Hoops
Tomorrow I take a state certification exam that will hopefully provide me with an LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)...ah...thing. The LPC means nothing. What it does is...and pay attention here...it allows me to take another test in a few years that will get me the LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor) thing. That's a master's level therapist. The LPC, for which I've studied for 2 1/2 months, is worthless. Literally. 'cept the $300 I sent the state of Illinois. I have to get 3,460 hours of supervised therapy under my belt...two years of full time work...in order to be eligible for the LCPC, which is the degree that means something. So, I take a test that allows me to work for free in order to take another test. But I already work for free, and I have for a year and a half. Doesn't matter. Then, here's more. I work for free this year, and then again next year. Then, after that, I'll be on Internship. It will hopefully be sometime during that year that I'll get the LCPC. During this year I will finally be paid for doing all of this, and the average salary for an intern is...and I'm not lying about this...is somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000 per year. So. Then, if all is well, I'd be licensed at the masters level. And then I'd gradiate and be a doc. Yay, right? EEEHHHHH. Wrong. Gotta do a post-doc. Gotta work for another 2,000 hours before I'm eligible to take what's called an EPPP (or an E-triple-P, and I don't know what the E and the P's stand for). After that 2,000 hours...for which I'll be paid...maybe 30 grand? I can take the E-triple-freakin-P and then I'll be done.
For those of you who did not have a pencil:
- 3 licensing exams, 1 of which doesn't really count, 'cept for the 3 months I've lost recently
- 3,460 hours MORE of free work. On top of the 1,000 I gave last year.
- Then, 2,000 hours of very poorly paid work as an intern.
- Then, 2,000 hours of poorly paid work as a post-doc, after which I can finally take the EPPP, which is a funny sounding name for a test after 6 1/2 years and 8,500 hours of working as a therapist.
They should call it the expensively, socially, emotionally, and personally debilitating hoop test.
posted by Teodoro Callate @ 8:41 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Tired and cranky!
Used and abused!
Worthless and weak!
Well, not worthless and weak. That just sounded good coming after the first two.
Here I go. On my way. I'll report back later.
Man. Who knows. Hard test.
Next!
good news. bad news.
bad news first:
that suuuucks!
good news:
1. you rock and can do it.
2. after all that, you will be pretty qualified to handle a lot of stuff, and will have a lot of experience.
3. i'm glad they make people do that, so they can have what the jesuits/religious orders call 'discernment.' maybe people find out, "hey, this really isn't for me." weeds people out, you know. also, really puts people through their paces and makes sure people who get their letters have earned/deserve them.
sorry that it suuuuucks sometimes, though.
smuss,
jdg
Smuss - No argument from me on all counts. Other than possibly #1, because I'm not feeling that so much. But I appreciate the sentiment!
DAM - By the way, good to have you back!
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