[miguelito119]

Hello everyone, apologies in advance for the length of the message.

My name is Miguel, I am currently about 5 months away from finishing my bachelors in Psychology. I already have an associate of science in medical assisting. I should also mention that I am a book cover designer, it is important to my issue. I am very conflicted as to what I should career I should choose. I know that many people have this problem. However, my problem comes with my own mental stability or health. I had an extremely tough upbringing. We are talking about dealing with physical and sexual abuse, to being extremely poor, to being threatened to death by my own brother. I could sit here and type everything that happened to me but it is just too long. Point is, I am still trying to recover from all of this, and it isn’t easy. I have a stable home now and a loving partner by my side.
Here is where the problem comes. I know that, in order to become a psychologist, one needs to be strong enough to be able to handle others problems. I know the commitment it takes to succeed in this career. I just don’t know if I am strong enough, mentally, to do this job. I don’t want it to be where, 20 years from now I am working and I am miserable with my choice. I am also afraid that it will impact my family members, because I know that we are all in it. I don’t want to sound too proud of myself, but I am good at psychology. I volunteer at a website for immediate help to people in psychological distress. I also had a mentor, a doctor in psychology at my university, who said she saw something special in me and wanted to mentor me because I was good at this.
This is where I am torn. My boyfriend has a bachelor of arts in graphic design. He is making very good money. It is so sad that a bachelors won’t get you nowhere near the amount he is making. To get back to the point though, he is teaching me graphic design. And I am also pretty good at it. I create book covers, I built my own website, I am doing really good. I even started to make some money as a freelancer. I also get to stay at home with him because he works remote. I am currently not working, so he supports me at the moment. I am so afraid that this life will go away because of my career choice. I love my life with him. However, I know that if I choose psychology, we might have a lot of problems because of the stress and commitment and all that.
I am so torn as to what I should do. On one side, the hard option, psychology (which, I love, it is my passion and I know it.) And on the other side, graphic design, which is easy, but I don’t love it as much as I do psychology. I am afraid to choose graphic design and then end up regretting it later. I should mention this, and if any of you have psychological training, you will know where I am getting at. I tend to switch careers very fast. I started in criminal justice, didn’t think I was good enough so I quit. Then I went into medicine, finished my *** and then quit because I didn’t think I was good enough either. Here I am now in psychology, about to finish, and I want to give up, not because I think I’m not good enough, but I think I’m not strong. What if this happens again with design? I know this is a lot to take in. And if any of you have advice for me, I will greatly appreciate it. Thanks everyone in advance.

[healingme4me]

5 more months, isn't much longer. At least you'll have that degree. I wouldn't make a leap into graphic design until fully earning a sustainable income that gives you freedoms and independence that money gives. It's kind of your bf to support you, at the same time it sounds like it could lead to complacency and could wind up feeling like entrapment despite how well you get along. Who knows maybe the stress of the job won't feel so suffocating as your worries?

[Skeezyks]

Thanks for sharing your concern here on PC, Miguel. I see this is your first post. So... welcome to Psych Central.

Honestly, I don't think there is really a lot I can say about this. I think this is all simply something you have to work out in your own mind. I guess the one thing I would say is that, to my way of thinking, in order to be a good therapist you have to be deeply familiar with your own wounds. As the Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön has written: "Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity." (The Places That Scare You, Pgs. 66-67.)

I think that what you perhaps need to do is to spend some time with a counselor or therapist yourself & talk all of this through until you can come to some conclusions regarding what you really want to do. There's never going to be a point where every conceivable question or concern is answered. You simply have to clarify as many points of concern as possible & then choose.

Here are links to 8 articles, from Psych Central's archives, that may be of interest to you. The first article (as well as the 7th) is by our host Dr. John Grohol, Psy.D:

So You Want to Become a Psychologist?

Psychologists Spill: When I Knew I'd Become a Psychotherapist

Therapists Spill: Why I Love Being a Clinician

Therapists Have Therapy Too

Career Coaching 101: Finding a Professional to Help You Find Your Fulfilling Career

https://psychcentral.com/lib/how-to-...er-path/?all=1

https://psychcentral.com/lib/choices...dium=popular17

https://psychcentral.com/lib/6-relia...cisions/?all=1

I hope you find PC to be of benefit.

[HowDoYouFeelMeow?]

Hi there,

There are lots of things one can do with a bachelors degree in psychology besides clinical/counseling work. Here are some psychology degree career options:

Proofreader, Sales Representative, Membership Sales Representative, Enrollment / Eligibility Specialist, Human Resources Assistant, Insurance Sales Agent, Residential Assistant / Advisor, Family / School / General Social Worker, Reporter, Editor, Technical Writer, Copywriter, Writer, Travel / Tour Guide, Social / Human Service Assistant, Community Health Worker, Paralegal / Legal Assistant, Legal Support Specialist, Social / Human Services Manager, Recruiter, Event Planner, Account Manager / Representative, Policy Analyst, Social Science Researcher, Academic / Guidance Counselor, Career Counselor, Mental Health / Behavioral Counselor, Enrollment / Admission Counselor

—Meow