Is mental health nursing a good path/career for one who is interested in psychology?

Im asking because in an ideal world, i would love to study psychology at uni and eventually become a clinical psychologist etc.. (but it's never gonna happen now)

Given the fact that i am already approaching 40 years old and the amount of time it takes to become a clinical psychologist, plus how competitive it is, it probably isnt a good idea to start that journey at my age.

Mental health nursing has always appealed to me too and would only take 3 years for the degree.

I guess my question is, for someone who is intrigued with Psychology, would mental health nursing be a good career choice?

I went back to college couple years ago and re-sat gcse in psychology and loved it... now im comtemplating what my next steps would be.

Reply 1

ZenDixon

Bump... in the night!

Reply 2

Lolsde11

There is no such thing as being too old to study at university or change career path!! :biggrin:

I recently graduated from an English Lit and Creative Writing course and there were several other students aged 40 and over. Nobody thought any different of them and they were treated just like any other student. If you want to become a clinical psychologist - DO IT! The only person stopping you is you. And life is too short for that!!

(edited 10 months ago)

Reply 3

ZenDixon

Original post by Lolsde11

There is no such thing as being too old to study at university or change career path!! :biggrin:

I love this. And i know you are most definately right. My only concern would be how competitve it is to become a clinical psychologist.

Putting the hard work in and graduating wouldn't be the problem, but securing a job/career as a clinical psychologist may prove to be difficult.

Reply 4

Lolsde11

I think as long as you are dedicated and interested in the topic you will definitely find a job in clinical psychology.
In a job interview, the interviewer isn't just looking for someone with a lot of experience or at someones age, instead they are looking for someone who is genuinely interested in the job and committed to it (which you clearly are! :biggrin:

)
You might even find through training that you fall in love with a different type of psychology which will broaden your job search even more!