Career advice

wtrailer · May 1, 2016

Hello everyone,

I have come to a fork in the road and would appreciate advice regarding a new career choice. First off, I prayed for God to give me direction regarding what career to pursue and he led me to become a mental health counselor. It was one of the most exciting answers to prayer that I had ever experienced. Not only did he lead me to the school, open the doors to an internship (at the VERY last minute) but he also paid off my ENTIRE school debt!!! Every PENNY!!! We're talking around $80,0000 in like 5 years. This experience caused my faith to EXPLODE! God truly provides!

Any how, I finally earned my license to practice and now I feel it's time to quit my day job and go full-time. I am currently working part-time as a therapist. So here is my dilemma. I am praying for guidance and would like the advice of mature Christians on this matter. I have a few options -

1. Go full time at the agency I am currently working at part-time and quit my steady day job. I really like the people there but the draw backs are that it'll take a few months (around 3) to build up the client base. Plus, when people don't show up you don't get paid since payment comes via insurance. Also, there are NO benefits (health insurance, 401K, etc.). We are currently on my wife's health insurance so that's really not an issue I guess but it does concern me.

2. I was offered employment at another agency, even smaller. It is another therapist's private practice so it would be only me and the owner. Everything is virtually the same in regards to lack of benefits, 3 months to build client base, etc. However, she is offering a 10 percent higher increase in pay which can come out to be pretty substantial. The drawbacks are that it's a little further away, maybe 20 minutes, there is more responsibility - There are no secretaries to schedule appointments (I will be getting calls directly from a call center and scheduling my own appointments.) The positive about this is that I will learn more about the business side of practicing in case I ever want to go out on my own.

3. The third option in my opinion is the safest - Apply for a job in a community health center or hospital as a therapist, earn an hourly wage and continue to work part-time at the agency I am currently employed at. However, I have applied to all of the government agencies and hospitals in my area and have had no luck getting an interview.

When I pray about this I feel God has put it on my heart to work in a private setting. This way I can offer Christian counseling as one of my services. I also believe that He is telling me to step outside the box of corporate comfort and larger overhead (benefits, retirement) and focus on my calling. I am almost 40 and this is a scary thought. I have been at my day job for 20 years now so stepping out will be huge. Any Christian advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Wt

Albion · May 1, 2016

I would not hesitate to choose #1. If it goes sour over time, then think of options.

ValleyGal · May 1, 2016

Being a therapist now, you likely had to go through a lot of personal growth - as in, getting to know yourself very well and becoming very self-aware. First, I think you already know deep down which way to go. But aside from that, consider your personality and aptitude. Do you prefer safe and secure over risk-taking> How well can you do your own marketing to come up with referrals> Is one of your dreams to go into private practice - if so, then you need to do things you might not want to, like your own bookkeeping, reception, scheduling, filing, billing, etc.

It only took you five years to become a therapist> How did you swing that>...or did you already have a bachelor degree. Your testimony of God's provision is wonderful! He is the God who Provides!

wtrailer · May 1, 2016

Thanks for the replies. I do like option 1 but option 2 is more profitable. Yes, I already had a Bachelor's degree. My Master's is in Counseling which took around 4 to 5 years including an internship and another 4 years to earn the license. I'm generally a play it safe kind of guy so stepping out in either 1 or 2 would be quite a leap for me. I do feel that is where He wants me to go though as opposed to a more institutional type setting.

Wt

ValleyGal · May 1, 2016

Congratulations on your degree! My husband is just finishing his in Counselling as well. He just as 300 more hours of internship. What specifically makes you think God wants you to do either 1 or 2> Why do you think he is asking you to do something that is against who you are (playing it safe)>

Albion · May 1, 2016

wtrailer said:
Thanks for the replies. I do like option 1 but option 2 is more profitable. Yes, I already had a Bachelor's degree. My Master's is in Counseling which took around 4 to 5 years including an internship and another 4 years to earn the license. I'm generally a play it safe kind of guy so stepping out in either 1 or 2 would be quite a leap for me. I do feel that is where He wants me to go though as opposed to a more institutional type setting.

