Taking Graduate School to Become a Psychologist

¶ … sports science with a teacher certification, obtaining this certification is most appropriate for my immediate goal of being able to teacher sports science in a middle or high school. However, I also want to continue my education and obtain a graduate degree in education so that I could also take my skills to the university level and teach if in the future I so desired. Thus, upon achieving certification, I plan to enroll in a graduate course.

At the same time I am also considered pursuing a psychology degree as I have an interest in working with troubled teens and providing teaching, mentoring, coaching, or therapy/counseling to them. I could, for example, pursue a job as a school counselor at some point should I find few opportunities in the way of teaching sports science in schools. Essentially, I want to keep my options open and be ready to fill a number of roles based on my credentials.

Becoming a licensed psychologist, however, requires two years of post-graduate work in the field under the tutelage of a sponsor, who monitors your activity for a specific number of hours. This is a significant amount of time that must be devoted to this line of work but it is absolutely necessary in order to obtain a psychology license and be able to practice on your own. Thus, were I committing myself to a psychology course, I would need to block out at minimum another two years for graduate school and then another two years for post-grad work in the field in order to apply for professional licensure.

My plan for pursuing my entry-level position as a sports science teacher in a middle or high school, therefore, is my first priority. This will allow me to work and gain experience teaching as I simultaneously work on obtaining my second degree in either education or psychology.

The process I will follow is that outlined for me by the university: I will take a full load of classes (15 credit hours) per semester so that I can complete in four years time my studies in exercise sports science and obtain my teaching certification. This will require total concentration and commitment on my part. Following certification, I plan to apply for positions in this region and obtain a job in this field.

The next step after that is to apply for graduate school. I may go the psychology route as I will want to broaden my experience, but I will not rush it. I will give myself 5 years to complete graduate school with a psychology degree, at which time I will have sufficient teaching experience by then. With this second degree I will then apply to work with troubled teens in an institution where I can be monitored and assessed for two years' worth of hours. After I complete this demand, I will apply for psychology professional licensure.