[USA] Choosing between a more expensive program that fits my goals vs. a cheaper program
I’m really struggling with a decision between two graduate programs and would really appreciate some perspective from people who are already in psychology/mental health counseling or have gone through a similar decision.
I’m deciding between John Jay College’s Forensic Mental Health Counseling program and Yeshiva University/Ferkauf’s Mental Health Counseling program. The biggest issue is the cost difference. One option would leave me with significantly more debt than the other, so naturally, I’ve had a lot of people tell me that I should choose the cheaper school and avoid taking on unnecessary debt.
The problem is that the more expensive program is also the one that offers the classes/training that I’m actually most interested in. I’m particularly interested in eventually working with things like anxiety, depression, OCD, etc., and potentially having my own private practice in the future. The program that costs more feels like a better fit for what I actually want to study and eventually do.
I’ve talked to several people about this, and even when I explain that the more expensive program has courses and opportunities that are more aligned with my interests, they still tell me to choose the cheaper option. Their reasoning is basically that I’m going into a mental health profession, so I probably won’t make enough money after graduation to justify taking on significantly more debt.
That’s where I’m conflicted. I’ve actually done a lot of research into salaries and career opportunities in my state, and I live in a relatively high-cost/high-income state where mental health professionals can have more earning opportunities than they might in other parts of the country. From what I’ve found, there are ways to eventually earn a pretty good income in this field, especially with licensure, specialization, private practice, insurance/self-pay, etc. Obviously, I know that doesn’t mean I’m guaranteed to make a high salary, especially right after graduation.
So I’m trying to figure out whether I’m being unrealistic by considering the more expensive school, or whether people are being too quick to assume that taking on more debt automatically makes it the wrong choice.
I’m also not trying to justify spending more money simply because I like one school better. I’m genuinely trying to figure out how much the actual program/curriculum and career opportunities should factor into the decision versus minimizing debt.
If you were in my position, would you choose the cheaper program even if the more expensive one was a better academic/career fit? And for anyone who works as an LMHC/LPC or has gone into private practice, how realistic is it to eventually earn a comfortable income in this field?
I’d especially appreciate advice from people who have actually been through graduate school and had to make a similar cost-vs.-fit decision.
P.S - just to mention the more expensive program is online, 4 days a week, 2 hours per day at night whereas the cheaper one is from 11AM - 8PM in the city 2 days a week.