Okay, people. Here's the deal. Last week I got an email from Hopkins about joining their Counseling Fellows Program. In case you didn't know, I'm already taking classes to become a school counselor. At the rate I'm going (about 2 classes a semester), it will take me another 2+ years to finish up this degree.
The Counseling Fellows is a one year deal. I could have my counseling degree by next August and a job in time for the 2011-2012 school year.
Here's the problem: I'll have to quit my job. Now, before you get selfish and panic about the state of the blog, I'll tell you I will have to intern in a school (quite possibly my own) for the year. The blog will not die. Now, quitting is not really the problem as I've been tired of teaching for quite some time now. I know counseling is what I want to do. The real problem would be money. I would have no job and be acquiring a crapload of loans on top of the ones I am already paying back. Now, since this is my 5th year in a Title 1 school, some of my curent loans are being forgiven by the federal government. And there's also something called Public Service Forgiveness where, if I pay my monthly bill for 10 years while I work in Public Service the whole time, at the end of the ten years the remainder of my loans are forgiven.
However, giving up a perfectly fine job with awesome benefits and health insurance is very scary to me. Granted, once I get my degree, I would consider jobs all over the country and be open to just about anywhere not sucky. But the next year would be a very uncertain time and I don't like uncertainty.
I don't like not having any money. I don't like adding on more student loans. I don't like giving up a job with out the promise of a new one. I don't like worrying about my rent and my car payment and food.
I don't like my job anymore. Who the heck even knows what is going on with my school, I may not even have a job there next year anyway. Who knows if I would even want one. I don't really like Baltimore anymore and am ready for a change. However, I've already invested money into this grad program and you can't transfer credits like in undergrad.
I could keep on working at school and pay-as-I-go for 3 more years or I can get it all done by next August and be drowning in debt.
Now it's your turn. This is the audience participation part of our program. Tell me what you think. What should I do? I'm going for at least five comments here, kids. I'm talking to you, person I don't know who reads this. I'm talking to you, friend who reads but never comments. I'm definitely talking to you, faithful commentators. TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK.
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9 comments:
These questions come to mind:
In the end, two+ more years and teaching vs. one year of school only, will you have the same amount of debt? I am all about not acquiring debt if you don't have to.
Would you have the oportunity to work at all, in a part time job? I know, I know, school and interning and a part time job sound like a lot, but a year goes really fast. Is there any money to made in tutoring in your area? Do you have the ability to cut any expenses? Get a roommate, rent a room in a home, sell a car and use public transportation, etc?
If you could find a way to live less expensively so that you are not living on borrowed money (so not a good idea) then I would tend to go for getting the schooling out of the way and get on with your life. If however, there is no way for you to go to school and cut living expenses and you would find yourself using borrowed money just to get by, I would say stick out the the 2+ year plan. You will be so happy to not have exorbitant amounts of debt hanging over your head. Our economy is in a very scary place right now and I would not want to go into the future with more debt than I was comfortable handling myself, because you never know when the rules are going to change.
I feel I should preface any input I have with the fact that I am currently seeking employment in a world in which opportunities are frighteningly scarce and am finding the whole process to be utterly defeating. In my situation I'm applying for everything that I remotely qualify for anywhere inside (and sometimes outside) of the U.S. I've applied for 50+ jobs, and most of these jobs are getting around 200 applications each. I don't need a quant degree (even though I've got one) to tell me that those odds blow. I get that we're not in the same field or anything, but I am fairly certain that my experience in academia is not especially unique. Folks ain't got jobs nowhere. Given this experience, I'm all for waiting it out a bit, especially if it saves you money.
However, I'm also not all about being miserable for the sake of saving a few bucks. I've done that and I still look back on that year as the uncontested worst year of my life. So, for me it would depend on just how horrible I thought sticking it out would be versus the relative potential for financial security. I was also going to include emotional/psychological health in there too, but really, when it comes to sanity I can imagine that whatever option you choose could do a number on your well-being so maybe that's a wash.
