I am a retired electrical engineer and worked as an engineer for almost 20 years. During all of that time, I was always intrigued by how the human mind works, how our perception influence our feelings, how our feelings shape our thoughts, and how our thoughts affect our behavior. I found myself many times daydreaming and even believing that I had figured out, not the answers to these questions, but how to ask the right questions that could at least shed some humble understanding.
I suppose that even when I worked as an engineer, I always had the heart of a psychologist.
In 2003, after being forced to retire from my engineering job, I decided to take that very opportunity to follow my psychologist heart and seek out a path that would bring me closer to finding the way of asking the right questions. In 2008, after my first book was published, I approached the office of admissions for the graduate program of North Carolina Central University (NCCU). I found out that I had to take at least seven prerequisite classes before I would even become eligible for admission in the psychology program. To make a long story short, it took me almost five years to complete all the prerequisites and was finally accepted to the Clinical Concentration of the Graduate Psychology program at NCCU. I begun the program as a full time student in August 2013 and last night was my last exam of the first of six semesters.
I will not pretend that I have been enlightened and that I know why the field of psychology is important to me. However, I do know: After almost five years of taking prerequisites and one full semester of graduate school, I am still exited to be where I am and I feel very fortunate that I have the opportunity to be learning what I am learning. I can honestly say that this journey is not very easy. It may be fun at times, but never easy. I found that the best way to explain my experiences thus far is with the following metaphor:
I feel that I am just like a piece of cork. I may get pushed down again and again, but I always manage to come back up and stay afloat (JASO, December 2013).
I suppose that even when I worked as an engineer, I always had the heart of a psychologist.
In 2003, after being forced to retire from my engineering job, I decided to take that very opportunity to follow my psychologist heart and seek out a path that would bring me closer to finding the way of asking the right questions. In 2008, after my first book was published, I approached the office of admissions for the graduate program of North Carolina Central University (NCCU). I found out that I had to take at least seven prerequisite classes before I would even become eligible for admission in the psychology program. To make a long story short, it took me almost five years to complete all the prerequisites and was finally accepted to the Clinical Concentration of the Graduate Psychology program at NCCU. I begun the program as a full time student in August 2013 and last night was my last exam of the first of six semesters.
I will not pretend that I have been enlightened and that I know why the field of psychology is important to me. However, I do know: After almost five years of taking prerequisites and one full semester of graduate school, I am still exited to be where I am and I feel very fortunate that I have the opportunity to be learning what I am learning. I can honestly say that this journey is not very easy. It may be fun at times, but never easy. I found that the best way to explain my experiences thus far is with the following metaphor:
I feel that I am just like a piece of cork. I may get pushed down again and again, but I always manage to come back up and stay afloat (JASO, December 2013).
I really enjoyed learning about your journey and dreams to becoming a Psychologist. Your motivation, drive and thoughtfulness is very inspiring. Thank you for sharing this with others as well as your optimism about learning!
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