conundrum.

i can remember a time when my i was so completely certain about my future plans. i knew it all, or so i thought. then life continued to happen. i was faced with the reality of my plans and other events and ideas and plans seemed to creep their way into, what i had thought, was so set.

to teach or not to teach?

since i will be graduating with a bachelor's in december, i am faced with the option to attain a teaching certificate which will enable me to be able to be a teacher. if you know me, then you know that this was my original plan when i started my collegiate career in the fall of 2006. but as time when on, things changed (as usual) and i changed my major to psychology and decided i wanted to be a counselor.

now, you may be asking "why are you going back to teaching if you want to be a counselor?" and my answer to you is this: i have a desire to do both. i still want to go to graduate school to get my master's in counseling psychology, but i'm just not sure if i want to go right now. i think that i would really enjoy teaching school for a while and then going back to get my master's.

pros and cons.

the pros of teaching first: i would be able to have a decent job after i graduate (or soon after--as opposed to two years after if i were to go to graduate school). i've always had a desire to teach and i would be able to. i think that my training in psychology would also come in handy in school--a teacher has a significant impact on a child. being a teacher would enable me to have weekends and summers off, a long with all holidays (talk about amazing). there is a high demand for teachers these days so finding a job would not be difficult. also, by not going straight into graduate school, i would be able to mature and get settled down without having to worry about school and homework. also, i'm wanting to go into marriage and family counseling and given the extended time off, i would be able have experience in those areas before going in to practice, creating more credibility for myself.

the cons of teaching first: the postponing of my post grad education could deter me from ever actually attaining my master's. although getting settled without worrying about school and homework sounds great, i'm going to have to worry about it eventually and it would probably be better to worry about it in the beginning than when i'm trying to start a family. also, by postponing graduate school, i am going to have to start paying off my student loans until i am in school again. this is not exactly ideal.

any advice? ..i mean it may seem like graduate school right after i graduate is the clear choice..but why do i not feel 100% about that? how can i seize the day when i have no clue what to seize?! ..oh.my.m.g.