SWOT Analysis

Valerie Nagle

10/08/2011

Academic Plan SWOT Analysis

Degree in Psychology

Minimum credit hours: 180

Minimum GPA: 2.0

Courses already taken/covered under my Associates or Transferred Credits:

And the highlighted courses below:

Courses that I need to take:

And the highlighted below:

Strengths:

A bachelor’s degree, regardless of the area of emphasis, can improve the likelihood of getting a good paying, good hours, and good environment job. I hope not to have to financial support my family, but if there comes a time where that is necessary I want to have the means to do so.

I like psychology in particular because the psychology program at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona is focused on family counseling. As my focus from now on will be my family I believe this degree in particular would help me to better connect with my family and help my family to connect with each other in healthy ways. Also, it will prepare me for any time where my family may be in want financially and it will allow me to be a better leader in my church and in my family.

Psychology is something I have always really enjoyed studying. In fact, from reading their descriptions, most of the courses in this major appeal to me.

PSY 335-Memory and Amnesia is intriguing, especially when it comes to hypnosis therapy on child abuse victims. I am very interested in that particular topic because I have seen TV shows where adults could not remember being abused until they were under hypnosis and I would like to know how they can be sure it is not merely suggestive questioning that causes these memories to appear. Clearly if abuse occurred as a child the adult would no longer have the physical evidence (depending on the severity of the abuse of course). There are several others that are equally interesting.

I don’t foresee this as being a major I will graduate with in the next year or so, but definitely within the next few years, and is within my projected timeline.

This career choice fits right in line with my desire to help others and improve their quality of life. It is also something that will be constantly pushing me to improve and analyze and my organization skills will come in handy.

Weaknesses:

Although I enjoy helping others and improving life I am a very empathetic person. I have considered this major before becoming a dance major and I was worried because I tend to take on the emotions of others. If I were to readily take on the emotions of my patients this would not only decrease my job effectiveness but it would also mean that I would bring home unstable emotions to my husband and kids. It is for this reason that I do not know whether I would get a job in the psychological field or if I would get a job in some other venue. So even if I enjoy studying psychology and would use principles of what I learned in my own home it may be better for me to study something I find less enjoyable that would lead me to a job that is more enjoyable.

I have mild anxiety and because the major is focused on family counseling it focuses a lot on child abuse. I am not sure how the classes will present this serious issue. I would like to believe that they would not graphically describe anything and we could focus on helping the family overcome. However, I worry that some of the more serious topics will cause me anxiety and sadness to listen to. There are also several research method classes which I would be required to take. These classes will be particularly challenging for me, because research papers are not my strong point. I have no problem with the research itself but I hate narrowing my topic and constructing bibliographies.

Opportunities:

It will allow me future careers and greater insight into my own psyche. It will allow me to have an environment of learning and keep my mind active while raising my children.

Threats:

The hardest part about obtaining a bachelor’s degree will be balancing my time between my baby, my husband, daily household duties, and school. Of Course this would apply to any major I chose to pursue.

If I don’t finish before my husband gets out of medical school then I will have to transfer schools again and be setback. Also we will be receiving low wages for his three years of residency and begin paying back all of his student loans; however, because we will be making money they may not give me financial aid.

If I am unable to find daycare or a consistent babysitter then I will have to bring the children with me to school which may be disruptive to the classes.