There were several individuals in my graduate program who were in their
forties. In addition, there were two individuals who were in their late
50's.
<<<< , his advisor gave him the impression that, "at his age" pursuing
graduate study in psychology (especially the doctorate) would be risky.
Basically, they suggested that he would have trouble getting work because of
his age.<<<<
Frankly, this type of "advice" seems offensive and suggests an attitude of
discrimination. Considering the vast and diverse opportunities in this
field, the advice seems to be based in ignorance as well.
At the risk of stereotyping, my experience with college advisors has been
that one must take an attitude of caveat emptor. They may give bad advice
for which they are not held responsible, hence the title "advisor." If you
read the qualification requirements (an look at salary ranges) for people
who are in college advisement, many are people who may only have AA or BA
degrees and are better able to discuss majors, minors, and the articulation
agreements their institutions have with a variety of colleges.
However, their expertise in career counseling may be merely a reflection of
their own, uninformed, biases. Actually, having taught Student Success
courses for a number of years, advisement has come up frequently. I have
heard a number of "horror" stories from students who have been,
unintentionally, mislead by their advisors, resulting in extended time in
college due to taking unnecessary classes and improper prerequisites.
Haydee Gelpi
Broward Community College
DHHS/FOH Florida
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Sciutto [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2001 1:13 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Non-Traditional Student Question
I recently had a student ask me about career options etc. However, he is a
non-traditional student (i.e., adult-learner) and has been getting some
conflicting advice about career options. I thought I would gather feedback
from fellow psychologists for him to help in making his decisions. Here is
some brief background:
He is currently in his mid-40's and will complete his BA in about a year.
He would like to go on to get his masters or perhaps a doctorate. He is most
interest in clinical/counseling areas of psych. He is particularly attracted
to educational settings and would like to pursue a path that would allow him
to work in an educational setting of some sort. We have discussed school
psych, and he is also attracted to college teaching. However, his advisor
gave him the impression that, "at his age" pursuing graduate study in
psychology (especially the doctorate) would be risky. Basically, they
suggested that he would have trouble getting work because of his age.
This disturbed me (and him), because I know of many Ph.D.s who entered grad
school late and have gone on to successful and fulfilling careers. Also, in
my personal experience, the opportunities are never quite as narrow as many
people suggest. However, I would like to give him some additional feedback
from others in the field. Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks
Mark
Mark J. Sciutto, Ph.D.
Dept. of Psychology
Westminster College
New Wilmington, PA 16172
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
