...every plan is a tiny prayer to father time...
And so, after years (and years) and *cough* YEARS of hemming and hawing and anxiety, I finally did it.
I am going back to school to earn a PhD in Psychology.
Granted, it is not quite the plan I envisioned when I was 10 and convinced I was going to be a child psychologist...nor when I was 18 and wanted to be an adolescent psychologist...nor when I was 21 and despairing because I had no prospects for a PhD program in sight, and realized with loans going into repayment very shortly, I needed to find a J-O-B.
I have always known that psychology was my first love. When other little girls were reading Judy Blume and the Babysitters Club, I was reading books about child abuse, drug abuse, motivation and self-discovery. Don't get me wrong, I read Judy Blume and the Babysitters Club too. The point, really, is that from my youth my path was set...and it entailed becoming a therapist. Always a therapist.
Fast forward to 2004. Upon graduating with my MA from UD, I was accepted to NYU and SMU to earn another MA. I earned an interview to the University of Denver, was wait-listed for a spot in their Counseling Psychology program, and against all odds everyone that was offered their spot accepted it. I was accepted to UNT to take PhD-level courses, but as a non-degree seeking student. I decided to take that offer and apply for their Counseling PhD program after I had been taking classes for a while and proved myself capable.
Except that the effort I exerted at UNT was driving to the campus from Dallas twice weekly and trying to find parking that I didn't have to pay for. At the time I had landed the glamorous position of 'Coordinator Receptionist' at Starbucks and was hourly, working 8am-5pm with a one-hour lunch. On days that I had class, I would work 8-4 and then have someone cover the front desk the last hour of the day so that I could drive the two hours it took to get to Denton and be there in time for class at 7pm. There were no papers required, the exams were multiple-choice, and I was so burnt out after pushing so hard to earn a MA in a year, I decided enough was enough.
While working at the front desk at Starbucks, I was approached by the Loss Prevention manager at the time, who asked if I might assist the department by searching eBay for Starbucks partners selling stuff they weren't supposed to. Within 6 months, I had caught 150 people selling product and was HOOKED. It was the first time I had ever felt like something I did at work *truly* mattered or made a difference. There was something exciting about discovering someone's dirty deed, the thrill of the hunt. I spent my time pursuing a position in the department, and finally joined in December 2005 as a senior compliance specialist. I've worked in LP ever since, for the past six years.
Even though I had decided school was not something I could handle for the time being, I never truly left my first love. I had a paper accepted at APA in 2006, was part of a symposium in 2007, had a poster accepted in 2008 (though I didn't attend because I was out of money and vacation time after getting married), another paper accepted in 2009 and two accepted in 2010. As years passed, I became simultaneously more comfortable with life and more anxious about school. I could never shake the feeling that I was not living up to my little girl dream, and yet I could no longer see a path to it. All of my decisions affect my husband. Full-time school means part-time or no work, huge amounts of additional student loan debt, and no certainty of a job upon graduation. We have a mortgage, two cars and a very comfortable life. And we want babies, soon. The cons were outweighing the pros.
About a month or so ago, I was charged with developing an internship program for the LP department at GameStop, I think because I am the youngest person in the department to have graduated from college and would therefore be more familiar with the process (at least, that's what I was told.) While looking at different Criminal Justice programs in the area, I started looking into PhD programs in psychology that were online. I have always been a little hesitant about schools on the internet, mainly because you hear the horror stories about "degree mills" that have no value in the real world. I found a school called Capella University which was offering a PhD in General Psychology. The first thing that struck me about Capella is that they are very forthcoming about the fact that they are accredited by the National Higher Learning Institute.
Do you want more information? The webpage asked me.
Sure, why not. I plugged in my phone number and email address.
About an hour later, I was contacted by an enrollment counselor from the school, who chatted with me about the program. She explained that the first two years of coursework were online, but the third year required a 1,000 hour residency. I felt the anxiety bubbling up again, and told her that I was uncertain that I could commit to a program that required me to quit my job - and, would not be accredited by the American Psychological Association. I then asked her to tell me about the PhD program for Industrial/Organizational Psychology, which is something I was vaguely familiar with. Dr. Garza had explained it as the study of behavior in the workplace, giving the example that these psychologists studied things like what wall colors impacted productivity. He also said that they BANKED, it is the highest-paying psychology degree out there. She said that this program was her favorite to talk about, and involved studying things like personality, motivation, teamwork and etc. As she spoke, I could see visions of research I could do that was specific to the Loss Prevention field, things that had not been considered before. She also said that the APA doesn't accredit any I/O programs at all, so it was a non-issue - and with my grades at UD I would be able to transfer in credits to cover several courses - and I would not have to quit my job.
I told her to give me a week to do my research. I then looked online to find out everything and anything I could about the university, the programs, the quality of the education, etc. Of course, I found some negative reviews - but they were mainly one-off experiences, nothing about the education. I do have concerns about the perception of an "online" degree, particularly in academic circles, but I also think the perception is changing, evidenced by the online and distance learning offered by many traditional universities. In terms of business, most companies view a degree not on the merits of the school you attend, but on the fact that you finished - it conveys a certain 'stick to it-iveness.' Just for fun, I looked at reviews for UD as well - and sadly, we receive far more negative than positive.
I then thought long and hard about my plans and expectations. Yes, I had always wanted to be a therapist. If I was honest with myself, though, the thought of going through the process to become a therapist filled me with anxiety and doubts. I love what I do in LP, and if I am able to get the degree I have dreamed about that both relates to what I currently do AND does not require me to quit my job to finish, isn't that a no-brainer?
On top of all that, GameStop offers $5K a year in tuition assistance for graduate-level education - which I qualify for, because I can demonstrate how my degree relates to my job.