Wt

Option #2 lost out with me because the increase in pay is modest and at least partially offset by the 40 minutes additional driving time; but, mainly, it's because you could be risking a lot of job satisfaction by leaving a firm where you enjoy the other staff members for one where there are none at all and you have to be your own secretary!

ImaginaryDay · May 1, 2016

Let me share some personal experience. I am completing my Master's Degree in Professional Counseling in August. Looking forward to it!

Regarding #1 and #2 - I did contract work (i.e. Private agency, building my own caseload, etc.), It was feast or famine. Most of the time, it was famine. Some things to consider are the fact that you are responsible for your own taxes. If you decide this is the way to go, talk to a tax adviser, and plan this out. Apparently, you can submit payments quarterly. Also, consider that, even with a client base, you run the risk of them not showing up. You can do your best to develop the rapport and relationships with those under your care to ensure that they will, but life gets in the way. And, like you said, if they don't show - you don't get paid.

Institutional settings (which sounds rather dry - can you frame it another way?) provide the same opportunities to practice and refine your skills, while you can still do contractual work that you enjoy. There is also some level of security that does not come from the contractual work (see above).
I say all of this because I was employed with an agency where there were some major funding cuts, and I found myself out of work. It mattered little that I wanted to work, needed to work, enjoyed the agency and co-workers, etc. The reality was that funding was cut, and that the owner had to let people go. Since I was an independent contractor, I was let go.

Something else to consider is that there is time to flesh out what you want to do. I understand that interviews can hard to come by. However, what kind of networking are you doing? Do you know the professionals in your field - the important game changers? Local conferences, workshops, community service breakfasts - all of these can get you talking to people you otherwise might not.

Right now, my internship is in child and youth mental health. It has been interesting for me, because it has connected me to important people, and helped me to refine what I am interested in going forward. I may end up trying to find something in this field (having the new experience); but my ultimate goal is to pursue certification as a 'Gottman couples therapist', and (perhaps) pursuing training in family systems.
Until then, finding work in a community setting (social services, local health authority, etc.) will be necessary.

wtrailer · May 1, 2016

Thanks for asking, ValleyGal. And good luck to your husband. As for stepping out of my comfort zone (playing it safe) - I feel God has been showing me that I rely too much on institutional/corporate thinking when I think about jobs and not Him. I made a lot of errors in my career search due to this very factor. It took a long time to finally pursue counseling because of my "in the box" thinking. I pursued a lot of dumb things that did not fit my personality at all - business, law enforcement to name a couple, because I thought they were the right thing to do. However, I knew in my heart that they didn't fit me at all. The same goes for this. I feel God has showed me several ministries of individuals who went out and did things on their own and were extremely successful. They did not have the corporate backing (security) to make it work. They just did what they were meant to do. The same goes for other successful people I've been influences by (musicians, writers). I feel He has been putting a lot of people in front of me who are living examples of this. One Christian man that I know flips cars in his garage for a living, has never missed a mortgage payment has lots of money in the bank and is living debt free. He is doing what God has appointed him to do. These types of people are really inspiring.
Wt

wtrailer · May 1, 2016

Hi, ImaginaryDay. I understand your thinking on this and I agree. However, the income of the therapists at both of these locations is very good and steady. Yes, there are bad days and no shows but they seem to even out in the long run.

Wt

ValleyGal · May 1, 2016

wtrailer said:
Thanks for asking, ValleyGal. And good luck to your husband. As for stepping out of my comfort zone (playing it safe) - I feel God has been showing me that I rely too much on institutional/corporate thinking when I think about jobs and not Him. I made a lot of errors in my career search due to this very factor. It took a long time to finally pursue counseling because of my "in the box" thinking. I pursued a lot of dumb things that did not fit my personality at all - business, law enforcement to name a couple, because I thought they were the right thing to do. However, I knew in my heart that they didn't fit me at all. The same goes for this. I feel God has showed me several ministries of individuals who went out and did things on their own and were extremely successful. They did not have the corporate backing (security) to make it work. They just did what they were meant to do. The same goes for other successful people I've been influences by (musicians, writers). I feel He has been putting a lot of people in front of me who are living examples of this. One Christian man that I know flips cars in his garage for a living, has never missed a mortgage payment has lots of money in the bank and is living debt free. He is doing what God has appointed him to do. These types of people are really inspiring.
Wt

