Which direction is the best?

**Posts:** 2 · by **BearsOfWar** » Wed May 30, 2012 5:01 pm

Hey,
I'm in the US as an exchange student for only one more week. My stay here definitely helped me settle my future career and I'm pretty sure I wanna work in the wide field that is Psychology. I still got 2 years until I even graduate so I do have some time.

Now the thing is I'd love to work and live in the USA but going to college for the whole enchilada is just way too expensive (Bachelor's+Master's+licenses = easily 200,000 $, from what I heard). Plus, I'm not really a resident of any state and not a citizen at all so tuition will be too much and getting scholarships gets harder too. My plan therefore is to get my Bachelor's Degree in Germany, then go to a US college to obtain the Master's Degree.

My questions are: what jobs could I possibly get with only a Master's degree? How long does it take to get a master's degree? If I wanted to become a psychotherapist, lead my own practice and such (which would be my dream) what else do I have to do upon completion of college? Or how about just being a professor. I know I'd have to get a doctorate. How much time does that take?

It's a good amount of questions, but I just wanna take charge in planning out my future. Thanks for answering!

**Posts:** 9885 · by **Candid** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 1:54 pm

If I wanted to become a psychotherapist, lead my own practice and such (which would be my dream) what else do I have to do upon completion of college?

Believe it or not, you can buy a brass plate calling yourself a psychotherapist, bolt it to your front fence and you're in business without any tertiary study at all. If you're very good you'll make a living at it through word of mouth, but doctors obviously won't make referrals to you and they're the main source of clients for most practitioners.

Or how about just being a professor.

Just a professor? :lol:

Best you start with a psychology degree, and discuss with university counsellors in whatever country you study in. You'll have a clearer idea of which way to go long before you've got psych 101 under your belt.

**Posts:** 54 · by **Robert Plamondon** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 4:57 pm

BearsOfWar wrote:Hey,
I'm in the US as an exchange student for only one more week. My stay here definitely helped me settle my future career and I'm pretty sure I wanna work in the wide field that is Psychology. I still got 2 years until I even graduate so I do have some time.

Now the thing is I'd love to work and live in the USA but going to college for the whole enchilada is just way too expensive (Bachelor's+Master's+licenses = easily 200,000 $, from what I heard). Plus, I'm not really a resident of any state and not a citizen at all so tuition will be too much and getting scholarships gets harder too. My plan therefore is to get my Bachelor's Degree in Germany, then go to a US college to obtain the Master's Degree.

My questions are: what jobs could I possibly get with only a Master's degree? How long does it take to get a master's degree? If I wanted to become a psychotherapist, lead my own practice and such (which would be my dream) what else do I have to do upon completion of college? Or how about just being a professor. I know I'd have to get a doctorate. How much time does that take?

It's a good amount of questions, but I just wanna take charge in planning out my future. Thanks for answering!

A friend of mine is working going to college with the goal of getting a Master's degree in Counseling (it's like Psychology but you don't have to hurt animals as a grad student). She's already certified in Clinical Hypnotherapy and NLP and is starting to build a client base on the basis of these credentials alone.

As far as I can tell, hypnotherapists charge just as much as counselors and psychologists, and their training costs roughly 1/100 as much and takes 1/100 the time, putting you in the position of being able to finance any additional schooling while working part-time as a hypnotist. That's what my friend is doing.

Take care,

Robert Plamondon
Corvallis, Oregon

**Posts:** 1 · by **Parasamgate** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 11:17 pm

There are some NLP/Hypnotherapy programs that will not only enable one to start a practice and help pay for a higher education, but will also count for course credits in undergrad, master's, and doctoral studies. It could be very helpful to obtain licensure and other information specific to whichever state you may land in, as it seems to vary. For example, I was told by PsyD and PhD Psychologists and students when I was living in Minnesota that it is extremely difficult to be licensed as a Psychologist with only a Master's degree. It was possible, but pretty rare. One potential positive of PhD programs is the opportunity for stipends and funding.

A couple of years ago, I asked every social worker, psychologist (varying levels of education), and psychiatrist what the process had been like for each of them and what complaints they had, as well as what suggestions they could offer. It was very helpful in determining which direction I wanted to pursue.

Which direction is the best?

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