It seems like the last few years, my New Year’s resolutions have been to go back to school and figure out “what I want to be when I grow up.” Last January, I decided I wanted to go back to school to become a Speech Therapist. I enrolled in one class at Cleveland State University and although I ended up getting an A in the course, it was way too scientific for me and it wasn’t something I could see myself doing. Which in the end is good because I would have had to get both another undergraduate and master’s degree to become licensed. That would have taken many, many years and a lot of money. Not to say it wouldn’t be worth it to have a career/job that made me happy, but if I can avoid getting 2 more degrees to find that job or career, that would be ideal.
This year, my New Year’s resolution is a little different. Although I still plan to enroll in a class at CSU for the spring semester, my goal this year isn’t to completely figure out what I want to be when I grow up, but rather to continue trying. I don’t think it’s realistic to believe that by December 31, 2011, I will have determined what exactly it is that I want to do with the rest of my life. But I do plan on taking some more classes and ruling out some more options and through that process, hopefully I will be one step closer to finding the answer.
The first class I’m going to take is Cultural and Social Foundations in Counseling. I’m exploring the idea of getting my master’s degree in Educational Counseling to be a school Guidance Counselor someday. Many factors have contributed to my decision to explore this option, but the biggest and most recent factor has been my interactions with the students at the high school where I work. I’ve also developed a friendship with the Guidance Counselor and talking with her about her job really got me thinking it’s something I would enjoy doing.
When I applied for graduate school at BG, I also applied to the counseling program. It was a very last minute decision so my application was somewhat weak and the materials (essays, videos etc.) were thrown together and not my best work. I probably wasn’t very believable in the video and essay submissions because I wasn’t 100% sure it was something I could handle. I won’t say that I’m 100% sure even now that I can do counseling without bringing my work home with me and being too sensitive. However, I feel much more confident today, now that I’ve had an up close and personal look at what it would be like (and a few more years to mature), than I did 5 years ago when I was applying to grad school.
If all else fails, Pat says by the end of this maybe I will have a master’s degree named after me. The Emily Robinson master’s degree would be the degree someone receives when they have no idea what they want to do with their life so they take one class in every subject area. I guess that’s something to strive for. :)
This year, my New Year’s resolution is a little different. Although I still plan to enroll in a class at CSU for the spring semester, my goal this year isn’t to completely figure out what I want to be when I grow up, but rather to continue trying. I don’t think it’s realistic to believe that by December 31, 2011, I will have determined what exactly it is that I want to do with the rest of my life. But I do plan on taking some more classes and ruling out some more options and through that process, hopefully I will be one step closer to finding the answer.
The first class I’m going to take is Cultural and Social Foundations in Counseling. I’m exploring the idea of getting my master’s degree in Educational Counseling to be a school Guidance Counselor someday. Many factors have contributed to my decision to explore this option, but the biggest and most recent factor has been my interactions with the students at the high school where I work. I’ve also developed a friendship with the Guidance Counselor and talking with her about her job really got me thinking it’s something I would enjoy doing.
When I applied for graduate school at BG, I also applied to the counseling program. It was a very last minute decision so my application was somewhat weak and the materials (essays, videos etc.) were thrown together and not my best work. I probably wasn’t very believable in the video and essay submissions because I wasn’t 100% sure it was something I could handle. I won’t say that I’m 100% sure even now that I can do counseling without bringing my work home with me and being too sensitive. However, I feel much more confident today, now that I’ve had an up close and personal look at what it would be like (and a few more years to mature), than I did 5 years ago when I was applying to grad school.
If all else fails, Pat says by the end of this maybe I will have a master’s degree named after me. The Emily Robinson master’s degree would be the degree someone receives when they have no idea what they want to do with their life so they take one class in every subject area. I guess that’s something to strive for. :)
I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday.
~Author Unknown
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