I can certainly understand errors in career search. It also depends on what is available at the time, and what other resources you have to support you as you work toward something most meaningful to you. I am a social worker, and when I lost one job, it took a very long time (2.5 years) to get another job - much due to the political landscape at the time. Because I was not getting a job, and the only resource available to me was self employment, I believed that is how God was directing me. But I was very wrong. He used that to meet my needs for a time, but I am a social worker. Self employment requires all aspects of business, including everything from marketing all the way to bookkeeping, and none of that business stuff fit my personality, my training, etc. It was not for me. I also learned that there are jobs I can do which I really am well suited for, but simply do not want to do because they are not challenging enough for me or they do not maximize my skill set.

I could not do self employment again. I am not cut out for it. It is not what God has cut me out for or prepared me for. He has prepared me to do social work, program development, program delivery, working with people within systems.... So you might want to consider what it is at each job that you value the most. What are the job requirements in each position, which is most suitable to your personality and aptitude, and go from there. Sure, God has called you to be a counsellor. It's up to you to consider the context of that counselling. Also, be sure not to read circumstances as "signs" because that might not always be the case, as demonstrated by the political landscape of my own self employment. I mis-understood God....

wtrailer · May 1, 2016

None of these options are self-employment. The second one is close but I would still be working for a company, albeit a small one. I know that I am in no way ready to be self-employed.
Wt

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ImaginaryDay · May 1, 2016

wtrailer said:
None of these options are self-employment. The second one is close but I would still be working for a company, albeit a small one. I know that I am in no way ready to be self-employed.
Wt

Here's the rub. With #1 and #2 you are self-employed as a contractor of your own services. You may not have a business under your name, but you will rely on yourself for your own income, taxes, paying for insurance (including liability), retirement, and so-on. Marketing yourself for clients is your responsibility as well. networking for that client base is up to you - a skill you must have. You will need to have your best face forward at all times to maintain those contacts. You will be surprised how soon those lifelines will disappear if you don't. Christ can lead us, surely, and I don't want to take away from that. But you will need business and self-marketing skills. God is faithful to give us what we need. And He will provide the avenues for that as well. Seek them out.

Goodbook · May 1, 2016

Well first of all listen to what God is calling you to do.
Then because you are heading out on your own I would advise that, join a network of biblical counsellors who can share experiences. Maybe there is some sort of society or group that has conferences or is able to give you support.
Then as for the financial side of things, get training on how to mind your own business.

Letter to Timothy advises that we learn to be quiet and mind our own business. Nobody else can do this for you, so it would be good to learn. MYOB is even a software program that you can learn so that you can be on top of things like keeping records, taxes, etc if you are setting up privately.

It will take time, but it would be worth it in the long run. If you do work for a company, make a limit to the time you spend with them, like maybe 2 years maximum on a fixed term so you learn all your can but know you need to leave by the end of it. It wouldn't be a good thing to take on a permanent role and make all these contracts and then you find it isn't for you or the working environment suddenly changes and you become stuck.

John Davidson · May 1, 2016

I personally would go with option #3. I would continue trying to get a job at a government institution or other hospital. I think the salaries are typically higher and they also have good benefits.

Maybe you should consider stopping by and having a quick meet and greet with the director, this may open up the door for a job. Management is always more likely to hire someone they have met in person versus just weeding through online applications.

ValleyGal · May 1, 2016

wtrailer said:
None of these options are self-employment. The second one is close but I would still be working for a company, albeit a small one. I know that I am in no way ready to be self-employed.
Wt

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk

IDay is right, but in addition, my point was not so much about self employment as it was having to do things that are not direct counselling. I am a great social worker, I can get by with technology for doing documentation, but I am hopeless when it comes to marketing to bring clients into the program I currently deliver. For you, in one post you mentioned a negative being that you would have to manage your own scheduling. If that and other administrative type of work is really not your thing, then taking a job where you need to do that kind of work in addition to the counselling that God has called you to, might not be a good idea. Take the job where you are able to fully maximize the skills God has given you.

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