The sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, and it's just gorgeous outside. We cherish these days in New Orleans. It tends to go straight from winter to summer here, so when we get a little bit of spring, we really appreciate it. And this day is very much appreciated. It sets the mood for a wonderful thing - my last final...EVER! I can't tell you how happy that makes me. The ethics final is at 5:30 and I'm thinking that it won't be a problem for me.
Upon walking around the garden outside, I discovered that we have all kinds of veggies sprouting. Lots of tomatoes, bell peppers, squash, and eggplants. I love growing veggies. Even though I tend not to eat them, their fun to grow. All of the vegetable that I like are either too much of a pain in the ass to grow or they just don't grow well down here. I'm a big fan of fruit, but fruit doesn't do to well in Louisiana either. At least we don't have the room to grow fruit properly.
I went on an online book buying spree last night. On a previous post, someone left a comment telling me about a website called bookcloseouts.com....dangerous!!! Amazing prices on books! And so many great ones. I bought 10 books last night from their website. I really have to stop. This is starting to get out of control. I'm going to have to start renting another house just to keep the books in. Oh well...I could have worse habits than buying books I suppose.
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Monday, May 7, 2007
So Begins The Last Week Of School
Not only is this the last week of school, but it's my last week as a student. I have very mixed emotions about this. A part of me is so relieved that it's over and ready to move into the workforce, but another part of me wants to remain a student.
My graduate student experience has been chaotic to say the least. It started with Katrina. Since then, everything has been up in the air and constantly changing. But I made it through, and it will make that degree mean that much more to me. I've made a couple of really close friends and one in particular who I'm sure I'll continue to keep in touch with. I've learned tons! I feel like I've learned more in these past two years than I have in any other schooling. I've learned more in the practical sense...how counseling actually works. And I've really enjoyed it despite the huge amounts of stress and the having to fight for everything. The faculty hasn't been a huge help to me, nor has the administration which is unfortunate. I've learned the most from my supervisor at the hospital where I've been doing my internship.
Now it's time to find a job. I've sent out a few resumes, but haven't heard anything back yet. I'll just sit and wait for now. I'll start going at it full force after Mexico. Get in a little bit of R&R and then play hardball.
Plans for the rest of the week: Today I have my last clinic class, tomorrow is my ethics final, Wednesday and Thursday are internship days, and Friday is my birthday :) Then it's all over! A week off and graduation on May 19th. It's very surreal that I will have a Masters in a little over a week. Strange...
I'm sure this isn't the end of school for me though. I can definitely see myself going back for the PhD. If there were a degree above that, I'd get that too....well I guess I could go for an MD, but that's definitely NOT going to happen.
My graduate student experience has been chaotic to say the least. It started with Katrina. Since then, everything has been up in the air and constantly changing. But I made it through, and it will make that degree mean that much more to me. I've made a couple of really close friends and one in particular who I'm sure I'll continue to keep in touch with. I've learned tons! I feel like I've learned more in these past two years than I have in any other schooling. I've learned more in the practical sense...how counseling actually works. And I've really enjoyed it despite the huge amounts of stress and the having to fight for everything. The faculty hasn't been a huge help to me, nor has the administration which is unfortunate. I've learned the most from my supervisor at the hospital where I've been doing my internship.
Now it's time to find a job. I've sent out a few resumes, but haven't heard anything back yet. I'll just sit and wait for now. I'll start going at it full force after Mexico. Get in a little bit of R&R and then play hardball.
Plans for the rest of the week: Today I have my last clinic class, tomorrow is my ethics final, Wednesday and Thursday are internship days, and Friday is my birthday :) Then it's all over! A week off and graduation on May 19th. It's very surreal that I will have a Masters in a little over a week. Strange...
I'm sure this isn't the end of school for me though. I can definitely see myself going back for the PhD. If there were a degree above that, I'd get that too....well I guess I could go for an MD, but that's definitely NOT going to happen.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Migraines, Migraines Go Away
No migraine today, thank God, but I did go to the neurologist this morning to have the meds switched up a bit. I've been taking Amitryptiline for awhile now for migraines. It's an antidepressant that's also used to treat migraines. It hasn't been working too well, but it has helped with my depression...go figure. So I think I'm going to stay on that medication in addition to the new one. The new one she prescribed is Topamax...anyone else try this one? It's a seizure medication, but hopefully will work in the migraine prevention area as well. It's got some brutal side effects which I hope won't come my way, although I wouldn't complain about the weight loss ;) I've found that Relpax works really well in getting rid of headaches. It's just so damn expensive ($30 co-pay for 6 pills!), but it's worth it.
As for the rest of the day, school is on the menu. blah...I'm going early though so that I can stop by the bookstore and get a diploma frame for my Master's which will be in my possession on May 19th :D
What a boring post...
