Full Careers
What should I do?
I am going to school to be a counselor. I have my BA in Psychology and pursuing my Master's Degree in Human Services with a specialization in Mental Health Counseling. I just started grad school and I love it and would love counseling but I've always denied my dream of working with marine animals. Ever since I was five and went to Sea World, I knew that's exactly what I want to do. I've checked out the career options with Sea World and it turns out that my Psych degree would come in handy. I guess what I'm trying to ask is should I pursue my real dream of working with animals and probably make less money or should I stick with what I am already doing. I do not have any professional experience (besides school) for either profession and I only took one biology class in college. Am I crazy for even thinking about switching careers that I haven't even started? Sorry for going on and on but I've been really uneasy about things. Thanks for any help!
Public Comments
- There is a growing field of animal psychology. Lots of people want their pets to be analyzed, you sound perfectly qualified for that profession. I had a friend that took her cat to an animal shrink and claimed it was useful. The woman's show on the Discovery Channel really spring boarded the profession.
- Better to starve doing something you love, and barely make bills, then to make money but dread every day you show up to work.
- Hey, have you heard of the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan? He has his own TV show in Animal Planet and has his own "training center" in California and is making $$$$$$$.
- You will only live once. EAT YOUR DESSERT FIRST. I would go with your dream. It may be less money but trust me you can survive. You will be happier all the way around. You can always go back and work at a job that pays more and brings less happieness if you so choose. If you have a chance at your dream take it, and you won't regret it later.
- Start out doing what you love. Don't get stuck in a job wishing for the rest of your life that you had followed your dream.
- ok the money shouldn't be the issue here. You have to pursue what will make you happiest! Maybe write up a list of pros and cons of each profession and even a list of loves and hates to do with each kind of job and work out which job has the most pros and the most loves about it! Maybe finish what you are doing now and become a counsellor and see how much you enjoy it. If you aren't enjoying it as much as you thought you would you can always change your career path to marine animals if counselling isn't as satisfying as you thought!
- Here's the standard piece of advice I always give. Twenty years from now, do you want to wake up dreading the fact that you have to get up and go to a job you hate, or do you want to wake up excited at the prospect of going to work? Follow your dreams, always. The problem with following the money is that too many people do that, and then a particular field gets swamped with people. When that happenes, the money is no longer very good. If you are working in a field that you love, the money will come and the prospects will be better because interviewers will see your passion for the job come accross in your interviews. I'm speaking from experience here. I did go after the big bucks. I ended up being so stressed that I developed a facial tick and several other stress related problems. I make considerably less money now, but I LOVE what I do, I can't WAIT to get to work in the morning and have occassionally taken work home not because I HAVE to, but because it's so fun that I just want to try stuff for the heck of it. AND, in my case, my enthusiasm came through in the interview so much that I got more money for the job than I had wanted. The point of this ramble is: Do what you love, don't worry about 'more' money.
- Yeah you may make less $ doing what you love, but it is just that, something that you love. If you don't go for it you may always wonder would I be happier if I had changed career paths. I believe it's better to do soemthign that makes you happy than to live your life unhappy. Go for it. I'm willing to bet if it what you believe you really want to do you'll be much happier in the end.
