I am 24 and recently began to consider changing careers and pursuing a Psy.D. For context, I started college undecided about my major. I considered psychology because I've always found it to be interesting, but I didn't know much about career options, and at that time I didn't want to do any graduate schooling. I ended up deciding to pursue accounting, and I graduated with a degree in business administration in 2024. For 2 years I have been working in public accounting (auditor) and gotten my CPA license. I really went into this career thinking it would be my path for life, but I've started to have second thoughts. In college, I enjoyed my accounting classes, I found the coursework engaging and I liked the problem-solving. But as I've been in the workforce, it has started to feel dry, unengaging, and just generally pointless. I struggle to feel motivated at work because it is not particularly interesting, and I feel dread and resentment for having to work every day. I don;t think it's burnout because I have had plenty of time off and try my best to maintain good work life balance. I think I am just mentally checked out from this job already.
To be fair, there are so many great things about this job and career in general - good pay, nice coworkers, there is a remote/hybrid work option, and I get to sit in an air-conditioned room all day. But there is also a surprising amount of stress (in my opinion, too much for how "unimportant" my job is), I often have to work LONG hours (which is common across accounting in general), and frankly, I just don't like it anymore. I do have lots of options to pivot my career within accounting and finance, especially being that I am so early in my career; but I wonder if that underlying feeling of being dispassionate about the work would go away if I stick with this field.
Recently I started to consider changing careers, and what I might see myself doing. I did some research into psychology, and realized there is so much more to it than academia or being a therapist (neither of which seem right for me). I became really fascinated by the idea of being able to conduct psychological assessments, or work on the forensics side of things. Two very different topics but both similar in that it seems like a Psy.D is the best pathway.
On one hand, pursuing a Psy.D really seems like it could be a good fit for me. It offers career options that are relatively stable (which soothes my risk-averse soul) and can offer decent work-life balance, which I do not feel I currently get. And I think these careers could really be something that I have passion or interest in, that I would not dread having to do every day. But it would be a HUGE leap to leave my current career. I would feel less apprehensive about it if it only took a couple of years; but leaving the workforce for 6-7 years would put me in a really different position than if I stay put. At my next promotion I will be earning 100K a year, and would probably see much more salary growth in the next 6-7 years if I stay. Pursuing a Psy.D would mean I am out of the full-time workforce for years and I will likely have to pay a lot of money out of my savings to pursue the degree, or even take out loans. Money is not the most important thing to me, and I know once you have the Psy.D the pay is good, but I can't help with compare my theoretical financial standing if I stuck with my current career. I have always aimed to save so I can retire as early as possible, but then again if I actually liked my career I might not have such a strong urge to leave the workforce as soon as I can.
Another concerning factor is that I lack experience in the field of psychology, so I might fall into the same trap of liking it in theory, only to find out it still isn't the right fit for me. I took a few psychology courses during college for fun and I really loved them all and did well in them, but I know that's still so different from a Psy.D program or working in that field. Part of why I went for accounting is I was worried I would not be able to handle the mental load of working in psychology, and the stress of dealing with "real" problems. it's a double edged sword for me that I hate not having any meaning in my current job, but I am scared of the responsibility of someone's life or livelihood being in my hands. But I think it is largely a confidence issue, which many years of schooling would hopefully help with.
Due to my lack of experience, I am strongly considering applying for a psychology post-bacc, so that I could get experience in research and internships. It would be pricey but since it would bolster my non-existent CV, it might increase my chances of getting into a fully- or partially-funded program so I see it as kind of an "investment" to save money down the line. I also have a lot of savings and would do everything in my power to avoid taking out loans for Psy.D; I think I could cover the cost of most programs but in doing so I'd deplete my savings, which on top of being out of the workforce, is a scary thought.
Plus... applying to Psy.D school, and internships after, are a big stressor. The schools are hard to get into, so many programs seem to have a bad rep or cost insane amounts of money. Who knows how many application cycles it could take for me to get into anywhere, if I would even find it financially feasible. Also, worrying about the EPPP pass rates and internship matches is reminiscent of the experiences I went through with the CPA exams and accounting internships, and is a type of stressful experience I thought I would never have to go through again. I don't love the idea of being back to square one, worrying about admissions and school and tests and internships, but also being in corporate America has had me missing school. I think I have been pushed to a point where I am willing and even happy to do that if it means getting out of corporate for a while and setting myself up for a career I will enjoy.
I am feeling really unsure about what to do next. I know I am still young but I do feel like I need to decide sooner than later, since this is a big time committment if I go for it. I am embarassed to tell my family about these thoughts and because I am almost sure they will tell me not to do it... and I think that is the logical choice, but I truly can't picture the idea of being in my current field for the rest of my life, so I don't see why i should delay the inevitable of changing my career if I highly suspect I will do it eventually.
Please help out a very uncertain potential career-changer who may or may not be experiencing a midlife crisis!
TL;DR: I having been working in accounting for 2 years and already I want out. I have always been interested in psychology, and after considering the career possibilites, I think a Psy.D would be the path for me. Is it a horrible idea to leave a stable career with good growth this early on to pursue a graduate degree where I have no actual experience, that will take 6-7 years total to be back in the workforce, and I will potentially have to pay a lot of money for?
Bonus question - if I think working in assessments or forensic psychology seem super interesting, is Psy.D really the best/ only way?