Don't forget to get your name in for the Mirrormask giveaway. I'm picking the name tomorrow night!
As for the rest of the day, school is on the menu. blah...I'm going early though so that I can stop by the bookstore and get a diploma frame for my Master's which will be in my possession on May 19th :D
What a boring post...
Don't forget to get your name in for the Mirrormask giveaway. I'm picking the name tomorrow night!
Monday, April 16, 2007
Monday's Here Again
Monday's here again already and it's kicking my ass. I feel very blah today, just sort of cranky. Not really sick, but not really well. Just sort of flat. A comment this morning made me sort of angry and I found that I just couldn't let it go. Then I started thinking that it wasn't necessarily meant the way that I took it. It's funny how it's so easy to give my client's advice on how to better handle situations, yet I can't take my own advice. Makes me have a lot more respect for the changes that my client's make and the effort that they put in.
I need a job badly as well. I've applied for a job with a nationwide organization but they came back saying that my salary demands were too high....so I lowered them. We'll see what happens. My demands weren't all that high, but I guess in this field, they need to be lower. I was aiming above what I thought I'd get. I really want to work with children and adolescents, but the only place in Louisiana to work with that population in a psychiatric setting is in private practice or the hospital I'm at. Can't do private practice yet because I don't have my licensure, and the hospital I'm at offered me a job at $15/hour with no benefits. That's not going to work for me. I need health insurance. So I'm looking in other areas of the country. Any job advice and/or leads anyone?
And now it's almost time for 5 grueling hours of school. I just have to keep reminding myself that there's only a month left until graduation. Something good has to happen today! I'll continue to wait for it...
I need a job badly as well. I've applied for a job with a nationwide organization but they came back saying that my salary demands were too high....so I lowered them. We'll see what happens. My demands weren't all that high, but I guess in this field, they need to be lower. I was aiming above what I thought I'd get. I really want to work with children and adolescents, but the only place in Louisiana to work with that population in a psychiatric setting is in private practice or the hospital I'm at. Can't do private practice yet because I don't have my licensure, and the hospital I'm at offered me a job at $15/hour with no benefits. That's not going to work for me. I need health insurance. So I'm looking in other areas of the country. Any job advice and/or leads anyone?
And now it's almost time for 5 grueling hours of school. I just have to keep reminding myself that there's only a month left until graduation. Something good has to happen today! I'll continue to wait for it...
Monday, April 9, 2007
On Being A Grad Student (oh the misery)
Yet another Monday has come and it's a gloomy one. The chill is starting to leave the air and grey clouds are hanging out in the sky. I really don't like Mondays. I wouldn't mind them so much if it weren't for school. I enjoy going to work on Monday mornings. I look forward to working with my clients every day. But going to school for 6 hours in the afternoon just plain sucks after working in the morning.
I've gotten a lot out of graduate school and it's been a decent experience. It's just so damn stressful. I think for the first time in my life, I will not miss school after graduating in May. I don't understand how they expect us to work 40 hours a week at an internship and still fit in 6 hours of class on Monday and 3 hours of class on Tuesday. It just doesn't add up. But somehow, I've been making it work. I'm just really sick of it. By the time Wednesdays come around, I feel like I've literally just been hit by a truck. I'm a 25 year old guy...I'm not supposed to feel that way! But alas, I don't think anyone is immune to graduate school.
I also find that the degree I earn is just never good enough for me. When I got into graduate school, I was so excited that I was going to have a Master's degree. I never dreamed as a child that I'd have a Master's. Now a Master's doesn't seem to mean that much. It's sort of required in this field if you want to work in it. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of myself for making it through and to be graduating with honors, but now I find myself saying.."well it's not a PhD."
So I do plan on going for my Doctorate. I just don't think I'm going to be jumping into a program right away. Time to get out into the real world. Loyola is actually developing a PhD program in counseling with an LPC (licensure) program built in. So you can kill two birds with one stone. I may wait for that one to open up. I've always wanted to go to Loyola. It was my first choice as an undergrad but even with the scholarship, I still couldn't afford it. Hopefully a grant could pay for my PhD. program.
OK, enough rambling...time for school *twirls finger around with fake enthusiasm*
I've gotten a lot out of graduate school and it's been a decent experience. It's just so damn stressful. I think for the first time in my life, I will not miss school after graduating in May. I don't understand how they expect us to work 40 hours a week at an internship and still fit in 6 hours of class on Monday and 3 hours of class on Tuesday. It just doesn't add up. But somehow, I've been making it work. I'm just really sick of it. By the time Wednesdays come around, I feel like I've literally just been hit by a truck. I'm a 25 year old guy...I'm not supposed to feel that way! But alas, I don't think anyone is immune to graduate school.
