well well.. internship news to share! Advice needed.. Sorry this is long..
#253767 - 03/22/06 01:02 PM
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hello Everyone!
As some of you may know I'm in school @ Tufts studying to become a school psychologist. I already have my masters in school psych and I am currently working towards my advanced degree. Classes end this summer, and after that I need to finish a full year internship to attain my advanced graduate degree and obtain licensure.
Anyways.. I have been frantically searching for an internship site over the last two months. There are tons of opportunities in Massachusetts, however, many of them are unpaid (which isn't that appealing, considering I'm not Houdini and working and living on nothing isn't that fabulous). There are three fabulous school pscyh programs in Boston, so they don't need to pay, people will always take them unpaid.
I have been offered an internship at my current site (unpaid), and I have two more interviews next week in this area (one unpaid, and one 4,000 a year). I have also been searching other areas (PA and VA primarily bc I'm from PA, and my parents live in DC). Anyways, I randomly went out on a limb and contacted someone in Maryland about internships. She informed me that most had already been filled but there was two that she knew of with openings. One lady from Anne Arundel county (Annapolis) emailed me. Anyways, I ended up being really interested in the program (despite the fact I didn't really think i'd end up in maryland). We had a phone interview earlier this week and she was VERY impressed with me. Plus, I am quite impressed with the opporunity, and it truly is very close what i'm looking for (and trust me thats hard to find in an internship).
Anyways.. she called me today and offered me the position! They employ three interns for the county and she offered me a salary of 18,000 dollars for the year. This is great considering my options in MA (also people in PA and VA never replied back to me).
My dilemma is that she needs to know what I want to do by Monday (bc this is a very competitive opportunity and they have others wanting to intern there). Also, random sidenote, two former tufts students are currently employed in the district which is also quite cool. Anyways.. my heart is saying that this was probably FATE considering I wasn't even considering maryland and that this fell right into my lap and sounds appealing! The only thing holding me back is the fact that I don't want to have to pack up and move, and i've lived in Boston for 7 years and have grown familiar with it.
My mom wants me to go for it bc she's in DC. I've looked up stuff about the area and it seems great and is voted one of the top ten most desireable places to live in the US. Amandapanda thinks I should do it as well.. bc despite living in boston for so long, i've got no man to hold me down, and really dont'have many friends here at all (which is true, and two out of the three I do have are also leaving next year). So she also thinks I have nothing to lose by packing up and trying out something new.
I'm only a little nervous bc I'll be going there all alone and will need to make new friends etc. Its not like I haven't done it before.. I've done it here when I moved to boston two years ago (I went to UMASS for undergrad though so i've lived in Mass for 7 years).
Anyways.. what do you think about the opportunity.. too good to be true, or too good to pass up?!??
--------------------
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
I think you should go for it! And I'm not just saying that because I'm from Maryland. It sounds like a great opportunity, so why not? Annapolis is a great city and while I don't really know you, I think you'd like it.
Avidan
--------------------
Why'd you have to go and make me so constipated?
--'Weird' Al Yankovic, "A Complicated Song"
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
I think you should go for it. It sounds like a great opportunity.
I am going to assume school psychology is a competitive field. Working in a competive field myself, I fully believe one must go where the jobs are. Especially early in your career, that very likely means moving.
You go, Dr. Spice!!
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
WOO HOO! I would DEFINITELY go for it. You'll get paid a decent amount and it's ONLY a year!
Oh go for it!!!! I'm proud of you, this is quite an accomplishment Ash! 
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
Do it!
#253781 - 03/22/06 01:56 PM
|
|
|
|
epa_ginger
Reged: 02/23/05
Posts: 1158
Loc: Chicago, IL
|
|
|
The one time I've gone off on my one for academic reasons I ended up meeting 2 of my best friends, and that school led to my internship at EPA, which led to my current career at EPA. AND I didn't even WANT to go to this school, it was my second choice.
So don't be afraid of the move, like you said, what is holding you back. The money sounds good---ok, well, not GOOD, but better than $4,000 for pete's sake!---and you may even meet the man of your dreams, ha ha. No seriously, you should do this just because you like the program and it will be a good change for you. And it's only a year right? So if it's not your idea of heaven at least you'll have a clear end date.
This sounds really exciting to me!
--------------------
 
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
Thanks guys!
I'm getting more and more excited about it by the minute.
when she called to offer me the position I asked her to ask some of the current interns to contact me (basically just to gain a better perspective of the area and to gather some more info). Within an hour, five people contacted me about places to live, info about the distict and they all said that they absolutely love the experience.
I think I may just have to grab the proverbial bull by the horns and do it. One girl even said that other interns from her program are so jealous of her opportunities within the district! Sounds good...
plus, youre right. Maybe i'll make some great friends and find a nice Navy man! 
--------------------
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
There you go! All thr proof you need! 
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
I agree, GO FOR IT!!! 
--------------------
Taking it one day at a time.....
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
Who knows if such a great opportunity will present itself again and you can always move back when you're done. After all, no offense to anybody, I have no interest in being in Texas but this is where the school was...
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
I just have to start off by saying that I can definitely relate to your current situation since it is quite similar to mine. It is hard to make such a huge decision in a short time like that, especially when you have to really start over, but I think you're right that it seems like fate that such an opportinity would come by and be so close to what you were looking for. It seems like you're pretty into too which is great and you've done your research to know that it wouldn't be a bad move. I was just saying the other day that it's reasons like this that I'm not tied down to a guy right now because there's no way I'd be able to make such a big decision with that weighing in on it, so I think the same goes for you that right now you are in the perfect position to pick up and do this, espeicially considering how great of an offer it is. So that's my opinion on it. Isn't it hard to be young and have almost TOO many options? Well good luck deciding...and look at it this way-either way you can't go wrong, it's just a fork in the road with 2 different paths and they'll both take somewhere a little different, one's a little more familiar and the other is new but neither is wrong. Haha...did that clear things up for you as much as it did for me??
By the way, did you see the movie Annapolis?? What a great place for cute single girl I may have to move up there too...just so you can have friends of course 
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
Posts
