What's new
By:
Filters
Christian Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

stay the course, or change majors?

Christ_empowered

Christ_empowered

Member
OK. So I'm in psychology at Liberty online. I have almost 70 credits (I was a sociology major, in another life). I'm wondering: stick with this, or doing something completely different?

My problem is that I want to be off disability and into a job I can do with a 4 year degree. I'm 29, almost 30. The other issue is my own experience with mental health, which was terrible until quite recently.

So, I was thinking Healthcare Administration. Faster growing occupation than mental health (thank you, bls.gov) and it pays well, it seems. More importantly, I could actually get a ***Job*** with an undergrad degree and be autonomous, and maybe, one day, work on an advanced degree just...well...just because, really.

To make this happen, I'd need a little more school time. Liberty does 3 online semesters per year. There's also the issue of how well-regarded a degree from Liberty would be, especially around here, since we have a lot of schools. Ugh. I just don't know.

The other thing I was thinking was paralegal. Not exactly my dream, being a male paralegal, but I could get a job with the 4 year and maybe do something really cool, like get an RN later on and become a nurse paralegal (yes, that's a real job). But I dunno. I don't know how I'd do under high pressure if I worked for a lawyer, but there are other places paralegals can work.

Ideally, there'd be career counseling or whatever, but...nah, no such luck. My parents want me to *do* something, and I just don't know what that *something* should be. I wanna keep my student loan debt minimal, get employed, and be in society as an autonomous, Christian adult, just doing my own thing. No big deal, I guess, but it required miracles for me to get here (thank you, Jesus and the people of CFNet).

Any advice would be much appreciated.
 
Christ_empowered, I'm delighted you're taking control of your life this way. And now is a good time to take a very hard look at reality, choose a path that's likely to get you independent, or at least, not totally manipulated by other people. If there are healthcare or paralegal opportunities available, think long and hard about making that choice. Following your heart, or the quickest path to a degree, is probably not the right thing to do.

I very strongly suggest you sit with your parents and have a heart to heart talk about what they see as being in your best interest. They are your family, they love you and want the best. Let them be that part of your life.

You've come a long way, we're all proud of you and continue to pray for you. Take the next step to responsibility and trust the people close to you.
 
thanks, Mike S.

My dad nixed the paralegal idea initially, but I'm thinking he may come around. Truth is, a lot of paralegals work outside of litigation and lawyer's offices. Some are even government employees, which would be very, very nice for me (benefits, stability, employee rights, etc.).

Healthcare Administration (actually, just about anything in management/administration) looks good on paper, but I'm worried about corporate culture, and the fact than I'll be into my early 30s when I get started (finishing school PLUS waiting on my misdemeanor to be expunged....classy, I know). The average compensation looks good, but I don't know if I'm a good "fit" for corporate culture. I think maybe a government job doing legal and/or medical stuff might be more up my alley.

So much to consider...a paralegal 4 year degree might be too limiting, when I could just get *a* 4 year degree and do a fast-track, 12 month paralegal program at a local tech school to top it off, or an online paralegal post-bachelors certificate (kinda spendy though, that second option).

Ugh. I know God will lead me and guide me and I know His will for my life is good. He loved me long before I loved Him, so...yeah, good stuff (thinking out loud). I'm glad that I'm being more realistic and I'm glad that I have the opportunity to actually become autonomous at a level that most "burned out mental patients" can't even imagine. Its just...what am I to do, now that my mind is back in action?
 
A couple of considerations:

To be a nurse paralegal, you would need not only the nursing degree, but also experience of several years in the various areas of nursing, including ICU. So you would be looking at not only the time obtaining the paralegal degree, but also the years of schooling for the nursing degree as well as for the experience. It's feasible that 10 years from now, both degrees would be had, and the experience as a nurse would be enough to be a nurse paralegal.

Healthcare Administration is indeed a fast growing field, and will continue to grow in the coming years. It's also a very competitive field, with more schools offering degrees in HA. With a bachelors degree, an entry level position is most likely where you'd begin; with a Masters degree, you'd move up the work ladder. Still, as you said, there are any number of employment possibilities for someone with a Healthcare Administration degree.

http://www.healthmanagementcareers.org/careers.cfm

Mike S gave sound advice about discussing all of this with your parents. By doing so, they will again recognize that you are standing responsibly on your feet, and are serious and determined to focus on a career path that will see to your independence and future stability.