I also find that the degree I earn is just never good enough for me. When I got into graduate school, I was so excited that I was going to have a Master's degree. I never dreamed as a child that I'd have a Master's. Now a Master's doesn't seem to mean that much. It's sort of required in this field if you want to work in it. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of myself for making it through and to be graduating with honors, but now I find myself saying.."well it's not a PhD."
So I do plan on going for my Doctorate. I just don't think I'm going to be jumping into a program right away. Time to get out into the real world. Loyola is actually developing a PhD program in counseling with an LPC (licensure) program built in. So you can kill two birds with one stone. I may wait for that one to open up. I've always wanted to go to Loyola. It was my first choice as an undergrad but even with the scholarship, I still couldn't afford it. Hopefully a grant could pay for my PhD. program.
OK, enough rambling...time for school *twirls finger around with fake enthusiasm*
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Tiring but good nonetheless
Today was the first day on the unit and I have to say, it was a very good one. I'm extremely exhausted right now, but I'll stay up long enough to inform my e-friends how the day went.
I discovered today that I'm not so bad of a counselor. Sure, alot comes with experience, but I found the "right words" coming out of my mouth when talking with my clients. It's amazing how much our perceptions of situations can freak us out. I had the preconceived notion of how things would be on a child and adolescent unit. I thought the clients would be very intimidating and that I would not do well. What I found was that these kids just need someone to listen to them.
I think that this is the population I want to work with. I felt at home in group sessions. If anything surprised me, it was that I enjoyed the children (4-12) even more than the adolescents (13-17). The hardest thing about working on this unit is not getting attached to the kids. I can see how it can be so easy to get attached and to invest so much in their success. I have to constantly remind myself that I am their counselor and they are my clients. I also have to remember that even though they may appear to be angels in groups (despite their attempted suicides and/or homicides) that things are not always like this at home. I can see how therapists may become almost too much of an advocate for their clients. Some of the stories are just so sad and you want to just take them home and tell them that everything will be o.k., but that's not an option at all in therapy. I think that's one thing that I'll learn to adjust to quickly.
Another interesting thing I learned today was the idea of transference. For those non-psych or non-freud reader people, transference is the idea of placing thoughts on a client that reminds you of someone else that you know. This happened today with one little boy that reminded me alot of my little cousin. I found myself liking this kid alot and almost playing favorites. Needless to say, I saw another side of that child later that was not so pleasant. The lesson learned here is that transference is o.k. to experience, but I have to keep it in check. I have to realize that it's there and be more objective towards that client.
So all in all, I had a really great experience on my first day.
The day ended with an ethics class on lsuhsc's campus. Now...ethics is a very VERY dull subject. It will be even harder to keep my attention for 3 hours every tuesday after working for 8 hours. Luckily, my teacher is a little out of his box. A little cooky, and VERY passionate about ethics. So if anyone can get the job done of teaching me ethics, it's him.
I discovered today that I'm not so bad of a counselor. Sure, alot comes with experience, but I found the "right words" coming out of my mouth when talking with my clients. It's amazing how much our perceptions of situations can freak us out. I had the preconceived notion of how things would be on a child and adolescent unit. I thought the clients would be very intimidating and that I would not do well. What I found was that these kids just need someone to listen to them.
I think that this is the population I want to work with. I felt at home in group sessions. If anything surprised me, it was that I enjoyed the children (4-12) even more than the adolescents (13-17). The hardest thing about working on this unit is not getting attached to the kids. I can see how it can be so easy to get attached and to invest so much in their success. I have to constantly remind myself that I am their counselor and they are my clients. I also have to remember that even though they may appear to be angels in groups (despite their attempted suicides and/or homicides) that things are not always like this at home. I can see how therapists may become almost too much of an advocate for their clients. Some of the stories are just so sad and you want to just take them home and tell them that everything will be o.k., but that's not an option at all in therapy. I think that's one thing that I'll learn to adjust to quickly.
Another interesting thing I learned today was the idea of transference. For those non-psych or non-freud reader people, transference is the idea of placing thoughts on a client that reminds you of someone else that you know. This happened today with one little boy that reminded me alot of my little cousin. I found myself liking this kid alot and almost playing favorites. Needless to say, I saw another side of that child later that was not so pleasant. The lesson learned here is that transference is o.k. to experience, but I have to keep it in check. I have to realize that it's there and be more objective towards that client.
So all in all, I had a really great experience on my first day.
The day ended with an ethics class on lsuhsc's campus. Now...ethics is a very VERY dull subject. It will be even harder to keep my attention for 3 hours every tuesday after working for 8 hours. Luckily, my teacher is a little out of his box. A little cooky, and VERY passionate about ethics. So if anyone can get the job done of teaching me ethics, it's him.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Time, Cranberries, and Grad Students
Time is a funny thing. The funny thing about it is that it has apparantley gone into fast forward. Does it seem like 2006 just flew by to anyone else? I mean I feel like I just started grad school and now I'm graduating in May. And I feel like my years are coming by faster, but I don't see a very clear future ahead of me. Professionally, yes. Personally, no. I just don't want to get old. I think the fact that I am about to be in the real world is freaking me out. You mean I can't be a student anymore? oh well, one more reason to go for the PhD. I just wish time would slow down. Especially between now and Tuesday, because these are my last days off before the semester starts again.
