I am currently a junior in college majoring in Psychology and I've wanted to become a clinical psychologist since I was about 15. Before coming to college, however, I had no idea how competitive clinical psychology PhD programs are and the time commitment and amount of work they require.
Knowing that my chances of getting in to a PhD program (especially right out of undergrad, which is what I would ideally like to do) are so small, i'm starting to really question what direction I should head in. Here are my options that I've been considering:
- PhD in clinical psychology (which is my top option only because the cost is so much lower than that of PsyD programs)
- PsyD (which is what makes the most sense for me, considering I want to go into practice, but i'm hesitant because they are so expensive)
- LCSW (which seems like a good alternative to getting a PsyD but I know that I really don't want to go into social work)
- master's in human resources (because it would take only 3 semesters and I could probably earn a higher salary than i ever could as a psychologist, based on what I've heard)
- master's in speech pathology (I really don't know much about this career, it's just another option I recently thought of)
My problem is that I really really really would love to do the work that an applied clinical psychologist does, I just don't know if the amount of stress, time, and money it requires will make me miserable in the process of reaching my end goal. I also need to be able to go to a school where my boyfriend can find a job if I go into a doctoral program because signing up for 5-7 years of long distance basically feels like certain death.
The work that I really want to do would involve assessment, diagnoses, and treatment of mental disorders. I picture myself in a hospital setting (or maybe a substance abuse rehabilitation center), but I would also be open to private practice. I want to work with populations who have mental disorders more severe/debilitating than "everyday" problems (divorce, stress in school, etc.). I'm leaning away from social work because I know they get paid so little and I don't really like the "strengths-based" approach to treatment (for reasons I won't get into here).
Should I do whatever it takes to get into a doctoral program and tough it out so that I can have the career I know I really want? Should i settle for getting an MSW so that my work can be similar to that of a psychologist without all the time and money, knowing that I'm going to feel like i'm settling? If I go into HR, will the amount of money I could make (over $100,000/year, according to my school's program's stats) make up for the fact that I didn't pursue my dream?
I'm sorry this is so long but I really appreciate any and all help!
Knowing that my chances of getting in to a PhD program (especially right out of undergrad, which is what I would ideally like to do) are so small, i'm starting to really question what direction I should head in. Here are my options that I've been considering:
- PhD in clinical psychology (which is my top option only because the cost is so much lower than that of PsyD programs)
- PsyD (which is what makes the most sense for me, considering I want to go into practice, but i'm hesitant because they are so expensive)
- LCSW (which seems like a good alternative to getting a PsyD but I know that I really don't want to go into social work)
- master's in human resources (because it would take only 3 semesters and I could probably earn a higher salary than i ever could as a psychologist, based on what I've heard)
- master's in speech pathology (I really don't know much about this career, it's just another option I recently thought of)
My problem is that I really really really would love to do the work that an applied clinical psychologist does, I just don't know if the amount of stress, time, and money it requires will make me miserable in the process of reaching my end goal. I also need to be able to go to a school where my boyfriend can find a job if I go into a doctoral program because signing up for 5-7 years of long distance basically feels like certain death.
The work that I really want to do would involve assessment, diagnoses, and treatment of mental disorders. I picture myself in a hospital setting (or maybe a substance abuse rehabilitation center), but I would also be open to private practice. I want to work with populations who have mental disorders more severe/debilitating than "everyday" problems (divorce, stress in school, etc.). I'm leaning away from social work because I know they get paid so little and I don't really like the "strengths-based" approach to treatment (for reasons I won't get into here).
Should I do whatever it takes to get into a doctoral program and tough it out so that I can have the career I know I really want? Should i settle for getting an MSW so that my work can be similar to that of a psychologist without all the time and money, knowing that I'm going to feel like i'm settling? If I go into HR, will the amount of money I could make (over $100,000/year, according to my school's program's stats) make up for the fact that I didn't pursue my dream?
I'm sorry this is so long but I really appreciate any and all help!