Is 7 years of further education worth it?

no thats 7 years u could be earning and u would have less experience in work weather its with people and so on but its your choice

I think so. Here’s the thing-you could get a job with a lesser degree and struggle to get by or get the better degree, better job and ultimately, more money.

If you’re capable of succeeding, have the willpower to succeed and enjoy it then definitely go for it. I know the debt levels are an important factor but I’d say don’t dwell on that. When you’ve completed your qualifications you’ll be earning enough to pay it off for sure. It’ll take a few years but you’ll do it, and you’ll be living comfortably with more chance of getting a job while doing it as opposed to being at the same level of the rest of the sausage factory produced fresh faced kids coming out of uni with their degrees and getting rejected for jobs ‘cause you’re no better than everyone else. I say do it properly or don’t do it at all. You sound like you know exactly what you want to do. This is why I recommend sticking it out until the end of that massive list of qualifications. You’ve put in the research and you sound like you can succeed. If you weren’t so sure then I’d say that considering the current economic climate you’re better off going into something vocational, getting really good at it and earning a decent living and a half out of the without the debt. The country is seriously lacking in service workers such as electricians, plumbers, builders etc (plaster workers are supposed to be very high in demand at the moment) because everyone is being encouraged to go into further education, then they’re coming out the other end stranded and without a job. BUT because you want to go higher than higher I think you could succeed. The only other option that I can think of (minus fame and fortune, or entrepreneurism (?) ) is to go straight into some dead end job and stay in it for the rest of your life. Doesn’t sound too great.. Anyway, all in all I think it’s important that you’re doing something you enjoy. And this sounds right for you. I didn’t want to throw you off with all the stuff about vocational courses I just wanted to give you a different option, but it sounds like academics are the choice for you. Good luck, I hope you do well and are happy in whatever choice you make :)

I think it would be best to talk to a career/curriculum counselor at the uni. I know people who got paying jobs while doing their PhD, besides how bummed are you going to be if years from now you say “What if ????” as you drag yourself to a job that does not fulfill you (and your potential).

In the U.S., you’re looking at a minimum of 10 years to become a psychologist, more if you’re specializing. 7 years is not bad, you should be grateful. And it depends on what you want to do with your life. You are talking about the activity you will spend the most time doing for the majority of your life. That is probably something you should maybe love to do? Also, what exactly can you do with a 3 year degree in psychology and what is your earning potential, and can that earning even increase without further learning, or are you going to be stuck at low paying jobs for the rest of your life (rest of your life = the next 40/45 years, try to look at this long term…). However, I do actually understand the desire to have a life while you are young. It is possible to go back to school. However, if you plan on having a family and kids in the next few years, you’re not going to get through a PhD. So, you have to take that into account as well. If you’re willing to push that back, then maybe you can take a few years off before starting the PhD.

This is a very hard question and can only truly be answered by YOU. Is this something you really want to do? Are you ready to give up half of your social life to study and work hard? If you really want this to be your life, then go for it. You have to do what makes you happy. You sound very passionate about these studies. Maybe you could talk to people studying in this area and just ask the how they are going, how the work is, and you could read some of their notes just to get a general feeling for the courses (if course is the right word…). In the end you just have to do what makes you happy.

If its what you want, yes. You could probably get scholarships for your postgraduate study. Also, while you wont be earning during your study, you will be working and researching in the area you are interested in, which is giving you experience for when you can get a job. I am halfway through my masters degree, and I love postgraduate study. I am about to start my sixth year of study, and at some point I would like to do my PhD.

You wouldnt have less experience. You would have three or four years experience in research in a lab.