For those of you who know, I want to teach at a collegiate level, but I also want to participate in research, making programs and policies better, etc. I know the best way to accomplish a lot of my life goals is by getting a doctorate and going from there. It’s been really frustrating trying to find a “PhD” or “Doctor of ____” either Social Work or Sociology (I wasn’t being picky) that wasn’t for-profit and was available to me without relocation. I’ve looked for programs online and distance, I’ve looked for programs within an immediate commuting range and nothing seemed to fit what I needed or wanted. A few things for sure: I’ve been with Stanislaus County for about 12 years now. By the time I graduate from the Master of Social Work program, I will have almost 14 years under my belt. I’m aiming for at least 20 before I venture elsewhere. I wanted a program that would allow me to continue to work while I went to school, but was having next to no luck. I figured that I would graduate with my MSW, then get a doctorate in 3-5 years (depending on the program) and boom, I’d be nearing the 20-year mark in no time… Many of the programs I had looked into also held a “2 years post-MSW social work experience” requirement. Quite honestly, I don’t plan on leaving my current department again. I’ve had incredible levels of support as I pursue my education and I appreciate the short commute. So how do I get 2-years post-MSW social work experience under my belt if I’m working in a department that handles roads, bridges and infrastructure unless I take on a part time job elsewhere? I’ll get to that in a second.
Yesterday I met with one of my professors. Over the course of that hour long meeting I was able to hash out my dreams and goals for the future and what I wanted life to look like post-MSW. I vented some of the frustrations regarding the limited programs in the area and went over all the overshared details as to why relocating was not in the cards at this time.
Honestly, I’ve had an almost underlying feeling that I was just going to be out of luck as far as progressing with my education at this time (well, post-MSW). Until yesterday’s conversation.
My current university offers one doctorate – the Doctor of Educational Leadership (EdD). I’ve had a few people close to me that have held a collective discussion on how we find it bizarre when people with an EdD refer to themselves as “Doctor” (even though they obviously had gone through the rigorous education and dissertation defense to get there). Long story short, that may actually be the route I go. Hashtag: face palm. Not a face palm to the program, but a face palm to the idea that I should have known better than to rule out what I didn’t understand. And a huge face palm to the fact that you should NEVER say NEVER. Didn’t Fievel Mousekewitz teach me anything?! I said “never” to dating or marrying a Michael, and here we are. I said “never” to buying a house, and here we are. I said “never” to a lot of things that have simply been thrown back in my face… so I should really stop saying never…
Online, the information for the EdD program appears to be heavily geared toward individuals pursuing roles as a principal, superintendent, etc. But there’s a separate track for people called “community college” – which is essentially the teaching track that focuses on social justice in education… aka everything that’s important to me. I mean, after all - I’m currently writing my thesis on equitable public education.
Speaking to my professor about everything entailed in getting to be where he is today – a professor, researcher, and overall great human… this would be an awesome opportunity. Let me break this all down (mainly for myself to keep track of my own notes and thoughts): If I pursue the EdD program, there are programs like the “Chancellor's Doctoral Incentive Program” that will pay for three years of the program and I have to teach in the California State University system for five years as pay-back. I would write my statement of purpose to get into the EdD program as it relates to my desire of pursuing equitable public education and how my interests align with education, social justice, and the desire to teach (in the MSW program). To be hired as an adjunct professor in the MSW program, I would simply need an MSW and ANY doctorate. Having multiple ties to CSU Stanislaus would make me an ideal candidate for CSU Stanislaus, which works in my favor. I know the university, I have ties to faculty, ties to departments, and I know the region. Most people coming from out of the area don’t, so I’d have a leg up in that sense. To be hired as a tenure-track professor requires that 2-year post-MSW social work experience. Which of course made me mentally give up on that idea, since I don’t know if working in a part-time capacity would be feasible – since I don’t know what life would look like for Michael and me at that time.
Here's the kicker. What I do in my current job, processing grants and contracts for roads, bridges, and other infrastructure… if I shift my thinking… IS social work at a macro level. My mind was blown. Thanks, Dr. Garcia for thoroughly wrecking my world. The communities we primarily serve are the under-served, disadvantaged, and pocket area/unincorporated neighborhoods. We put sewage in the Airport neighborhood because homes had failing septic tanks that was leaching into water supplies. We’re working on getting sidewalks in the neighborhoods off Crows Landing, so children can walk to school safely. We just put in sidewalks in the community of Empire. We’re working on replacing the 7th Street bridge, which is a main thoroughfare for residents of 7th Street and surrounding areas to get into Modesto or get to the freeway. We’re fixing roads so people can drive to work or school safely. We hold community meetings in the evenings so families who work can attend. We do so much that is “social work” I just needed to have that reframed for me. Literally had my mind blown. So, there’s my 2-years post MSW social work experience as long as I write it as such. That experience would allow me to teach in research, policies, and human behavior – three of the four major components of social work.
Throughout the conversation, I was given the greatest blessing of all (beyond the hope that comes with renewed vision). I was given the opportunity for mentoring. My professor wants to bridge the gap between me and the chair of the EdD program so I can be introduced and have my name out there. My professor also wants to bring me under his and other faculty members’ wings to groom me to be a leading candidate not only for the EdD program, but to eventually teach in the MSW program as well. My professor is willing to oversee, supervise, and mentor me to become a researcher post-MSW, a professor in the MSW program, and he even said that someday, perhaps, take over his role at Stan State. I look up to him so much, that for him to see that kind of potential in me is the greatest life-changing honor and I haven’t quite fully comprehended the magnitude of the opportunities I was blessed with yesterday. I sit here this morning still in that “mind-blown” state, that I haven’t had the chance to sort through everything, which is why I felt writing about it was the best course of action for me.
I talked to Michael right after the conversation with my professor, and his response was simply, “I’m tethered to you, where you go, I go, what you do, I will support. If this is the program for you, then do it. You’re the smartest. I love you.” I want to cry literal tears of joy. The support I have from this man is what fuels me. Without him, I would be lost and alone. He has been my greatest cheerleader and support over the past couple years and I’m excited to see how opportunities available to me will invest into our life together.
Moral of this entire story is to always, always¸ invest in yourself. Because when you invest in yourself with grit and passion, you never know who else is watching and waiting to help invest in you, too.
