finished thank god

[nj593]

FIRST !!! thanks to the forum and many individuals that helped me along the way.. I got my associates and Ba in almost 2 years because of this site. I did not do many cleps but the chatting and insight from many here helped me along the way.

Ok, so finally experimental psychology is done. MY GOD THIS CLASS SUCKS!!!
It is so boring. To think that I would have to do 5 more just like those if i go for my PhD. So with that said looks like Psyd instead.. LOL
All jokes aside though. What the heck do i do now for a masters?
I was going to continue to a LPC but they only get paid 45k if their lucky.
Was looking at another route as a Physician assistant but that requires a year of pre-reqs that I dont have neither the money nor the time to invest. Plus there is no guarantee that I will get into a pa program after the pre-reqs because schools only take 25 people a year, with a waiting list out the door.
Looked at a MBA but what job does a MBA get from a online school? Not to knock on any of you that might have gotten it. But my reasoning is a guy from Harvard business is going to be CEO but if I went to say UOP for a MBA then what?
I looked into teaching and even spoke with a couple of teachers and they said dont do it, run.. :willynilly: They said with the cut backs and the way it is now its not worth it. So where do i go now?
My passion is psychology but it does not pay. I dont want to sound greedy but Im already 45k in debt with loans. My new degree now only gets me 34k :ack: and pretty much is the cap on salary for that degree.
AHHHH INSIGHT ANYONE!!!
All jokes aside any thoughts on where to from here is appreciated. What degrees can I seek out for masters that will get me atleast 50 or 60k ?

[TMW2010]

FIRST !!! thanks to the forum and many individuals that helped me along the way.. I got my associates and Ba in almost 2 years because of this site. I did not do many cleps but the chatting and insight from many here helped me along the way.

Grats!

Ok, so finally experimental psychology is done. MY GOD THIS CLASS SUCKS!!!
It is so boring. To think that I would have to do 5 more just like those if i go for my PhD. So with that said looks like Psyd instead.. LOL
All jokes aside though. What the heck do i do now for a masters?
I was going to continue to a LPC but they only get paid 45k if their lucky.
Was looking at another route as a Physician assistant but that requires a year of pre-reqs that I dont have neither the money nor the time to invest. Plus there is no guarantee that I will get into a pa program after the pre-reqs because schools only take 25 people a year, with a waiting list out the door.

Hehe... I feel your pain.. I'm actually looking at a MA program for Experimental Psychology, too... 3 full classes of Quantatitive Measures in Psychology. Weee... You can do more with the LPC designation. Career and school counseling as well as your standard mental health counseling. Depending on your state, you may be able to do Marriage & Family therapy. But some states require the LMFT for that.

*EDIT Insert* One thing you can do instead of taking a degree program that focuses on the LPC is get a psych masters (in whatever area) and build onto it with grad certs that not only fulfill the course/credit requirements for the LPC but also give you a broader range in the field. But this can get expensive. *End edit insert*

And if you do go farther, you're crippling yourself without a degree from an APA approved program, sadly... I've tried hard to figure out a way to make it work but nada so far, so I'm actually applying to the three universities in my area with the accreditation after I complete my masters. There's only 1 school that has an APA distance program, and its expensive as all get out. Saybrook has set up a PsyD that meets the standards, but they've got to wait until they're eligible to apply for the certification for it. (and even now, Saybrook is about 80K + residency costs, + dissertation.) The big key is that EVERYTHING with the government requires Psychologists with Ph.D.s from APA programs. But if you get one, the CIA is always looking, and they pay $85-130/year (but do require an additional 2 years of post doc experience). The VA is another big government employer of Psychologists.

Looked at a MBA but what job does a MBA get from a online school? Not to knock on any of you that might have gotten it. But my reasoning is a guy from Harvard business is going to be CEO but if I went to say UOP for a MBA then what?

An MBA from UOP will get you high student loans and often laughed at by companies... While UOP has worked fabulously for some people, the general consensus seems to that companies don't particularly care for them. You could try the Edinburgh Business School of Heriot-Watt University. Its cheaper, can be done in modules and seems to be somewhat respected. And its a lot less expensive. (Did I mention that its much cheaper?)

I looked into teaching and even spoke with a couple of teachers and they said dont do it, run.. :willynilly: They said with the cut backs and the way it is now its not worth it. So where do i go now?
My passion is psychology but it does not pay. I dont want to sound greedy but Im already 45k in debt with loans. My new degree now only gets me 34k :ack: and pretty much is the cap on salary for that degree.
AHHHH INSIGHT ANYONE!!!
All jokes aside any thoughts on where to from here is appreciated. What degrees can I seek out for masters that will get me atleast 50 or 60k ?

You could look into become a BCBS (Board Certified Behavior Specialist) - This seems to be a rather lucrative area and it's relatively inexpensive. Its five classes, a buttload of internship hours, and a test (or two depending on how you want to do it, you could become a BCa(ssitant)BS after the first 3 classes and an internship). You could branch out into subfields like IO Psychology or Forensic Psych.

(No offense) To be honest I'm suprised your psych degree gets you that much pay. If you look at the job prospects for Psych majors, you get a list of jobs like clerical assistant, small business owner, salesperson. IE the same jobs you can get without a degree at all. Its usually not until you get your masters that you really get going in the field of psychology job-wise.