You are to be commended for taking a look at other possibilities while in the midst of your current course plan. There are several different areas where a psych degree would be useful:

http://psychology.about.com/od/careersinpsychology/tp/psychology-career-trends.htm

You remain in my prayers, my friend.
 
thanks!

Ugh...its so strange. I mean, I'm blessed. Vegetative "mental patients" don't generally spring back into life, just in time for Easter. Only downside...responsibility. I need education that actually *goes* somewhere towards a good life ("neither poverty nor riches"...my main goal is avoiding the former) in the community.

Here's what I'm thinking now. The Liberty 4 year paralegal degree requires a lot of electives from either business or pre-law. If I opted to do business, say 15-18 hours, then I could potentially get the paralegal degree (a lot of my old credits apply) and do that. If I had the time, money, and inclination a few years down the road, the 15 hours in business (its 300 and 400 level classes) could be used to pursue a master's, and I could do a career transition into something that pays a bit better around 35-40 or so. That way, I could do paralegal, get a good view of the legal system and flex those critical thinking muscles, and still end up in a higher paying, more secure field.
 
One thing to keep in mind: paralegal work is going to be in demand as long as there are attorneys. Rather secure work field, and the pay increases with the more experience you gain. You might start out in a small office and, after a few years of solid work, move on to a large firm that pays much better.
 
yeah...true that. There's even now a Masters in (para)Legal studies available from some universities. I don't know why my dad was so anti-paralegal. He says its like being a lawyer, only for less $$$. Truth is, the job market for JDs tanked for some reason (I read some NYT article about it), but the jobs for paralegals keep opening up. I have about 2.5 years until the misdemeanor is expunged, so that'd be enough to time to earn the Paralegal 4 year degree (which should make me a little more competitive than 2 year degree holders) and then get to work, lol.

I think I just hesitate to dedicate myself fully to paralegal because I'm male and I'm afraid that will be an issue, especially as I get older and because its The Bible Belt, USA.
 
Most of the paralegals in your area are female? Paralegals in my area (Midwest) are fairly evenly split between male & female.
(I don't know what the percentages are for nurse paralegals)

Yes, a paralegal makes less than an attorney, but there's also not quite the stress, hassles & nonsense that attorneys experience. Plus a paralegal gets a regular paycheck and benefits, while the attorney has to pay for regardless of steady work. After gaining solid experience in the field, pay can be negotiated when looking elsewhere for employment. Or, if you find you enjoy the work, you could take part-time classes to become an attorney.

In a way, I can understand why your Dad may be anti-paralegal. A paralegal does do a lot of the background work for an attorney, searching for precedence in earlier cases in either the state or federal levels, writing up briefs for the attorney, etc. On occasion, all the work a paralegal has done will be thrown out the window when new or further evidence/information arrives. Plus, each year when the new laws are put into effect, the paralegals are the first line of learning/studying the way the laws will influence other areas of the law, and then advise the attorney of the changes. So, like any parent, your Dad wants only the best for you and would prefer to see you get the comparable money for the amount of work you do.
 
I was thinking...if I can do Paralegal with a 4 year, maybe even before the misdemeanor is expunged (who knows the legal system better than someone who's been through it, lol), then I can maybe do a masters later, if I have the time, money, and inclination. Or not. If nothing else, loading up on business credits, either as part of the electives I still have to take or as a separate minor (more $$$ that way, unfortunately) would help me *feel* like I have the freedom to transition out of paralgel-ing.
 
Some corporations have their own legal departments, which would include paralegals. With a degree loaded with business credits, it just might be an easy segue to a different department within the corporation. Worth considering, if nothing else.
 
awesome! I think doing this will take an additional 2 semesters, which is slightly less than 1 year, since liberty does 3 semester per calendar year. With all my credits already on board, I can do the degree+a minor and be done with it, and hopefully get employed.
 
In the meanwhile, you can start searching corporations online. I don't know if you're planning to remain in your hometown, or if you're willing to relocate. But all the early investigating will at least give you an idea of potential employers to whom you want to send resume/application when graduation time nears.
 
That's a really good idea, thanks. I've been looking at Indeed and other job site search engines. Looks to me like I'll be needing to move eventually, probably right around the time I get off probation and the misdemeanor is expunged. I'm blessed to have parents willing to take care of me, as well as disability, in the meantime.
 
