Why am I a Psychology major?
Disclaimer: I will be thirty-five years old in December. My collegiate career began when I was nineteen years old. Yup, I graduated high school and decided to take the infamous "break" before going to college. Boy am I paying for that today. College for me began in the year 2000 as a Psychology major. I always knew I wanted to "change the world" one person at a time. Little did I know that in order to achieve my dreams which were (and still are) to have my own patients and my own practice, I needed a lot more than just a bachelor's degree. Sadly, I didn't take the first few years of college serious and decided to switch majors because graduate school simply wasn't an option for me. I was too lazy to even consider that option.
This is how I later became a Business major. I figured that with a bachelor's degree in business, I would never face the challenges that I would have encountered with having an undergrad in Psychology. Once again, boy was I wrong. After many years of going to school and leaving school and going back to school and leaving it again, I relocated to Georgia which is where reality struck. You see, prior to my relocation, I had amazing jobs (notice the word job and not career). The Human Resource field was home for me for a really long time; ten years to be exact. I worked for exciting fashion retailers like Juicy Couture, Calvin Klein and OMEGA and retail giants like Macy's and Bed Bath & Beyond and held roles as HR Generalists, HR Managers and at one point even became the Director for the fashion division at a fashion agency. Needless to say, I thought I had it going on. I truly didn't believe I needed to go back to school to finish what I once started. Making money, (a lot of it) always came "easy" to me. Can you imagine how a person without a degree would feel when experiencing such "success" at such a young age?
The state of Georgia did a number on me. I've been here for over a year and have been highly unsuccessful when finding a job. Everyone asks "did you finish college?" A question that was never asked of me when interviewing for all of my previous roles back in New York. The salaries that were being offered were over fifty percent of what I was earning in the past. So when thinking of what I wanted to do next and what would truly make me happy, going back to school was my immediate response.
Psychology is something that I practice in my everyday life. I truly enjoy studying people and their behaviors especially their reaction to everyday situations. Among my friends, I am the "go to" for career and relationship advise. I find myself truly making a difference in so many lives; I know it's my calling. Once I complete this semester, I will have another year and a half before I complete a bachelor's degree in Psychology. Graduate school is a definite for me; however, I am still undecided as to where I will be attending. Kennesaw will be my alma mater. I choose Kennesaw because my niece attends KSU as a Graphic Design major and has always had nothing but great things to say about it.
From the little I've learned about psychology and what it takes to have your own practice, it looks like I'll be studying for the next four years and working to obtain my license for another 150 hours and I couldn't feel happier about that. When all is said and done, I will be come a marriage and family counselor.
