Issue link: http://ncumarketing.uberflip.com/i/1422929
How will your choice of topic help you in your professional development? Professionally, being able to create a de facto TIC professional organization would be most satisfying. There is no doubt that ACEs are going on at the present moment at epidemic levels. Being able to put a quell in the pain of past experiences or stop current abusive situations is what being in the psychological profession is all about for me. Organizations are paying top money for TIC presenters, conferences, books, programs, and consultants. There are real-world benefits to human relations organizations being trauma-informed. As a clinical manager, avoiding re-triggering traumatic episodic behavior is at the forefront of my decision-making model every day. Daylong episodes that tie up the entire organization with the initial scene, ambulance, policy, family, staff, debriefing, and documentation are expensive events to be avoided for an organization. What would you recommend to other dissertation students seeking to expand their professional opportunities? Believe in the dissertational learning process. Do every assignment, as it is an integral part of the chain of writing a dissertation. Once you have learned the sequence of events it takes to do the dissertation, then you can write out a proposal or plan using scholarly research to support your stance. Also, remind people of your expertise as an analytical psychometric employee. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to say in a big meeting, "you know that survey is not scientific," "what is your sample population?," "you know that is anecdotal evidence," and so on. All in all, you will be the expert in your dissertation topic area. That is saying something, and whatever you do, people will recognize your hard work and knowledge. First and foremost, I want to give credit to all the adult students at NCU who are currently pursuing education in addition to balancing full-time careers, family responsibilities, and personal pursuits. As a retired military member and current owner and operator of a growing massage and bodywork practice, I have experienced the academic journey from the perspective of both working and raising a family as a single parent early in my academic journey, to now being part of a populace that is completing higher education when family responsibilities are waning because adult children are pursuing their own higher educational goals. My previous military career of 28 years was demanding of my time and energy to say the least, and there were many — and I mean many — days and nights where I was often left questioning if academia was worth the effort. These days, I am afforded more time as I run my own business and attempt to create a stress-free schedule. The answer now is a resounding "yes." Now that my career has transitioned from government employee to entrepreneurship (insert girl-boss), it's permitted time to reflect on a few important peripheral issues. As I reach the halfway point in my master's LESSONS LEARNED AS AN ADULT STUDENT Georgina Kalwak, LMT MS in Health Psychology candidate 8 NCUPA Fall Bulletin