Full Careers - What should I do?

What should I do?

I have a BA & MS in Sociology. I currently work in Human Resources. But I am not really satisfied. Should I: A) Get a PhD in Sociology (I am interested in teaching at the University level, but am intimidated by this for some reason) B) Get a second Masters Degree in Human Resource Managment ( I like HR, but can't seem to move up to a management role, so I think that's why I'm not satisfied) C) Become a Certified Paralegal (I could do this in two years at a community college. I am interested in law but am intimidated by the LSAT and actually going to Law School) D) Go to Law School (see above) E) Do something completely different I like working with college students. I am interested in possibly working in a career development office of a university. PLEASE HELP!!!!

Public Comments

Why don't you take the LSAT? It's a small investment, but then you could get a little better idea about how feasible law school is. Try not to settle; you might as well set your goals high.
It sounds like you are afraid of failing. You should do the one that you think would make you the happiest because that will be the most rewarding and give you a real goal. Being afraid is perfectly normal, it's what drives us to try harder. I'm sure you will do fine in whichever field you choose. You sound very empathetic, I think you would do best in a field that would help you guide others in their endeavors..that's just my opinion (lol).
I think that you should do whatever makes you happy. No one can make a decision like that for you cause they don't' really understand the passion that you have for certain things. Figure out witch one defines YOU the most and at the end you would have found your answer. But GOOD LUCK, and YOU will make the RIGHT DECISION!!!! <3
Get a job in an office, at a college, (possibly student advising)... who knows the way things are in this day and age the kids might need legal advice also. This might help you feel more comfy with being around them. Then I think you should really go for the PhD.... Keep moving on up. Don't feel intimidated by the students as I am sure you know your stuff already. Keep on smilin (",)
Well, my best advice to you would be to just step out and apply to your local university's career development office. If there is a posting available for a position you are interested in you should design your resume after what they desire (only if you can do what is requested). Another option, since you do have your Masters in Sociology, would be to apply for an instructor position in Sociology at your local university(ies). If you have never taught, and you want to, I would suggest taking that route. You won't know until you try, right? I do have to say that I think going back to school may not be the best option for you unless you are sure that is what you want to do. You are going to end up in debt (if you already aren't, and if not, congratulations!) and possibly wasting valuable time in something you don't really want to do anyway. If you are really interested in helping other people, why not just volunteer first - especially if you have not done so before. It is hard to make career choices and really even harder when you earn advanced degrees. I hope this helps. Best of luck to you!
I say go for the PhD! You may be intimidated right now, but I'm sure that will pass with teaching experience. Plus, it really seems like you want to work with college students and you are really interested in pursuing your major! Good Luck!
Different people will need to answer different aspects of this question, ending up with several thumbs up but not best answer & you may want to extend the time for answers. Sounds to me like your education is far in excess of what is needed to do the HR job. Perhaps you would be happier doing a job like "Business Analyst" because you enjoy the complexity, the challenge. A business analyst is someone who understanda all aspects of a business ... management, computing, marketing, production, accounting ... everything. This person then studies flows of data, intercommunication within the work force, figures out changes in how things are to be done so as to enrich the company. It is more than an efficiency expert, it is also what needs to be done to make the company more profitable, competitive. A person doing this job usually works for some kind of consultancy company, like an audit firm for example. Typically a business analyst is called into a firm that has some trouble, spends a week or so gathering information, then makes a series of reccommendations what needs to be done differently to increase the company's success. Sometimes a business analyst is used in conjunction with a conversion project, or software implementation, to judge whether it is being done correctly, to potentially save the company the consequences of spending a year or more doing it wrong. I am now over age 60 and have worked in many different companies. The larger companies have an HR manager and HR clerk or clerks. In the smaller companies one person does it all, a glorified clerk in which a high school graduate can be hired to do the work & the only opportunity for advancement is another kind of clerking. In fact it is not unusual for someone experienced in the company via another kind of clerking to get moved to HR clerking after they have learned the basics of the work. I have worked at unionize factories where the union was also a factory, in which their product was paperwork associated with alleged grievances. The HR manager farmed this out to various middle managers, such as plant manager, CEO, accounting manager etc. Each of them would get like 10-20 new grievances per day to investigate and resolve. I see two future trends in the HR work. 1. The work can be off-shored ... there is a risk that all the people who today have HR jobs will lose that employment a few years away, like vast numbers of other white collar jobs have been off shored. If you not know what I am talking about, do some Internet searches for out sourcing via off shoring. Look at the historical trends in this area to see what kinds of jobs have been lost to foreign competition. 2. There is an evolution in government regulation trends such that some day only a citizen of nation-X may do the HR job for employees working in nation X, and maybe HR people will need a security clearance to do the job. If you have no idea what I am talking about, check out EEVS data base of everyone in America who is authorized to have a job in America, a scheme in the current Immigration Law being debated in Congress. Supposedly there are 150 million people who are not illegal aliens, who have a legal right to work in America, and there will be a new HR rule where they have to have right to work documentation that passes government muster. The SSA estimates a 4.5 % error rate, meaning 6 million Americans will lose their jobs because the system will think they are illegals, they will be innocent casualities of the War to protect America's borders.
Have you considered Social Work? Social workers are able to work in many different fields (No, we don't just take kids away, that's a stereotype!) because the field is so broad. Social workers are guidance counselors, therapists, directors, career advisors, etc. I just graduated with my BSW and will have my MSW in a year and I LOVE this field. I have always preferred the higher education aspect of Social Work and am in a position where I work with various departments and am still involved with the campus. If you aren't ready yet to leave higher education, check your school for open job postings in career development, international students office, transfer students office, orientation office (my job), etc. It helps if you can decide what TYPE of student you would like to work with.
Go to law school. If you take the time to prepare for the LSAT I'm sure you'll do fine. But if you get another degree make sure it is in a different area of study, that way you have a more diverse background.
I think you should get your PHD in Sociology and teach at University level. You stated that you like working with college students, so this seems like the right path to take. You were knowledgeable enough to obtain a MS, so why be intimidated by obtaining a higher degree. I believe that you can do it. What do you think?