My plans for future

Hi, there! Here is Sveta again. I am afraid this will be my last meeting with you because I need to get ready for my trip. I am leaving for Sochi tonight. Not only to enjoy our warm southern sun and to swim, in blue waters of the Black Sea, but to see my friends. Besides, I have nothing to do here anymore: I have passed all the exams successfully and I'm free till the 1^st of September.

As you might have already understood this unit is devoted to my plans for future! It would be honest to say that I don't have any yet. But still, of course, I often think about my future and my goals in life.

One of the things I would like to do in the future is to do a research in medical psychology. After I finish my Institute I want to apply for a graduate school in Moscow. Education is better there and there are more opportunities for work. I also might want to study abroad. But it is not as easy as it sounds. You have to know English well enough to pass the test of English. Then, you should always remember that education is not free in most of the countries. And it may be very expensive! Up to tens of thousands dollars a year. So, you need to find a source of finance to pay the tuition fee. And, besides, you always need some money to support yourself.

But I want you to know that I don't want to leave the country forever. I strongly believe that economy in our country will be better soon and leaving it will not make you happy. As a psychologist I understand that there are more things in life than just being not hungry and have nice clothes. But traveling and living abroad broadens your horizons and gives you food for thought.

To my mind my future profession is very important nowadays. It implies great responsibility and a lot of activities of different kind. I think being a good psychologist means to serve a model of behavior and not just give knowledge of something. I am sure our task is not only to provide pupils with information but also to prepare them for everyday life, to make them good and responsible citizens of the society.

I am a very practical person. So I think about the employment opportunities in my field. It is still difficult to find well paid job in psychology. Most of people still don't realize the importance of psychology and hire them just because of a fashion.

But you can always start your own business and have your private practice. You only need a license and a working experience. Private psychologists and psychoanalysists are very popular and well-paid abroad!

And, like I wrote in one of the first units, I want to help people with their problems.

In conclusion, I would like to say that Institute gives very good background knowledge of subject. But this knowledge is too general. Most graduates are only theoretically prepared for work. We don't have many practical course and those we have are very weak. The only opportunity t work somewhere is during the summer vacation. But of course one wants to rest a little after a whole year of studies and hard exam session. That is what is called a dilemma.

See you in September!