Career/school guidance

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by shay28, Aug 5, 2002.

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  1. shay28

    shay28 New Member

    I haven't been on this board in a while but I know there are enough knowledgable people around here that maybe I can get some opinions. I have a BA in Liberal Arts from Depaul University. I graduated 2 years ago. I have been in the human services field for the past 5-6 years. My jobs have ranged from case manager to social service director at a homeless shelter. Most of my work has been with the homeless.

    I recently relocated to Maine where HS is a lot different than in Chicago where I had been living. To get a job similiar to my last job as Social Service director requires a MSW, unlike in Chicago where experience and a BA/BS was acceptable. I had tossed the idea of a MSW around but to be honest there is no way I can balance the internship part of such a program with work. Right now I am doing grant writing for a non-profit. I applied to Capella for their MS in Human Services program, I was accepted but am trying to weigh the pros & cons of distance learning. I was also accepted into Lesley University's Interdisciplinary program as well. My long term career goals are to continue in Human Services specifically working with the homeless if at all possible. My ultimate career goal is to become an executive director at a shelter, in addition I am interested in diversity training for non-profits. I should probably mention that I am only planning on being in Maine for no longer than 5 years.

    My question is would a program such as Capella's be appropriate for my career goals? If not are there any distance programs that anyone could recommend?
     
  2. bigbadbuff

    bigbadbuff New Member

    Sorry I don't have advice for you on the schools... I just wanted to say it's nice to see you interested in keeping with that line of work. Not many people do.
     
  3. irat

    irat New Member

    what are the requirements in Maine?

    I don't know the job market where you will want to be hired.
    You can start by finding out what the requirements are for those jobs you are interested in for your area.
    I know two local shelter operators. One is a BA, lic. alcohol & drug counselor who was hired as a part-time director (40%) with about a 20 year career in human services. The other is an MSW who retired from a state job and start another career.
    However, neither experience my be useful in the area you plan to seek employment.
    I would say, that in general, most of the human services supervisors have masters degrees. The few I can think of that don't have masters degrees were hired in their job over a decade ago.
    All the best!
     
  4. simon

    simon New Member

     
  5. shay28

    shay28 New Member

    Simon, thank you for your response. Unfortuntely my interests are so varied that it has been hard for me to narrow my interest down. Though I have narrowed them down quite a bit over the years. I guess if I had to say what my main goal is professionally, it would be to move into an administrative/managerial capacity within human services. As of now I would like to develop the skills that are needed to function in a managerial capacity. I have direct service experience but need to grow from there, it is one of the reasons that I took my current job so that I could learn the grantwriting and development aspect. Though my current job is not satisfying in part because it is a new non-profit that is a spin off from the for profit part of the business so things are chaotic.

    My reasons for considering Lesley were that I liked the format and felt that I would enjoy being able to design a program around my interest. Since with the Lesley program I can take classes as well do independent work. I guess my apprehension though has been in the long run will such a program work against me. I have talked with several colleagues who felt that combined with my work experience that Leslely could work professionally. On the other hand, the same people have been a bit more apprehensive about Capella due to it being a DL school entirely. Needless to say I think they may have a bias.

    Anyway I will do a bit more research and thinking on the matter.
     
  6. Howard

    Howard New Member

    As a graduate of Capella I am, quite naturally, a fan. But the MS in Human Services from Capella does not equate with a MSW. Employment opportunites that require a MSW are not usually available to those with a MS in Human Services. If you decide to go the Capella route and, if you wish, I can help you in selecting mentors and getting started. Good Luck.
     
  7. Wes Grady

    Wes Grady New Member

    There are a number of accredited MSW programs that can be accomplished via DL. The ones at the University of Minnesota and Michigan State come immediately to mind, but there are many others. Consider taking the MSW route, and when you face the issue of an internship, ask your current employer to work with the school to allow you to do it as part of your employment. There is nothing that requires the internship be done without compensation. I did my Hospital Administration placement at a children's hospital and was well paid for it.

    At some point, you will probably want to look into a MPA as well, but they are springing up all over the place and you have to be very careful in selecting one that is approved by your particular association. In Hospital Administration, for instance, you want to be sure that the American College of Health Care Administrators approves of the program or you will not be able to advance to fellowship.

    Wes
     
  8. simon

    simon New Member

    Shay28,

    Your situation is not uncommon. Many individuals have difficulty delineating and focusing on the specific career they wish to pursue. So, it may be in your interests to sit down with a Career Counselor and discuss these issues in a systematic and methodical manner in order to narrow down the potential choices and to gain greater clarity as to realistic careers to explore.

    Many people with good intentions provide advise of all sorts. However, their life and professional experiences may not be congruent with who you are, your needs or professional and personal life goals. Therefore, meeting with an objective licensed career counselor may provide you with the feedback that emanates from your expresed interests, skill sets, values and needs rather than from subjective feedback of others. This may put you on track to better understand the educational direction that would best meet your individual needs as well as the modality of instuction, distance or traditional, that is best suited to your typology.

    Good luck.

    Simon
     
  9. Howard

    Howard New Member


    Hi Wes,
    Taking the lazy approach - could you give me the web addresses for the U of M and Michigan sites. Thanks,
     
  10. irat

    irat New Member

    flexibility

    I will confess that I have had difficulty narrowing down my own career interests. As a result I have two masters degrees and a cert. of adv. study. The amount of time to get the 2nd masters and the CAS could easily have produced a doctorate.
    On the other hand, I have much more flexibility in terms of career options. I can work in schools, mental health centers, addictions, administration, etc.
    One of the things I like about the Malcomb Baldridge criteria is the concept of continual improvement. As a result I have added a degree or certificate to my resume about every five years since getting my bachelors. I have also added a license or professional credential about every four years since getting my bachelors.
    You may want to consider a long term plan to get a masters in one field over four or five years and then a doctorate in administration after that.
    All the best!
     

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