Blog 7: Cali Ruth Hays

Personally, graduate school is something that I want to go to in order to become a certified child life specialist and get the best possible job. Graduate school can be an intimidating and overwhelming experience, and I think this chapter does a good job of explaining the ends and outs of it. Before applying, it is crucial to make sure you have the motivation and are willing to spend extra time in school. The benefits of grad school are endless. 2 major downfalls of grad school are the cost and having to relocate. One thing I really learned from chapter 10 of The Psychology Major's Companion is that it is so important to already start planning for grad school and decide if it is something you need to do. In order to get into places, they will look at your GPA and GRE scores so it is necessary to keep up your grades and perform well on the GRE. For me, I know I probably won't get into every grad school that I apply to. But, I can't let this put me down or have a negative effect on my motivation. I can do hard things and it will just take a little bit of extra effort to get me where I essentially want to be in life. Chapter 11 discusses the different careers you can do with an advanced degree in psychology. However, I do not plan on staying in the psychology major so this chapter does not really apply to me. It is interesting to see the different salaries of jobs and how many options you actually do have with this degree. In an article from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is stated that those who have a postgraduate degree earn 30 percent more than those with just a college degree. This stat was taken in 2013, so it could have increased since then.  The chapter called "Calm Yourself" in The Defining Decade was definitely an eye opener for me, but something I needed to hear. The twenty somethings phase of our lives is full of firsts and new experiences. It is a time where we will probably fail AND succeed the most in life. We will make mistakes in jobs, face the reality that the workforce is not the same as college and what you do matters, not only to yourself but everyone else in that job. It is normal and expected to be nervous or anxious at your first job. If you aren't, then you're probably not doing the right thing. The twenty somethings portion of our life is full of new experiences and we just have to embrace them the best way we know how. In an article called "What to Look for in Your First Job", the authors discuss how crucial a first job is in shaping who you are in the workforce. It will help you understand yourself better because you will be receiving feedback from coworkers instead of teachers or other students. Also, first jobs give way to interacting with others and it is theme of your life where you will learn the most about your future career.




Dunn, S. Dana. (2017). The Psychology Major's Companion. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Ree, Jin Eun & Weber, J. Robert. (2014). What to Look for in Your First Job. Retrieved from http://proxygsu-geo1.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=103891739&site=eds-live&scope=site

Soyars, Maureen. (2015, April). Thinking of going to grad school? This study says it will be worth it. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=319ec055-efbb-42a8-b973-8234741c2283%40sessionmgr101