Hi Anu, Please keep this anonymous.
I'm a 26-year-old female working in a well-paying corporate job for past 3 years now.
This is my first job since college and I'm feeling very saturated and burned out in this job.
My work profile here is quite distinct and I've tried switching to other companies but have been receiving either rejections or no response from them.
I feel so tired and demotivated with the work that it's affecting my performance.
Owing to unhealthy lifestyle and lack of work life balance I got diagnosed with PCOS.
I'm very much interested in psychology and feel like switching my career to another track altogether.
My family is supportive but I don't know where I am headed from a career point of view.
I have been contemplating putting down my papers for months now but I feel so aimless, lost and confused. Could you please guide and advise me?
Thanks a lot in advance.

Ans: Hello Maam

All options as mentioned by you are open, however every option has its own pros and cons.

For eg Masters in Psychology would be mean starting fresh.

Your banking experience would be of help in software company but then again you will have to spend long hours.

Suggest you ask yourself what you want to do given your health constraints if any and then take a call.

All the best

Ans: I am really very happy to see the positive mind frame of yours. I do think teaching ( i.e. College Teaching) will be the best job for you. At a time you and teach and counsel. Please don't be unsure about your capacity, from your writing it is crystal clear that you do have the required capacity to do M.Phil and Ph.D. Only your age is a bit high, because if you do M.Phil and Ph.D then it will take at least six years time and by that time you will be 35. If you are ready you can apply to some Universities of Germany for doing Ph.D directly. There M.Phil is not required. In Germany for ladies education is free. Only you need to have knowledge of primary German language for a smooth sailing. In school there is little bit use of Psychology, because the subject of Psychology is not there.
Your next step will be having a permanent job. Unless the basic needs are assured you can't concentrate. In India very few persons get job satisfaction. So if you appear for the state PSC exam, you may crack it, but Psychology won't be there, you may be a Deputy Collector or Sales Tax Officer with periodic transfer and lot of respect cum status. But don't be morose. Even being in other job you can give free counselling of Psychology online free of cost just to pursue your hobby. My basic answer is that first grab a full time job and then pursue your passion. Right now don't go for M.Phil and Ph.D.Higher degrees and age are proportional to each other. In last five years you must have completed M.Phil and started Ph.D. But no point in lamenting over the spilt milk. So two option 1) Do Ph.D from Germany 2) Grab a Govt or Private job which is not contractual. Take proper decision. That is the most important thing in career building. Never go for split mind and never try for true option. Make your aim fix and target it and I am sure you will achieve it.
Now just procure a permanent job and pursue your hobby of Psychology.Best of Luck. Prof. Mukhopadhyay