Follow your hearts desire for there is where you will be satisfied in what you are doing. It doesn't matter how much money you make if you are miserable in what you do.
 
can't do psychology. I started skimming my 300 level courses, and I got angry. Took me back to some sad times. Can't do that for a career. No, no.

Paralegal looks interesting, but its heavily female and increasingly competitive. I'd be up against younger people from better schools willing to work for less. Business...maybe? I'm just afraid that, if I get started in something business related after age 30 (31/32 or so), I'd be seen as over the hill. Also, how would I explain my lack of a work history? Well...I was...ummm...on disability. Awesome.

Thing is, recovering "mental patients" have a hard time getting back into the swing of things (in the US at least) because...well...stigma, I guess; also, this idea that if you've been out of work, you're just no good. Out of work because of craziness? Awesome. Next. See what I'm saying?

I guess I could get an undergrad and just see where it goes. Doing something is better than doing nothing at all, right? Forward progress, one foot in front of the other (soon you'll be walking)...

...ugh.
 
Christ_empowered said:
can't do psychology. I started skimming my 300 level courses, and I got angry. Took me back to some sad times. Can't do that for a career. No, no.

Paralegal looks interesting, but its heavily female and increasingly competitive. I'd be up against younger people from better schools willing to work for less. Business...maybe? I'm just afraid that, if I get started in something business related after age 30 (31/32 or so), I'd be seen as over the hill. Also, how would I explain my lack of a work history? Well...I was...ummm...on disability. Awesome.

Thing is, recovering "mental patients" have a hard time getting back into the swing of things (in the US at least) because...well...stigma, I guess; also, this idea that if you've been out of work, you're just no good. Out of work because of craziness? Awesome. Next. See what I'm saying?

I guess I could get an undergrad and just see where it goes. Doing something is better than doing nothing at all, right? Forward progress, one foot in front of the other (soon you'll be walking)...

...ugh.
Click to expand...

Just remember that you are a child of the most high God and you have favor in Him so seek out that which you want to go for as God will open the door.:lock

:woot2 Deborah 13 if you are here I got to use the lock icon :rofl2
 
Thanks, everyone.

Paralegal looked OK...until I read paralegal forums. I don't know how the bls.gov statistics make it seem so promising, when at the real life level, people can't find jobs :-(

I'm thinking Healthcare Administration. I'm not big on the medical establishment (I'm not anti-docs, I've just had bad experiences), but the health care industry is booming, and I could potentially be a part of that and get paid fairly well with a 4 year and be more competitive if/when/maybe(?) I were to get a graduate degree. Very, very few people who committed the sins I committed, went as crazy as I did, etc. etc., get these opportunities. In a couple of years, I will be an autonomous, respectable, healthy, normal member of society...and a Born Again Christian. Those of us here on the forum see the *obvious* connection; those in the world may just think I'm a lucky son of a gun.
 
Christ_empowered said:
OK. So I'm in psychology at Liberty online. I have almost 70 credits (I was a sociology major, in another life). I'm wondering: stick with this, or doing something completely different?

My problem is that I want to be off disability and into a job I can do with a 4 year degree. I'm 29, almost 30. The other issue is my own experience with mental health, which was terrible until quite recently.

So, I was thinking Healthcare Administration. Faster growing occupation than mental health (thank you, bls.gov) and it pays well, it seems. More importantly, I could actually get a ***Job*** with an undergrad degree and be autonomous, and maybe, one day, work on an advanced degree just...well...just because, really.

To make this happen, I'd need a little more school time. Liberty does 3 online semesters per year. There's also the issue of how well-regarded a degree from Liberty would be, especially around here, since we have a lot of schools. Ugh. I just don't know.

The other thing I was thinking was paralegal. Not exactly my dream, being a male paralegal, but I could get a job with the 4 year and maybe do something really cool, like get an RN later on and become a nurse paralegal (yes, that's a real job). But I dunno. I don't know how I'd do under high pressure if I worked for a lawyer, but there are other places paralegals can work.

Ideally, there'd be career counseling or whatever, but...nah, no such luck. My parents want me to *do* something, and I just don't know what that *something* should be. I wanna keep my student loan debt minimal, get employed, and be in society as an autonomous, Christian adult, just doing my own thing. No big deal, I guess, but it required miracles for me to get here (thank you, Jesus and the people of CFNet).

Any advice would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Anything is health care is a good choice. There is a huge job market for it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top