To do a degree in Psychology at 50 ?

[Dragonsdaughter]

Want to retrain and have the finacial / time space to do a degree - I have a back ground in Business and customer service. Know I would love the subject but am like the Archeology thread wondering if there is a job at the send of it?

You don't have to do a psychology degree to be a counsellor. There a lots of courses and diplomas which will enable you to qualify and allow you to work professionally link here

A psychology degree is pretty worthless unless you are planning on any post-grad study. It's also very stats heavy so if you're not keen on statistics I'd advise you do a bit of background reading to see if you're happy with what's involved.

I retrained from accounting and although I really enjoy it I wish I did a bit more research on it before I started. Competition for jobs (and experience in the form of unpaid internships) is fierce and as a mature student I was slightly envious of the younger ones having time on their side..

Oh lord, the stats! I still break into a sweat just thinking about SPSS

Spoken like a true psychology student Tamara. I know that feeling

SPSS I had a two hour spss exam for my MSc. If there is a hell, this is it.

If you're interested in SEN counselling in private practice, then training in child psychotherapy would be a much better starting point - you could qualify in 4 years and start your practice. Of course, counselling/psychotherapy is very competitive and you probably wouldn't be earning much at all for years... (You need to pay for supervision, professional fees, insurance, room hire etc.)

Counselling training of any kind requires personal therapy (unlike a psychology degree) so you need to factor in the time and cost of this too.

Remember you'll need a range of skills to set up your own practice - marketing, book keeping etc.

We always had stats on a Monday so my family wouldn't come near me on Sunday as I would be in a foul mood trying to do the homework. SPSS turned me into a gibbering wreck

I'd much rather see a psychiatrist or counsellor with some real life experience under their belt to back up their training

Also... Your age. You will be competing with younger, hungry, fresher graduates when applying for jobs

how does younger = fresher?

And they're not necessarily more hungry (keen and ambitious) than someone who's 50+ who's chosen to study something she's fascinated by and follow a career she's committed to.

How did the career go? any updates or advice?