Full Careers
Where do I begin?
I am a single mother of a 6 year old and a 7 mnth old. I am a high school graduate, I have 1 full year of college (12 credits?), and a certificate in Computerized Career Skills from a business school. I have been working for 15 yrs. in grocery, retail, customer service, airline, bank teller, telemarketing, office assist., and most recently legal secretary. When I was a young girl I rarely played house or school, I remember always pretending to have a group of kids in a circle and I was their mentor or counselor. My desire, STILL, is to help young people. I want to pursue a career in counseling/therapy for young people, Middle School/ High School age. Where do I begin? Right now I work for a company that is very involved in helping young people, but my position is not hands on, it's more fund raising. Any advice on how I start?
Public Comments
- Very good goals. you could get on line education, or attend nearby schools. Start inquiring, and filing your application letters.
- You are already well on your way having identified a goal. If you are talking about therapy in a clinical sense you would need to go back to college. But without adoubt the place to begin is where the people who do what you would like to do are. Ask what qualificaions their positions require. You may be able to find a job where you have the opportunity to help kids in meaningful ways without having to get a Phd.
- First off, good for you for not giving up on you dreams! I think that they best place to start is to try volunteer work. Becuase you are a single mother I realize this can be difficult to balance, but you might want to try a program/club (the scouts, church programs, or summer camps) for you children and then do the volunteer work to pump up out resume. Then possibly get you foot in the door with a job more closely related to what you want to do. In the meanwhile, you may want to try to see if your company has an incentives for furthing your education. Often times, many companies will pay some or all of your tuition if you are interested in pursuing a degree program related to your field or to the company's mission statement. Check it out. If all else fails, scholarship/grant programs are available as well! To balance college, you will most likely want to start online/night courses until you find a balance that is right for you. HINT - Try looking into University of Maryland, University of Pheonix, or Troy State's online programs. Major in either psychology or social sciences, and move into Master's programs in social work or counciling. In order to really get into these fields you will be required to have a post-graduate degree. Best Wishes, Amber
