Stuck! What course? Positive and negatives for all 3. Advice?

For about 2 years i've wanted to be a child psychologist but after getting accepted for uni this year to study education psychology, i withdrew my application. This was due to healtn reasons (i have a disability and i'm sorting out medication so not the right time to leave home) and i want to be positive it's the right career path as i know post grad/doctorate level is incredibly competitive, plus i'm 20 so probably wouldn't be in a career till i'm around 30. I'd be worried about even getting the career due to the competitiveness but it is something i've wanted to do.

The other careers i'm consiering is midwifery or nursing, to do a post grad too which wouldn't take as long and before my disability i wanted to be a midwife for quite a long time and i got it in my head i wouldn't be able to cope. The reasons i'm put off is the hours, i love family time and want that work/life balance and the pay especially now the bursaries are gone... i know there's so many avenues you can go in nursing and i can imagine it to be incredibly rewarding which is what i want in my career. Problem with me applying for nursing is that i have no science a level.

The third is social work, i love love love sociology, i would specialise in child protection. I know it's a similar salary to nursing and i know it's meant to be 9-5 but that alot of social workers end up doing more hours than contracted and that it's becoming less face to face and more paperwork and you can do less for the people that need help. I like the fact the hours are more structured than nursing but i also hear there's less promotion avenues and the burn out rate and stigma is immense.

Any one have any advice or can tell me of their own experience? I'm taking a gap year to get some experience this year but i keep chopping and changing my mind between all 3. Sorry if i rambled but i really am at a loss. Thanks if you read that far!😁

Hi there,

Are you still looking for some advice on this?

Yes please! I no longer wish to do midwifery due to the hours but i am incredibly torn between social work and psychology

Sure, I will do my best. Bear in mind this is purely based on my opinion and experience and is by no means the be all and end all

Social work (as is midwifery, nursing and most other types of healthcare role, such as, occupational therapy, speech and language and so on) is a degree which leads you to be automatically qualified. There may be additional courses/learning that you may do. But on the whole, it's 3 years and you're done. Psychology, as I'm sure you're aware, is a lot longer by default and more convoluted. Particularly as, until you are on that doctorate/training course, there is no guarantee you will ever be qualified.

I've worked with, and personally know two, social workers. They all seem to enjoy the job, it certainly has its frustrations (as with any job) and I imagine that working in child protection will be one of the biggest generators of frustration. In healthcare work, that reality will either eat you up or you learn to accept the limits of your role and work as effectively as you can.

I think, generally, Psychologists get to stick to their hours better than social workers. Though that partly depends on the type of worker that you are and also the team you work in.

Psychology is also moving somewhat away from direct therapy to more managerial, consultancy and training (such as, supporting staff teams and advising on risk or behavioural management). That is not true of every modality and every service. So in some ways, possibly similar to social work.

This may be a helpful way to look at it. What is it about helping children that draws you to working with them? Social workers tend to focus more on the practicalities of living life, with Psychologists dealing with the internal, mental things. From what I know of child protection, there's lots of reports, court stuff, reviews and meetings - it's quite a process based job (as in, there is a whole legal framework that you have to work within). Depending on where you work as a Psychologist, there can be a lot of freedom (or at least, less strict processes) determining your every day work.

Hopefully that helps!