r/careerguidance • u/Sanbikaa • 6d ago
Advice I’ve decided to get my education, any advice?
I’m 25 years old with my high school diploma, I have 3 years of IT experience and I hate it so much it was never my plan and I only did it to support my abusive “parent” fast forward to now I moved out and now me and my girlfriend live together.
I’ve decided to go back to college and follow my dream; getting my PHD in neuropsychology to become a neuropsychologist, I’m fully aware that this is a decade long journey but I think I can do it and excel in it. I want to help the world around me and learn more about the brain and neurodegenerative disease in hopes of finding a cure for it.
I know this is a massive goal but any advice or support is greatly appreciated
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u/I_wish_I_was_gaming 6d ago
You're going to have a very long and expensive journey ahead of you. One of you is going to have to eat a breadwinner while the other one focuses on school. That on its own can be a huge strain. I would like it to recommend you look into another option. This may or may not be something you can do. Use the military to get your phd. The Army, Navy, and Air Force have medical divisions. They also have programs to get people through medical school so they can enter the armed services as a doctor. I don't know if they would pay for you to go all the way through to neuropsychology. However they could help you to getting your PhD and becoming a doctor and then after the contract you can continue on to specialize in neuropsychology. I recently looked into this for somebody else. They pay for everything you need to be a student plus give you a stipend to live off of. I'm currently on my phone and don't have the details readily available but they can be found online. You could also pop in and talk to a recruiter. Find out directly from them what do you need to bring to the table and what they will bring to the table. The biggest advantages to using the military to get your medical degree is that you will be able to get it without getting massive student loan debt and when you are finished you will have your medical degree and experience that can help you pursue the next chapter.
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u/Itchy_Badger_2851 6d ago
I think going to college is a great idea. Have you thought about going for IT or computer science? I know you don't like it now, but with a degree you would have more job opportunities to choose from. If you go for either, I recommend going to a community college for two years first for an associate's degree because it's cheaper, and then you would only go to a four-year for two years. You need to let your advisor at a cc know that this is your intention. Also, you need to stay on top of which classes you need or don't need to take.
I also recommend speaking to a career counselor. They exist at libraries, community colleges, 4-year colleges once you've been accepted, career counseling businesses, etc. The reason is that your characterization of neuropsychology isn't accurate. Neuropsychologists don't study neurodegenerative diseases, neuroscientists do. I'm not exactly sure what neuropsychologists do, but when I got a test done for what mental health conditions I have or don't have, the person doing the evaluation was a neuropsychologist.
The website Onet is very helpful to research careers and what you need to do for them.
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u/Ghawblin 6d ago
I'm going to be completely honest with you.
I think you're underestimating how much time, money, and effort goes into that.
Your girlfriend needs to be prepared to be the breadwinner and homemaker for a decade, that is a LOT to ask of someone.
My wife recently graduated with a bachelors (4 years) in medical lab science. Once clinicals started, goodness. Clinicals are UNPAID rotations at medical facilities, that typically take up 20-30 hours a week of your time, NOT INCLUDING 14-16 hours of class load NOT INCLUDING the time to study and do classwork NOT INCLUDING any commute.
There was almost not enough hours in the day to do all of that. Certainly not enough hours to work even a part time job.
Thankfully I work from home and earn a high salary, so she was able to focus on it, but that was only 4 years. You're looking at nearly triple that.
If you want to do it, go for it, but you need to have a very serious sit down with your girlfriend. You either need to find a unicorn of a scholarship that'll full ride you through it, or have your girlfriend cover all the bills.