Good luck. I've got an excel spreadsheet of some of the DL masters & doctorate programs that I was looking at with a cost comparison and a bunch of other crap if you'd like it, but it is a couple months old... Just PM me.

[marianne202]

Congrats! I know it must be frustrating to be excited about finishing one chapter, but not knowing how to proceed. I've never looked at psych. careers because I wouldn't want to work in that realm unless it was with law enforcement. I would however, encourage you to look into teaching as a possible option. I teach at the community college level and love it, while the pay isn't what it is at the university level, I think it levels out with the perks of summers and holidays off, especially if you have kids. Most community colleges are seeing huge increases in their enrollment and are hiring, at least here. You may want to give it a try part-time and see if you like it. Part-time usually pays better hourly than full-time. But it would let you see if you like it or not. Just a thought. I hope you figure out something that will work for you so you can celebrate your great success! Congrats again! Job well done!

[NAP]

Congratulations on finishing your degree!

[bricabrac]

Hey NJ!


Wonderful News !! :hurray:[INDENT]Congratulations !!! cheersmate [INDENT]

WhooooHOOOOO!!!:hurray:

[/INDENT][/INDENT]

[GoodYellowDogs]

If you like psych, have you thought about industrial psych or org development? You'd work for a big corporation, but the pay is better.

[bricabrac]

If you like psych, have you thought about industrial psych or org development? You'd work for a big corporation, but the pay is better.

:iagree: I thought the same but was afraid to say....come on and join us on the dark side...Human Resources seems to have a stable growth pattern. Plus its loads of fun gossip.

[nj593]

Thanks guys and gals.
I was talking to a few MBA people I know they say that despite the huge pushing out of MBA degrees there still jobs out there in business.
Then I heard that GM's make 45-50k for Mcdonalds.. HMMM doing something wrong and reconsidering. I guess my fear with any of these would be my age being around my young 30's and been working in psychology now for a good decade. So, I would not have much experience at anything else...

UGH let me go figure out life and stuff. :toetap:
Will be back.. thanks again !!

[peace123]

Congrats on finishing your Bachelors degree !!!!!

[bricabrac]

Thanks guys and gals.
I was talking to a few MBA people I know they say that despite the huge pushing out of MBA degrees there still jobs out there in business.
Then I heard that GM's make 45-50k for Mcdonalds.. HMMM doing something wrong and reconsidering. I guess my fear with any of these would be my age being around my young 30's and been working in psychology now for a good decade. So, I would not have much experience at anything else...

UGH let me go figure out life and stuff. :toetap:
Will be back.. thanks again !!

Here in NJ if you throw a stick it will hit an MBA...or JD...or MBA, JD LOL
This is why I am in no hurry for an MBA.

In pharma walking in the door as an HR admin w/o degree you are sitting at 45-55k so add in bachelors with experience in hospital or clinic...you are now a generalist 55-65k. Come into clinical as a project assistant with degree 50-55k. Or with experience, maybe you were a research clinic study coordinator; you could start as an entry level CRA 65-70k. Not sure exactly where you have worked but if in hospital or clinic you can make a seamless natural migration into pharma. An example of an approach would be coming from hospital administration or research clinics.

Here is a general idea of salary range in central NJ Pharma. It like anything else will fluctuate especially in this wicked economy but even still when you get some experience and contacts it is an awesome industry:
admin 45k-55k; exec admin 50-100k+ (depends on level); coordinators 55-80k+; specialists 60-75k+; CRA/sr CRA 65-95k+, managers (no reports) are usually 90-100k; managers (w/direct reports) 100-120k, sr managers 120-160k; directors 140-180k+, sr dir 160-200k+, vp 200k+. Bonuses range from lowest 5% (admin/coord), 10%(coord/spec/cra), 15%(mgr) 25%(dir), to highest 30-35%(vp/svp). There is a separate cut on overall company profit (mgr?, dir/vp/svp….

If you should decided upon the clinical/medical side of the industry-after bachelors the goal is: MS, RPh, PhD, PharmD, DO, MD. If you should achieve a science/medical degree and then add MBA...now your talking fringe benefits. The new craze...MS/MPH, MS/MBA, MS/JD, MPH/MBA, PharmD/JD, Phd/MBA, DO/EMBA, MD/EMBA, MD/MPH....hope you get my drift. Regulatory credentials are also high on the food chain. Salaries are going to keep getting better and better if you are able to talk two languages: Science and Business, Science and Legal, Science and Public Health/Health Admin....

On the commercial side BA/BS to MBA and or JD is I'm sure a natural progression. Since you are a PSY major I'm thinking people and or research is more your nature vs. crunching numbers/products. There is also a whole tech thing going on that I haven't looked at because its not on my radar.

These are the reasons why I can’t decide on a masters program...I'm currently between two MS degree choices: clinical research/mgmt and human resource mgmt. Have to decide soon but may end up tossing a coin...LOL.

Hope this gives you more to think about! The blessing is you are still quite young and have time to experiment. Oops, did I mention the majority of pharma companies have wonderful tuition reimbursement programs? Good Luck!cheersmate