So, if it were me I could see the decision being a tough one--suggesting that both options have their very real and substantive pros and cons--but I would probably decide to forgo the fellowship for the ride-this-thing-out-a-little-longer option. But that decision is totally the result of having first hand experience with how much looking for a job sucks right now.
Heather,
I started to write a long discourse on your options. You know your options so I won't go there. What I will say is that I will pray for you as you make this decision. Use your heart as well as your head and let God lead you to what he wants for you.
I am one of the people who read your blog but never comments. Your stories are amazing. I pray for your safety and sanity all the time.
Kathleen Duffert
I'm with my friend Kathleen. I will pray for you and your decision, but I, unlike her, won't stop there. I have always been one to give my opinion, whether people want it or not, and lookee here! Someone actually ASKING! Who am I to pass up such an opportunity?
Go for the debt, baby. Get what you want. I am not a fan of debt, however if you hate your job and hae the opportunity to get out--even with debt, I say go for it. Love you, love your posts.
i am a guilty lurker. like many, i found your blog through our mutual friend, erin. like erin's other friend, kristy, i am ALL FOR giving my opinion. like erin's friend, krysity, i am also ALL FOR going for the plan that can get you on your feet (albeit on a new path) faster. like everyone here, i think debt is a horrible idea. i was one of the few lucky ones who was able to work my way through college without debt and since then, i've done everything i can to avoid it. HOWEVER, the sad thing is the fear of debt has kept me from doing plenty: studying abroad, going back to school, etc. i say, screw the fear. you have a good chance of finding a job you will be wonderful in, and if you do as kathleend suggests--use your head and heart--god will provide. of that, i'm sure.
good luck!
I am an analyst. Body, mind, soul, career, etc = analyst. I get paid to do it, and now you asked me to do it for you. I also play the devil's advocate a lot. All of my inner being wants you to have what you want, but I really wanted to explore why you should stay in your current job. I found myself with more questions than answers really, but at least I'm not sending you a powerpoint presentation.
After reading your post many times, I determined that the biggest benefits of staying in your current job are the Public Service Forgiveness Program (PSFP for short) and stability. I did some research and found the PSFP was a really awesome deal. It does require you to be employed in public service for a solid 10 years. That being said, if you continue on your current path (half student, half teacher), when you complete your degree (which will be before that 10 years of public service is done) would changing to a career of a counselor still qualify you for the PSFP? If it does not, I'm going to make a guess that another 5 years of teaching will make you totally insane and unhappy. The choice is easy: just go get what you want now because the benefit of smaller debt isn't going to happen anyway.
If you could change careers at the end of your schooling and still qualify for the PSFP, then it's harder. Then I question the other benefit of sticking to the current path, stability. How likely is it that you will be able to keep teaching over the time that you would be in school? For this, please factor in getting fired, losing your mind, and the like. If one of these is likely to happen, then go for the dream because it's really not that stable, and you'd still not get to see the benefit of the PSFP. If you think you can make it, then keep reading.
My other question is what does the job market look like for counselors? If it is very likely that you will be able to find a job (and you will because you are AWESOME), then that career would probably be just as stable, if not more so, than the one you have right now. With a stable job, you will be happier, more productive and will be able to pay your debt off over time. You don't happen to qualify for the same type of loan for grad school that the PSFP can help with, do you? That would be amazing!
That's the end of the analysis. You shouldn't be surprised that I have 3 pages of notes sitting here and don't think that I've really come up with any better solution than my original gut feeling.
I will end with this: the longer you wait to finish your counselor's degree, the more kids will be deprived of your amazing abilities to relate to them and help them with their problems.... and I know you love those kids.
Wow! Look at all these comments! :)
I guess I identified most with what Carole had to say.
I, too, will pray for you.
One question: does a counseling job pay more, thereby enabling you to pay off your debt more quickly when all is said and done?
Also, I concur with Kristi: Love you, love your posts. I actually think if you wrote about folding laundry I would enjoy it.
p.s. Angie lurked on my blog FOR.EVER. before she admitted to it. ;)
Definitely get the degree now. It will be worth it and you will be happy. The end.
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