No idea which route to take with masters, help

[Moki1984]

Good afternoon.
I have been at a career crossroads for a long time. I don't know which route to go. Would appreciate any insights.

Background:
-I have a BsC in Psychology with a minor in biology, 3.8 GPA.
-7 years of experience at the same acute care inpatient hospital (we have one outpatient building but primarily inpatient) I was a mental health technician then promoted to Patient Advocate, where I am currently
-I can get letters of recommendation from just about anyone at this hospital. Doctor, clinician, director, CEO etc
-honorable military discharge (some schools have vet discounts, i like this lol) I know the VA pays LCSW well and I am sure they prefer to hire veterans so this is an option

My interests are as follows:
-teaching
-trauma
-psychology
-neuropsychology
-writing

I don't have the ability due to situations here to take off to another state. I am staying right here in NC. Online schools are most likely the route I have to go and I would like to find something accelerated pace, I can handle it and I am willing to leave my full-time job in order to do an accelerated pace while we survive on my husband's income. It will be hard on us but we can do it and I am committed. One reason I want accelerated pace is my GI BILL only has 1 year left , so the more I can squeeze into that year, the more $ I save us.

I love the idea of being a professor but this is hard to get into and without a Phd/PsyD I will be fighting just to get adjunct and even then I'll be against doctorate level educators. I see the teaching route as something that can come in time but I don't think full tenure is a realistic goal, at least not without a PhD/PsyD. Either way I would still like to teach if able, at some point.

I don't love the idea of being a counselor full time. Part time okay. This hospital burnt me out a little.

I want to understand psychology more, but only one PhD program locally and they are heavy on research (i have none) and it would be all my eggs in one basket as I cannot afford to move. My state does not license psychologists who did schooling online, possibly for hybrids but not mostly online.

I have considered MA Counseling, MSW, PhD, Masters in biomedical engineering (yes i know random lol its local so I looked)

No idea what to do with my interest in neurobiology.

I know this......I want to get my masters in something. I want to advance myself and I set a goal that by 1/1/2020 I will have not only made my decision, I will already be enrolled or trying to get accepted or something. By January , I should have taken action already.

I plan to keep writing no matter what. I write part time online for blogs/websites. The grammar in this post is not reflective of my writing ability lol this is casual so I write casual.

I feel like I am spinning in my head, no idea which way to go. Financially, I would like something that can push me towards the 60-80k range eventually. I realize that won't happen right away, but I am saying once I gained more experience in my field.

Appreciate any insights. Thank you for reading this.

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[AcronymAllergy]

It sounds like, at the masters level, your primary options would be to go with either social work or counseling. Both are license-eligible degrees (verify with state board for reqs), and there may be at least partially-online programs in both. Going the online route for doctoral training is, at this point, unrealistic and I would strongly recommend against it.

Teaching with a masters is possible, although will likely be limited primarily to junior/community colleges. The pay tends not to be great, but it's an option, especially if you enjoy it. You could also look for primarily clinical positions that offer some degree of time carved out for training (e.g., of social work or counseling interns); they'll be harder to find, but do sporadically exist.

 

[Moki1984]

I do agree online schooling is not optimal for doctoral training and would not be a route I would go. If I ever go that route, it will be face to face.

I contacted a local school today to get information on their programs and they kindly reviewed my transcripts, suggested I look into their MS Biomedical sciences. I did minor in bio and have a high science GPA, my interest in neurobiology could be used here. I signed up for an informational session next week with them so I can find out all this entails. I realize this is vastly different than what I have been doing , but it would put me in a research laboratory and actually I like that idea.

Still researching, I have a lot of ideas and looking all over right now. Locally and online, varied options.

 

[deleted343839]

I know this......I want to get my masters in something.

It's helpful to look at a graduate degree as training for a career or profession. I suggest you think about the kind of work or job you would like to do and determine whether and how a graduate degree can prepare you for a career in that field.

If you enjoy writing, consider scientific or medical writing, which would easily put you into the pay range you're aiming for. There are several good programs that can be completed (at least in part) online. Some aren't even full master's degrees.

 

[Moki1984]

I see getting a masters as the key to open a new door, career wise. So yes I do agree.

I have thought for awhile about my interests, skills, dislikes etc. Looked at degrees related to those interests, even some which seem like a big change from what I have been doing.

I do like writing, medical writing is definitely a route to $. I considered going that route, but right now I don't have the ability to be a medical writer. I need more education. That education could be specifically aimed at medical writing or be some type of biology/med etc degree that gives me more knowledge and the ability to write on it. I know a pharmaceutical writer who is making that range of $, she has an education in that field and ended up going full time as a writer and left everything else behind.

I am willing to leave my job and go to a full time face to face program here if it is a good investment of time and money. It will be hard on us financially to leave my full-time income, but sometimes in life we have to make that move.

Thank you for the replies

 

[foreverbull]

Some graduate degrees (doctorate, master’s) will require flexibility in locale, so that will very much limit your options to whatever is nearby.
I’d advise against online degrees in any form.

I’d also encourage you to continue to reflect on what you want to do day-to-day. Can you contact a few folks and shadow them for a day to see what each path is like that you’ve mentioned? If you’re already burned out in clinically-related work, that’s not a good sign for that path, but to be fair, a tech and patient advocate are different roles than therapist. I’d recommend shadowing people in the careers you’re interest in if you’re willing to do some work to find people willing to oblige you.

 

[Moki1984]

Patient Advocate is different from therapist, definitely. For one, they see me when they are upset. They don't call me on a good days lol I am working with upset PTs when they are mad at the hospital or mad at their actual clinician and often feel like a metaphorical punching bag for them.When they are angry and want to cuss/yell/I'm gonna sue this place , I am the one handling it. inpatient acute care....these are PTs in crisis mode who are deemed unsafe to be in society. Most of our patients are involuntary commitments so they don't even want to be here.

I still have interests in psychology, I still like to help people on some level but yes I am burnt out.Doesn't help that I am one advocate for hundreds of patients. Anyways this is not a thread for me to explain how done I am

I have talked with a lot of LPC/LCSW and honestly they don't paint a good picture. Most of them said if they knew then what they know now, they would not have went this route. I can try to find others in fields that interest me , get a better picture of their day to day.

 

[jtpesek]

I would also try to find a way to renegotiate your hard line of January 1, 2020 with yourself. Slow down and relax and make a decision you feel is well-informed and that you feel at peace with. After 11.5 years of college, (2 undergrads and a graduate degree) I can tell you that one semester of a master’s program will not throw you off track.

 

[LookForZebras]

I plan to keep writing no matter what. I write part time online for blogs/websites. The grammar in this post is not reflective of my writing ability lol this is casual so I write casual.

I've done quite a bit of medical writing, and really enjoy it. I think any combination of a clinical or health background and the ability to research and write well sets you up for a lot of opportunities in writing in the salary range you mention. Writing jobs are awesome in that they're low stress and often have flexible hours and remote work options. There are also opportunities for full-time, part-time, and freelance work. This route may be worth some serious consideration! Good luck as you make a decision.