Second rant...The Cranberries. Maybe I'm a decade late on this one, but why the hell did they have to turn so shitty (the band, not the fruit. I actually enjoy the fruit dried). I put on "everybody else is doing it so why can't we" today and I just felt like melting as soon as I heard "i still do". What a damn good album! That whole album just brings me back to the nineties. The days of being a "goth", writing bad poetry, and listening to the cranberries (yeah..one of these things just doesn't belong here..one of these things just isn't the same...i.e. cranberries + goth = how?). Then I listened to "no need to argue" which is an equally as good album. Absolutely amazing. Same retro feeling. Even "to the faithful departed" was o.k. But come on...what the hell was up with "wake up and smell the coffee"? that album was crap as was anything else that they've put out. It's just sad to know that they'll never be the same again. (see above complaint about time).
And finally, once again thanks to Nicole, please enjoy this very short but hilarious video on grad students:
Second rant...The Cranberries. Maybe I'm a decade late on this one, but why the hell did they have to turn so shitty (the band, not the fruit. I actually enjoy the fruit dried). I put on "everybody else is doing it so why can't we" today and I just felt like melting as soon as I heard "i still do". What a damn good album! That whole album just brings me back to the nineties. The days of being a "goth", writing bad poetry, and listening to the cranberries (yeah..one of these things just doesn't belong here..one of these things just isn't the same...i.e. cranberries + goth = how?). Then I listened to "no need to argue" which is an equally as good album. Absolutely amazing. Same retro feeling. Even "to the faithful departed" was o.k. But come on...what the hell was up with "wake up and smell the coffee"? that album was crap as was anything else that they've put out. It's just sad to know that they'll never be the same again. (see above complaint about time).
And finally, once again thanks to Nicole, please enjoy this very short but hilarious video on grad students:
Thursday, January 4, 2007
My how things can change in two years
I had to go get a copy of my transcripts from LSUHSC today for my internship. I'm not sure if I told everyone, but in case I didn't, I will be working on the child and adolescent unit at River Oaks Hospital in River Ridge. But anyway, I get my transcripts and see that my cumulative GPA for my master's program is 3.833. You'd think that would be a good thing, but I was so upset (and still am) that it was not higher.
Then I started thinking. Two years ago (December '04) I graduated from UNO with my Bachelor's with a cumulative GPA of 2.49. I have to admit that was all my fault. I skipped class quite often and just didn't put forth the effort I needed to at UNO. I didn't like that school. In addition to that, I didn't really know yet what I wanted to do when I graduated. I always knew I wanted to do counseling, but I didn't know what my options were yet. Luckily, I did well on the GRE and had sufficient experience and desire to get into my master's program. I have no idea what I'd be doing had I not gotten in to the program.
But it's uncanny how much things change in a couple of years. To be unhappy with a 3.8 GPA is a place that I never thought I'd be. I've only missed class twice since I've been in this program, I apply myself like never before, and actually enjoy school for the most part. Sure I miss my lit. classes from UNO, but overall, I enjoy my master's classes much more than my undergrad classes.
I also find myself getting professional journals in the mail, I got a business card holder for christmas along with plenty of things that will decorate my hopefully future office, I want a private practice, I have liability insurance now, I'm buying "work clothes". It's just amazing to me to see where I am today compared to where I was two years ago. Peter Pan, it's time to grow up.
Then I started thinking. Two years ago (December '04) I graduated from UNO with my Bachelor's with a cumulative GPA of 2.49. I have to admit that was all my fault. I skipped class quite often and just didn't put forth the effort I needed to at UNO. I didn't like that school. In addition to that, I didn't really know yet what I wanted to do when I graduated. I always knew I wanted to do counseling, but I didn't know what my options were yet. Luckily, I did well on the GRE and had sufficient experience and desire to get into my master's program. I have no idea what I'd be doing had I not gotten in to the program.
But it's uncanny how much things change in a couple of years. To be unhappy with a 3.8 GPA is a place that I never thought I'd be. I've only missed class twice since I've been in this program, I apply myself like never before, and actually enjoy school for the most part. Sure I miss my lit. classes from UNO, but overall, I enjoy my master's classes much more than my undergrad classes.
I also find myself getting professional journals in the mail, I got a business card holder for christmas along with plenty of things that will decorate my hopefully future office, I want a private practice, I have liability insurance now, I'm buying "work clothes". It's just amazing to me to see where I am today compared to where I was two years ago. Peter Pan, it's time to grow up.
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