Thanks for the advice Roy, it actually made me think a lot. I assume you are involved somewhere in this area as well?
A few thoughts:
It’s extremely admirable you get fulfillment out of helping others, whether by teaching students or offering advice to those who are going through troubles in life. However, it seems you aren’t fully grasping what life as a professional counselor would entail – particularly apparent in your statement delineating “crazy” from “non-crazy” people.
As a counselor, you don’t get to choose what “level” of stress your clients are going through before agreeing to see them. In fact, there are functioning “crazy” people with diagnosed disorders and non-functioning “non-crazy” folks who are struggling just as much, if not more. For example, someone with undiagnosed depression, Bipolar Disorder, ADHD, or perpetual difficulties stemming from negative self-image might seek help for dealing with a divorce – the adept psychotherapist will uncover these deeper issues and leverage natural tact and acquired skills / experience necessary to communicate back to the individual in a solution oriented manner.
Yeah, as I admitted earlier, this field is totally unknown to me. Saying "crazy" and "normal" wasn't meant to be offensive or categorical, just the best way I felt to distinguish at the time. I guess what I meant were the severe "horror story" cases, like schizophrenia, psychopathy, or anti-social disorders. I don't think I have the stomach for that (though from what I'm aware of, these things are better dealt with by prescribed medicine anyway). Things like depression, low self-esteem, etc. I am more open to. This may be a false delineation as well, but hopefully you understand what I am
trying to mean.
If you’re an effective counselor, you will be drained. Additionally, there will be times where people refuse to listen to your advice for whatever reason, or are incapable of carrying out the actions you’ve proposed. That’s the reality of the job, so spend some time reflecting if this is something you really want to do.
Yep, this is my primary concern. Unfortunately, I don't think I can honestly know if this will be a problem for me until I'm actually in that situation. I just honestly don't know how well I'd deal with that. But yeah, this is definitely what has me caught up. Can't just fail someone like in teaching. I think a lot of it will also depend on a support system that is, at the moment, unforeseeable. Wife, family, friends, etc.
In regards to “next steps,” given your situation I think it would make sense to teach full-time for a few years and then re-visit the idea of a Master’s later on.
My field is different from yours, but I was dead set on getting an MBA while I was in undergrad before discovering it’s something I will never need in my field. You never know what will change in a few years and might be in a better position to return to school after a few years of work under your belt.
Well, this is actually what got me thinking most. The thought to take a break hadn't even occurred to me at first. I've been going to school every year since preschool so I guess I never actually really thought about stopping. My scholarships only cover an undergrad degree, so taking some time off while working actually seems like an appealing idea. Doesn't seem like there is a big loss to it and it seems like there can be some important things to be gained. I'll definitely be considering this.
I wanted to get my master's as soon as possible so I could teach college, but I guess there really is no reason to be in such a rush. Probably a good thing to start off with "lower" jobs and start building up experience. In terms of being a long-term plan, doing it one or two years later is not awful. I'm not in any serious financial difficulties either, thankfully, so there's no need to take things too quickly. I'll still live with my parents/grandfather so rent shouldn't be a significant problem. Thankfully, I'm Vietnamese; in Asian culture, it's more socially acceptable to stay with your parents for a longer period of your life (until marriage, I suppose).
Secondly, I’d reach out and network with professional counselors to learn as much as you can about the industry while doing some research on your own.
Hope that makes sense.
I'll admit I'm somewhat embarrassingly clueless when it comes to this. What places and avenues would you suggest? I've heard things like hospitals and schools and such, but what about people in private practice? I am really quite lost on exactly where to start.