Decision time

Well, I'm in a pickle. A good pickle, but a pickle nonetheless.

After a month-long interview process consisting mostly of waiting, I've been offered two internships for my MSW program. And now I have to pick-le one over the other. (Yes, contrived pun intended!)

In all seriousness, though, this is a tough decision for me. The School of Social Work matched me with my top 2 agency choices for interviews. One agency is in my neck of the woods and offers a ton of different services in the community. They have great community partnerships with lots of potential for admin experience, and my supervisor is absolutely fantastic. I would have a lot of guided autonomy, which is something I particularly value. I know that I would enjoy the next 5 quarters there and I would have plenty of opportunities for growth and development in many different areas of social work.

The second placement option is within a huge organization. It is internationally recognized and receiving a lot of funding attention right now. They are a top-notch future employer around the world, which is something I need to especially consider in the midst of a crappy job market and recession. They offer primarily medical-based services, and I my internship would really challenge me both emotionally and professionally. Despite being an admin position, though, there is more of an emphasis on direct practice in the medical setting, which has its advantages and disadvantages for my professional development. While I want to be a well-rounded social worker, I don't want to lose focus of my specialization.

So as you can see, I have a critical decision ahead. Taking a strictly logical, pro/con approach isn't particularly helpful, and making the decision purely on emotions isn't advisable either. To further overwhelm me, I just received a call from the field placement coordinator at UC for my decision (due to aforementioned scheduling delays, I am one of the last people to lock into an internship). I told her I still wasn't sure what my choice would be and that I needed more time. But after talking through both options, she expressed concern over my second internship offer, saying that she needed to make some calls and get back to me before I make a decision.

Umm, okay? Maybe this decision isn't so difficult after all.