Internship vs Full-Time Job
By mizzty82
@mizzty82 (40)
United States
November 28, 2012 1:55pm CST
If you are a working adult, like me, who is trying to finish up an advanced degree, you know that it is a big challenge. It's even more challenging when you're in a program that requires field placement/internship. Im in graduate school right now working towards a Master's degree in School Counseling.I finished all of my courses except the internship portion. I should have graduated a year ago but it is nearly impossible for me to work full-time while interning in a school. How can I gain experience working in a K-12 school when the students are dismissed at least an hour before I even get off work?
And this isn't the first time that I had this dilemma. In 2007 I was working towards a Master's in Social Work. I was working full-time yet maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Everything was fine until I was told I'd need to complete 300 field hours, which must include one full week day at my placement site. I can't explain how long I cried when I was forced to drop the program. There was no way I could quit my job when I had so many bills.
People kept telling me to aim for work placement, which is when your related job duties count as your internship. Problem is, I worked in outreach which had NOTHING to do with social work. Now, here I am again with the same problem except this time I refuse to quit. I have invested so much time and money into this program and I refuse to give up. There has to be a way.
I'm sure Im not alone with this problem. These graduate programs are supposed to be designed for working adults yet these schools make it near impossible to work towards a degree and earn a living. What a headache! Any thoughts?!?
4 responses
@deazil (4730)
• United States
29 Nov 12
There are so many grants in this country. Couldn't you get some kind of a grant to support you while you do your internship? Could you take a leave of absence from your job to do the internship? I don't know why they make everything so hard for people to get ahead or try to find a job. But I think you should look into a grant of some kind. I don't know exactly what's out there but I do know many of them involve schooling in one way or another, especially for women. Good luck!
@deazil (4730)
• United States
4 Dec 12
Sorry I couldn't come up with a real solution.
Well, at least you have persistence! You can always come here and complain. We have a "ranting about things which annoy me" interest.
It gets pretty busy sometimes! And there are always people who will sympathize. If you're real lucky, you might find somebody with an answer! Best of luck to you!
Well, at least you have persistence! You can always come here and complain. We have a "ranting about things which annoy me" interest. It gets pretty busy sometimes! And there are always people who will sympathize. If you're real lucky, you might find somebody with an answer! Best of luck to you!
nice ms deazil.. easy.. easy...
@mizzty82 (40)
• United States
4 Dec 12
It seems near impossible for me to get a grant right now just for my regular tuition. My courses are over $750 per credit and since I only need one more class before graduation, I'm only taking 3 credits and my loans are no longer in deferment. What a mess! I just started a new job 4 months ago so I doubt if a leave of absence would be approved, plus I couldnt afford to lose a year's pay. I live in New York and everything is difficult here. Getting an education costs a tremendous amount of money then, once you get the degree, you can't find a job. I can't tell you how many people I know experiencing this problem. It takes a lot to stay motivated but I will not give up. Thanks so much!!
@Mavic123456 (21893)
• Thailand
29 Nov 12
Yes, and if internship is the only thing you have to do, go for it. Nothing bad in it for you are just going to comply with some hours. not forever. but to be graduate of an advanced degree is a lifetime achievement. Maybe you can take one step at a time, because you would definitely be confused. Take one which is easier to finish and just a step to a more successful career in the future then take another one. If you can not quit job well your studies will suffer. Choose between the lesser evil as they say.
@mizzty82 (40)
• United States
4 Dec 12
Currently the lesser evil is school. You're right. I just started this job four months ago and it's forcing me to pull my hair out. Sometimes I have to question why I'm agonizing over this so much. I'm putting my academics in jeopardy to keep my job when I need this degree to hurry up, get out of this crazy job and finally start my career.
@Mavic123456 (21893)
• Thailand
5 Dec 12
Yes, start a new career and make the best of it. Quit and you can get a better job after.
@jambi462 (4576)
• United States
28 Nov 12
Wow those stipulations really make your situation tough and I'm sorry to hear that. The unfortunate thing that I've found in my schooling experience is that a lot of teachers and classes don't acknowledge the fact that you are doing more than just schooling. They just act like you are going to school for free and have all of your bills taken care of. I really wish that something would be reformed in our education system because the cost of education makes it extremely hard not to work full time.
I just had similar problems that you had with my intro to sustainability class. I've been working two jobs so I'm getting around sixty hours a week when we are busy and I had to put in 30 hours of internship work. It was definitely hard to do that and I ended up having to work internships while on my day off. That certainly wasn't awesome but it was necessary or else I would probably fail the class. Having to do a full week though and 300 hours is definitely an incredibly hard challenge. I wish that there was someway that you could make this happen because I can only imagine how heartbreaking it was to find out that you wouldn't be able to finish out your program you were in. I wish you the best and hope that your schooling will work out for you. Use the fact that you have to work so much at your job to draw motivation into working hard to completing school. That's what I do on a daily basis and it helps keep me going.
@SouthernMiss (23)
•
1 Dec 12
Is there anyway to change your shift hours at work? Also there are paid internships you could do. If your current job had weekend shifts, try to mainly work during the weekends (I only work three days a week, but I work 40 hours due to the shifts I work & I go to school Monday through Thursday. If your work doesn't have weekend business hours, maybe work Monday-Thursday & do your interning on Fridays (If that schedule will workout). Hang in there, you're going to figure this out!
@mizzty82 (40)
• United States
4 Dec 12
It's so funny you say this. Over the weekend I decided that Im going to speak to my supervisor about working over-time Monday-Thursday then use Fridays for internship. My fiance suggests I can even take a half-day on Friday if they dont aren't comfortable with the first option. This is about the only thing I can do or I'll never finish school. Since Im getting married in 2014 I cant afford to go part-time at work, but I also can't afford to keep accumulating student loans. I haven't gotten the official o.k. yet from my employer but I hope they go for this, especially since they'll benefit from me staying late 4 nights per week.
