career advice

[Barnabas]

*FYI* I picked this section if the forum because it has "Advice" in its name.


I'm having career issues guys or something akin to them. It's no secrete around here that I'm going to school to learn how to preach. However events over the summer have been nudging me to look into the Counseling degree program that FCC offers. Now I'm all confused about what degree I want to seek out.

One possible solution I've been thinking about is getting both, taking either the counseling classes for the first degree and then getting the second set of classes for the preaching degree free.

still that doesn't answer the immediate question of which one should I choose now.

HELP?!?

 

[vancouver123]

Maybe you should consult professionals, if you need someone to help you sort your thoughts out, see a counselor,(this doesn't mean you have problems, they just help you sort out what you really want and why.) Then if your just curious about either of these fields, and what the prep, and actual job, and prospects are like see career counselors (I found this not so useful personally) and talk to the people at the colleges, as well as browse for info online. I also when looking into a certain career once, just decided to contact a whole bunch of people in the industry and ask if they'd give me some insight. I was surprised at home many people eagerly responded, some didn't have the time, but passed on my emails to their co-workers, I even had one lady offer to show me around her studio if I wanted. I did this by looking through websites where they were advertising jobs I'd one day want, and contacting employers that way. But if you want to get into counseling or religion, you could contact churchs, and councelors, almost everyone is business has email contacts on the web these days. This might seem like lots of work, but it could be well worth the effort, you may even discover things, or make connections that will benefit you greatly. The more you dig around, the better you can make the decision for yourself, and with schools high costs, and years of time, making the best decision for you could really save a lot of time and hassle!

God, and if you do all that, make sure to reward yourself after!
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[revery2043]

Hmm, you can do what I did: find a church / mission that will let you do an preaching fellowship for the summer as a student minister and see how the role feels for you outside of academia.

Barring that, as someone that recently abandoned the Master of Divinity path, I can say this. As I understood the seminary experience, the sum of it all seemed geared to go beyond basic knowledge of text, theology, and spiritual practice, and instead sought to get me more in touch with myself as a person and my own understanding of my faith.

In other words, part of the process is meant to help (or drive you) towards deep reflection and discernment on whether ministry is right for you. Or as one of my peers put it. "Seminary is like taking your guts out everyday; shaking them around to get a better look at them, then putting them back in." Or as another peer put it, "Seminary is a mind @#$$."

Actually, I think that's a bit dramatic as far as intensity goes. However, from what I hear, Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) training which some denominations require and all hospital chaplains are federally mandated to take is that intense and more.

So with all that in mind, I'd say go with where the love is drawing you, and reflection in either program (counseling or ministry) will correct your assumptions as part of their respective processes.

Oh, and it's not uncommon for seminarians to switch out to non-ministerial degrees offered by their schools (if that's an option for you), I know one Lutheran in my consortium that has switched tracks three times now.

best wishes on your discernment,

Sean