School starts October 11, and I cannot wait.
I am going back to school to earn a PhD in Psychology.
Granted, it is not quite the plan I envisioned when I was 10 and convinced I was going to be a child psychologist...nor when I was 18 and wanted to be an adolescent psychologist...nor when I was 21 and despairing because I had no prospects for a PhD program in sight, and realized with loans going into repayment very shortly, I needed to find a J-O-B.
I have always known that psychology was my first love. When other little girls were reading Judy Blume and the Babysitters Club, I was reading books about child abuse, drug abuse, motivation and self-discovery. Don't get me wrong, I read Judy Blume and the Babysitters Club too. The point, really, is that from my youth my path was set...and it entailed becoming a therapist. Always a therapist.
Fast forward to 2004. Upon graduating with my MA from UD, I was accepted to NYU and SMU to earn another MA. I earned an interview to the University of Denver, was wait-listed for a spot in their Counseling Psychology program, and against all odds everyone that was offered their spot accepted it. I was accepted to UNT to take PhD-level courses, but as a non-degree seeking student. I decided to take that offer and apply for their Counseling PhD program after I had been taking classes for a while and proved myself capable.
Except that the effort I exerted at UNT was driving to the campus from Dallas twice weekly and trying to find parking that I didn't have to pay for. At the time I had landed the glamorous position of 'Coordinator Receptionist' at Starbucks and was hourly, working 8am-5pm with a one-hour lunch. On days that I had class, I would work 8-4 and then have someone cover the front desk the last hour of the day so that I could drive the two hours it took to get to Denton and be there in time for class at 7pm. There were no papers required, the exams were multiple-choice, and I was so burnt out after pushing so hard to earn a MA in a year, I decided enough was enough.
While working at the front desk at Starbucks, I was approached by the Loss Prevention manager at the time, who asked if I might assist the department by searching eBay for Starbucks partners selling stuff they weren't supposed to. Within 6 months, I had caught 150 people selling product and was HOOKED. It was the first time I had ever felt like something I did at work *truly* mattered or made a difference. There was something exciting about discovering someone's dirty deed, the thrill of the hunt. I spent my time pursuing a position in the department, and finally joined in December 2005 as a senior compliance specialist. I've worked in LP ever since, for the past six years.
Even though I had decided school was not something I could handle for the time being, I never truly left my first love. I had a paper accepted at APA in 2006, was part of a symposium in 2007, had a poster accepted in 2008 (though I didn't attend because I was out of money and vacation time after getting married), another paper accepted in 2009 and two accepted in 2010. As years passed, I became simultaneously more comfortable with life and more anxious about school. I could never shake the feeling that I was not living up to my little girl dream, and yet I could no longer see a path to it. All of my decisions affect my husband. Full-time school means part-time or no work, huge amounts of additional student loan debt, and no certainty of a job upon graduation. We have a mortgage, two cars and a very comfortable life. And we want babies, soon. The cons were outweighing the pros.
About a month or so ago, I was charged with developing an internship program for the LP department at GameStop, I think because I am the youngest person in the department to have graduated from college and would therefore be more familiar with the process (at least, that's what I was told.) While looking at different Criminal Justice programs in the area, I started looking into PhD programs in psychology that were online. I have always been a little hesitant about schools on the internet, mainly because you hear the horror stories about "degree mills" that have no value in the real world. I found a school called Capella University which was offering a PhD in General Psychology. The first thing that struck me about Capella is that they are very forthcoming about the fact that they are accredited by the National Higher Learning Institute.
Do you want more information? The webpage asked me.
Sure, why not. I plugged in my phone number and email address.
About an hour later, I was contacted by an enrollment counselor from the school, who chatted with me about the program. She explained that the first two years of coursework were online, but the third year required a 1,000 hour residency. I felt the anxiety bubbling up again, and told her that I was uncertain that I could commit to a program that required me to quit my job - and, would not be accredited by the American Psychological Association. I then asked her to tell me about the PhD program for Industrial/Organizational Psychology, which is something I was vaguely familiar with. Dr. Garza had explained it as the study of behavior in the workplace, giving the example that these psychologists studied things like what wall colors impacted productivity. He also said that they BANKED, it is the highest-paying psychology degree out there. She said that this program was her favorite to talk about, and involved studying things like personality, motivation, teamwork and etc. As she spoke, I could see visions of research I could do that was specific to the Loss Prevention field, things that had not been considered before. She also said that the APA doesn't accredit any I/O programs at all, so it was a non-issue - and with my grades at UD I would be able to transfer in credits to cover several courses - and I would not have to quit my job.
I told her to give me a week to do my research. I then looked online to find out everything and anything I could about the university, the programs, the quality of the education, etc. Of course, I found some negative reviews - but they were mainly one-off experiences, nothing about the education. I do have concerns about the perception of an "online" degree, particularly in academic circles, but I also think the perception is changing, evidenced by the online and distance learning offered by many traditional universities. In terms of business, most companies view a degree not on the merits of the school you attend, but on the fact that you finished - it conveys a certain 'stick to it-iveness.' Just for fun, I looked at reviews for UD as well - and sadly, we receive far more negative than positive.
I then thought long and hard about my plans and expectations. Yes, I had always wanted to be a therapist. If I was honest with myself, though, the thought of going through the process to become a therapist filled me with anxiety and doubts. I love what I do in LP, and if I am able to get the degree I have dreamed about that both relates to what I currently do AND does not require me to quit my job to finish, isn't that a no-brainer?
On top of all that, GameStop offers $5K a year in tuition assistance for graduate-level education - which I qualify for, because I can demonstrate how my degree relates to my job.
School starts October 11, and I cannot wait.