I Wish I Knew... When I was in Graduate School

By Tanya Aly, Spring 2010

Develop connections while at CSPP. They are a valuable resource and can help you locate jobs in the future. Pick your professors brains about how to go about getting what you want.
Think carefully about your internship experiences. Do you want to be exposed to a broad population or do you know who you want to work with? Pick your training experiences in accordance with what you need. The connections you make during your internship years are very valuable and can open doors for you.
If your pocket book allows you to, go for a post doc. It is an amazing chance to go further into something you are interested in. Most of your learning takes place after graduate school. Through a post doc, you will be able to define your interests even more.
It is helpful to have your last year of internship or your post doc be in the city where you would like to live. A great many sites hire their previous trainees as they are a known commodity. Take your internships seriously and learn all that you can from your site.
Network up a storm. I did not really understand the necessity of "networking" until I began to see the advantages of putting yourself out in the community and becoming a part of the community in which you work. If you are in community mental health, focus on the big picture. Get to know the department of public health, get to know the other clinics in the community. Establish a network to help support the work you do. Keep in touch with you supervisors and mentors. The broader your knowledge is about how the mental health system works the better you are able to service your clients and staff. If you choose the private practice direction, who you network and work with will determine how clients find you.
Join your local psychological associations and expose yourself to your colleagues.
Graduate school can be some of the best years of your life. Yes, this may be hard to believe when you are in the thick of it but true when you look back.