates me about the field now is the proliferation of programs with low standards. By not controlling the supply side of the profession through our central organization, these programs have basically watered down the quality of clinical psychologists and have contributed to massive student debt problems. While my chosen line of work isolates me from most of the clinical impact of this highly irresponsible training model, I am not isolated from having to explain to people that there are basically two types of psychologists - ones who got basically master's level training but can call themselves "doctor" because they paid for it, and those who went to legitimate programs. The fact that this is even an issue in our field is extremely frustrating.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
While I certainly do not regret my path, I may have opted for something like SLP, audiology, or PT. They have a shorter time to completion and similar lifestyle and income. That said, if I had not taken this path, I may not have met my SO and I would not want to change that. You can't change only one aspect of your life without it affecting others. Overall, life is pretty good.
 
Absolutely not. I'm back on the administration route, which is where I started to go when I first considered grad school ... and the past umpteen years have provided me with "phenomenal" experiences to land me a position after my eventual departure. However, there are certainly more effective and efficient pathways. :p

Of course, there's always the possibility I may not have landed such a position without such a circuitous route...
 
priorities2 said:
Is this serious? If so, can you elaborate on the reasons? I'm intending to go into mental health care after graduating from my BSN program but my mom really wants me to be a CRNA, lol. I looked through some curricula for CRNA schools and it sounds absolutely boring as could be. Your post makes me wonder how someone so interested in mental health care could be also so interested in surgery. Just curious. =)
Click to expand...

It is serious to a degree. I am disappointed with the job outlook of our field even though I think I'll be fine. I think we are undervalued as a profession because too may psychologists are terrible at advocating for themselves. That being said, my doc program has been wonderful. Not only am I prepared for my future, but I'm a better human being because of it.

So I wouldn't want to give up the personal growth component of my program but yes, I would rather go into a field where my skills are appreciated. My master's program helped me learn how to really listen to people. Having a great bedside manner along with solid surgeon skills would make me pretty marketable I imagine. I could still teach too. I also wouldn't mind being able to tell people what I do and have them be interested in it rather than scared off or clueless on how to respond.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Sanman said:
While I certainly do not regret my path, I may have opted for something like SLP, audiology, or PT. They have a shorter time to completion and similar lifestyle and income. That said, if I had not taken this path, I may not have met my SO and I would not want to change that. You can't change only one aspect of your life without it affecting others. Overall, life is pretty good.
Click to expand...


I agree with this completely. I would have gone the SLP or OT route for sure (or maybe MSW, but I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the training as much). I am happy where I am now, going into my final year of my PhD program, but I feel I could be just as happy in one of those fields and the training is significantly shorter.
 
No clue if things will change after I've been working for a few years, but as things currently stand, I'd do it all again. There just isn't another field/job I could see myself being as interested in or happy with.

Part of that likely stems from my eternal sense of optimism, and the associated belief that our field isn't yet too far gone to be saved.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
AcronymAllergy said:
No clue if things will change after I've been working for a few years, but as things currently stand, I'd do it all again. There just isn't another field/job I could see myself being as interested in or happy with.

Part of that likely stems from my eternal sense of optimism, and the associated belief that our field isn't yet too far gone to be saved.
Click to expand...

Huzzah to that. And, if this ship sinks, I'm going down with it. After that, who knows, maybe I'll become a bartender, or a politician.
 
For neuropsychology I'd do it again. Not for plain old psychology.
 
erg923 said:
probably not. Likely I/O or just a masters in OD or something. Perhaps culinary school.
Click to expand...

ADDICTED2STATS said:
I'll second cullinary school. Maybe physics, but probably some area of med-surg. Definitely not clinical psych. That isn't to say I don't love what I do though.
Click to expand...

:laugh: I kept saying that I was going to culinary school after I left grad school a few months ago, so I could open a bakery. I decided this would probably not bode well for me personally (as I would likely eat all my goods :oops: ).
 
I'm with Jon. I enjoy it right now and have no regrets, but would probably try something new just because I have a lot of interests and variety is the spice of life.

Foremost on my mind is either biomedical engineering or some variety of computer science/engineering. Dabbled in computer science as an undergrad and have been programming since I was 10, but never went all in. I have outlets for it in psychology but I can get really "in the zone" when debugging code or doing similar types of problem-solving that seem somewhat more endemic to those fields than to psychology. On the other hand, I think its probably easier to find ways to get those experiences in psychology than to try and do the psychology things I enjoy as an engineer (one of the major pluses of our field).
 
Yes. me, wiseneuro, chetah, jon snow, Doctor Eliza, Ph.D12 all have our degrees.

Edit: also pragma and Sanman and AcronymAllergy.
 
Last edited:
I am not sure of all of the group, but some are in post-doc training/positions still. I had the luxury to forgo all that and took a job (visiting assistant professor at a small school) right after internship that I recently left for a much better paying clinical/clinical admin job.

I do know Jon Snow is a researcher and clinician (one day per week last time i checked) at a large medical center and VA, Doctor Eliza is in private practice. Pragma is professor at an R2 state school.
 
If I could go back in time, I would consider forgoing a psychology PhD for a statistics or biostatistics degree. I enjoy clinical work, but I think I would prefer a pure research degree so that I could have even more time to devote to research. Plus grad school has only reinforced my obsession for measurement and quantitative methods, and sometimes I feel like I don't have sufficient time to learn the methods I want.
 
