Change of Career in Early 30s - Mental Health Counselor?

amother

Tue, Feb 17 2015, 12:55 pm

I already have a masters degree in biology and was doing clinical research before I had my 2 kids. Now I am a sahm, but am thinking about going back to work. I always wanted to be a therapist but was talked out of it by the people around me. Now I am thinking about some psych fields such as social worker and mhc. But I would have to go back to school.

a) is it crazy to go back to school at my age with young kids? We also probably want to have 1-2 more
b) How do people feel about these degrees/fields. I remember that one amother and her dh were very unhappy with her choice of mhc, why?
c) should I just stick with what I was doing even though I dont find it too fulfilling?

Bruria

Wed, Feb 18 2015, 3:26 am

I don't think it's ever too late to change or start something,if that's what you want go for it!
Just remember that it's really not easy being in college and also taking care of kids and house, etc, you'll need someone to help if you need to study,it requires a lot of your time!

ora_43

Wed, Feb 18 2015, 3:30 am

amother wrote:

a) is it crazy to go back to school at my age with young kids? We also probably want to have 1-2 more

It really depends how badly you want it, and what your resources are. If you can afford daycare, cleaning help, tuition - IOW school expenses + a little to make life a bit easier - it could be quite doable.

Quote:

b) How do people feel about these degrees/fields. I remember that one amother and her dh were very unhappy with her choice of mhc, why?

Where do you live? Different countries (and states? don't know) have different rules. Like, in Israel you can be a social worker with just a BA, in the US I think you need a masters, too.

The fields you mentioned can be pretty different. Most entry-level social work jobs don't involve one-on-one counseling, for example.

Quote:

c) should I just stick with what I was doing even though I dont find it too fulfilling?

You're in your early 30s, so you probably still have 30+ years in the workforce ahead of you. I'd go for the more fulfilling job if possible. It'd be much nicer to spend decades doing something you enjoy.

Just be sure you really want it, because it's a big investment.

(I'm not a counselor, but did go back to school after having kids. I do know several people in the mental health field here in Israel, so if you live here and have specific questions I can try to ask around.)

amother

Wed, Feb 18 2015, 8:40 am

I know someone who went to school for mental health counseling but the pay was very low and and after working in the field a short time she went back to school for a different, better paying degree. So please do your research before you invest a lot of $ in schooling because it may not pay off if your salary is too low.

amother

Wed, Feb 18 2015, 9:45 am

Op here. Thanks Ora, I actually am in the US though.

Amother what other field did you friend switch to? The reason I was thinking of mental health counseling is because I would like to be a therapist instead of doing casework and things of that nature that social workers do. I dont see myself embarking on the PHD path in psych though, that is just way too long to start now.

amother

Wed, Feb 18 2015, 10:25 am

My mother is a social worker who went to school in her 30s. It took her longer than most people because she had two kids while she was in school, and she finished when her youngest was in middle school.

The toll it will take on your family will largely depend on you. If you are financially stable enough to fund the schooling that's a big factor, but the bigger issue is how well you cope. If you will be able to juggle the work well that's great, but if it will take a toll on your children it's not worth it. I will never forget the years my mother was in college, and she was quite good at juggling. Otoh, if you will be doing homework when your kids come home and snapping at them to go away because you have to study, drop the idea now.

The last issue is why you would waste the schooling you already completed. The mental health and education fields are some of the lowest paying for professionals. My mother has now been working for many years, and she is at the top; she is the director of the mental health department and she owns a private practice. And yet, she feels that the pay is very low when compared to professionals of her level in other fields. My mother loves her job, but she always says that you don't get rich by being a social worker.

amother

Wed, Feb 18 2015, 11:11 am

Thanks for your reply amother. It's true that my degree field probably makes much more money than counseling. I just am much more interested in counseling but wonder if that's enough of a reason. My income would supplemental though because bH my dh is the breadwinner.

amother

Wed, Feb 18 2015, 11:29 am

amother wrote:

If your DH is the main breadwinner than the mental health field may not be a bad choice. My mother definitely loves her job.

The bigger issue is how much you will be sacrificing your children's well-being for a job that is evidently not vital to your financial stability. The only person who can figure that out is you. How much of a support system will you have? Are you okay with stretching the degree out over a long period of time in order to lessen the workload? Are you a perfectionist who will get nervous with your kids because you have to write a paper? Do you cope very well, and will be able to easily transition back into the working world after being a SAHM? I think that these are all questions you have to ask yourself.

shabri

Wed, Feb 18 2015, 1:16 pm

I'm a social worker. I think social work is a better choice than mhc. A social worker can do one on one therapy (that's what I do) but also has many other options which you don't have with your mhc degree.

In terms of pay obviously it's not the highest paying job around, but if you are good people will pay to come to you