Ollie123 said:
I'm with Jon. I enjoy it right now and have no regrets, but would probably try something new just because I have a lot of interests and variety is the spice of life.
Click to expand...

Same for me. If I could start over tomorrow I'd probably open up my own consulting/think tank company and try and retire by 50 so I can travel.

I am currently FT faculty at an R1 med school, which allows me a comfortable salary and flexible schedule, but the cost/benefit analysis sucks when compared against other job options I had (e.g. continue my consulting career, transition to investment banking, etc). Most days I get up and look forward to my day, which was not the case when I worked for CorpMurica and got ulcers worrying about meeting deadlines and dealing with unreasonable clients. The grass isn't always greener.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I would probably do a MA degree that would allow me to be a clinician, or become an estate planning atty, or if I had better body sense do PT. I'm quite happy with my PhD and my career options now, but to me the graduate school experience and timing of it was really not worth it economically or personally.
 
As of this moment, sure! That being said, there are many other things I'd be happy doing, such as graphic design or being a librarian.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Yes. I already did about 20 other jobs and they all were pretty crummy to varying degrees. Working in a cold storage warehouse being one of the worst. Trying to sell vacuum cleaners door to door was a good one. Selling pagers and medicare HMOs wasn't too bad, but in both of those, they were bought out by another company and whole department laid off. Also, worked for a mortgage company and then when the interest rates changed, they closed up shop. The business world is pretty cold and uncaring and being unemployed and starting from scratch again is no fun at all.
 
Yes, I would do this again. My job as a psychologist is rewarding, interesting, has good job security, flexibility, decent pay, and is generally respected by others. There are lots of different things that I can do as well.
 
I enjoy the clinical work as a medical psychologist, but would have went straight into medicine instead. However, my clinical psych and practice management training/experience is invaluable and will make me a much better physician. The nice thing about life is you can always do something different at some point and every experience you make it through can help to ultimately build you into a better person.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
DrMikeP said:
I enjoy the clinical work as a medical psychologist, but would have went straight into medicine instead. However, my clinical psych and practice management training/experience is invaluable and will make me a much better physician.
Click to expand...

Wow. Don't tell me you've also had a long career in the military as a special OP and a decorated hero, and you're one of those high school sports superstars (!). :cool:

Kidding... just picking on you. :)

DrMikeP said:
The nice thing about life is you can always do something different at some point and every experience you make it through can help to ultimately build you into a better person.
Click to expand...

I agree, 100%.

Regarding the original post, anecdotally and recently notable...I was the most excited to get back to work after a vacation; more than I've been in very long time (perhaps because I am now mainly doing what I have been trained to do, with most of the training behind me, and supervision & advisement have become more peer support and collegial collaboration).

IMO that's a good sign of intrinsic job satisfaction and outcomes of job productivity, security, burnout, etc.
 
CheetahGirl said:
Wow. Don't tell me you've also had a long career in the military as a special OP and a decorated hero, and you're one of those high school sports superstars (!). :cool:

Kidding... just picking on you. :)



I agree, 100%.

Regarding the original post, anecdotally and recently notable...I was the most excited to get back to work after a vacation; more than I've been in very long time (perhaps because I am now mainly doing what I have been trained to do, with most of the training behind me, and supervision & advisement have become more peer support and collegial collaboration).

IMO that's a good sign of intrinsic job satisfaction and outcomes of job productivity, security, burnout, etc.
Click to expand...
LOL...I actually did some military contract work as an engineer but no special ops and no hero's medals. :) Let's just say I've been blessed with many lives in one and a I'm hoping perhaps for a few more before this journey is over.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I like what I do and I enjoy the variety as well as the intellectual stimulation. I have seen and admired several psychologists in their 70s and 80s who are working an enjoyable job part time while living a nice life. I think I'm fairly well paid, especially since I managed to get loan repayment, so financially things are ok. I still feel very drawn to medicine, so I often feel that if I could do it over I would go that route.
 
Medicine is very much in transition right now, so I know for some (at least for me), that would give me pause. From an intellectual standpoint I understand the reasoning, but from an economic and independence perspective…it's a lot more limited than it was 30+ years ago. There are now so many competing agendas in between the patient and the physician, I'm not sure I'd want to put myself in the position where I can't have an adequate relationship with my patients. I struggle with that now as a neuropsychologist, though at a lesser extent because I don't have ongoing relationships with my patients (I only see them for an intake, assessment, and feedback).
 
DrMikeP said:
LOL...I actually did some military contract work as an engineer but no special ops and no hero's medals. :) Let's just say I've been blessed with many lives in one and a I'm hoping perhaps for a few more before this journey is over.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Knew it. :happy:
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

DynamicDidactic
Grand Canyon University Fined Over Doctoral Program Costs
Replies
7
Views
2K
Spydra
Spydra
borne_before
If someone asked you how you are monitoring your racial/ethnic biases, what would you say?
2
Replies
99
Views
3K
PsyDr
PsyDr
borne_before
Lack of modern items in autism assessment. What behaviors would you include?
Replies
38
Views
2K
singasongofjoy
singasongofjoy
borne_before
How the cult of trauma took over mental health
2 3 4 5
Replies
216
Views
13K
PsychSupreme
PsychSupreme
WisNeuro
CMS Comment Time Again
Replies
6
Views
591
WisNeuro
WisNeuro
Top