Question on College Career

[Monarchianism]

I am officially a high school graduate of 2010 of last year. Turning the page:
Many days were spent on deciding a future career goal, as college is a natural step after graduation. To cut this short, is choosing psychology a dangerous road for a pentecostal? (Dangerous.. when it comes down to wrestling with spirits) ..I was fixed on this idea, until.. one warm night at a revival. I felt as though God may of not wanted that for me? The preacher said that counceling others would not really help them, in that even after all you have done, they continue to be sinners anyhow. Should I go through with it?

[supertone]

Have you thought about going into construction?

[freeatlast]

Sounds like that revival preacher needs some counceling himself.

Go get ye an education.

[seguidordejesus]

I don't think it's evil, but you need to realize that with psychology you'll need at LEAST a master's degree to get any job making more than minimum wage. Just saying.

[aegsm76]

Psychology is a hard field to make a living.

[jfrog]

Originally Posted by Monarchianism

I am officially a high school graduate of 2010 of last year. Turning the page:
Many days were spent on deciding a future career goal, as college is a natural step after graduation. To cut this short, is choosing psychology a dangerous road for a pentecostal? (Dangerous.. when it comes down to wrestling with spirits) ..I was fixed on this idea, until.. one warm night at a revival. I felt as though God may of not wanted that for me? The preacher said that counceling others would not really help them, in that even after all you have done, they continue to be sinners anyhow. Should I go through with it?

If you want your job to be about saving peoples souls then become a missionary or a pastor or an evangelist. However, if you choose that path be absolutely sure that you are doing it for the right reasons. You see, too many people get the idea that God wants them to become such ministers when he really doesn't. They get this idea because some preachers make it sound like everything done other than winning souls is a worthless endeavor. Don't get trapped into that mode of thinking. Anything you do that helps people is worthwhile and counseling does help people.

You said that you felt God didn't really want you to choose psychology. Maybe God did tell you this. Maybe he didn't. I'm not going to try to convince you one way or the other. But I do know that it is easy to mishear the voice of God. I also think that there are a few tests to see if what you thought was the voice of God really was. For example, it doesn't seem to me that God is going to tell you not to do something because it might put you at greater risk of something (like wrestling with spirits). Instead, it seems to me God would tell you not to do something because this or that will happen. Also, it doesn't seem to me that God is going to tell you not to do something because it won't directly affect another person's soul. Instead, we know God does want Christians to feed hungry sinners even if doing so doesn't save their souls and likewise I think we can extrapolate that he wants Christians to help others in anyway they can even if doing so doesn't save sinners souls.

Now, I'm not saying to just cast aside any worries or fears you have in going into psychology. You should properly weigh them into your decision. I'm just saying don't count something as God's will in your decision unless you really think it was.

[missourimary]

I wouldn't see anything wrong with a psychology degree, but you will face some concepts that might conflict with yours. The same is true of anything you go into--you'll face some of that with any degree, even if you go to Bible college, I suspect. It's also true of any career you choose, with or without a college degree.

Take a few classes before you rule it out. If you're still uncomfortable with it, try sociology or business. Or when you do your masters, you could go for marriage and family therapy or social work instead of psychology. MFT masters are offered through some very Bible-based colleges, and denominal churches sometimes employ MFTs to assist members and nonmembers alike.

BTW, as far as the preacher's statement, consider these: there are many saints who would benefit from good counsel, and there are several verses about "godly counsel" and "wise counsel". You wouldn't be the first Pentecostal to get a degree in psychology--some of them are licensed ministers. And I might never have left Oneness if someone had been willing to counsel me. So sinners might remain sinners, but saints might also remain saints in at least some instances. Good counsel is not wasted. If it's your dream, follow it.

[Apocrypha]

Originally Posted by Monarchianism

I am officially a high school graduate of 2010 of last year. Turning the page:
Many days were spent on deciding a future career goal, as college is a natural step after graduation. To cut this short, is choosing psychology a dangerous road for a pentecostal? (Dangerous.. when it comes down to wrestling with spirits) ..I was fixed on this idea, until.. one warm night at a revival. I felt as though God may of not wanted that for me? The preacher said that counceling others would not really help them, in that even after all you have done, they continue to be sinners anyhow. Should I go through with it?

Avoid Psychology and Law. They are money losers that are over saturated.

If you want to make a excellent living go for the blue collar high skilled trades like electrician, commercial plumber, or firefighter.

[pelathais]

With a Bachelors in Psych you can go on to get a masters in business or just about any other field. The real question is, "Where do your passion lie?" To really excel at anything you need to have some passion for the material.

Don't listen to the "preacher." They'll say just about anything over the pulpit but in person, one-on-one, you'll often get a very different story. Though, even one-on-one you'll often hear what the preacher wants his "good ol' boy preacher buddies" to hear. The biggest mistake I ever made was listening to my pastor and not going to college when I was young. He told me straight out NOT to go to college because "they teach secular humanism..."

What's funny is that 6 of his 8 kids all went to college and 4 of those went on to get advanced degrees. I did exactly what my pastor told me to do, and I was a fool. Learn from my pain.

To succeed in this world you will need an advanced education. Get an undergraduate degree in whatever you find the most interesting. Pour yourself into that field of study for 4 years while also exploring other fields. Then, just look at all the opportunities that will exist for bright young undergrads. You're too smart to settle for anything less. You'll be miserable for the rest of your life if you sell yourself short now.

With a few very important exceptions, Pentecostal pulpits ("Apostolics" for you younger kids) are filled with uneducated pinheads. These guys have never bothered to either get an education nor even to educate themselves. Most of them don't even know how to use the Strong's Concordance that provides most of their "sermon" material - (here's a tip guys: Read the Instructions at the start of the book!).

You deserve better. Demand better. Demand that of yourself as well. Good luck. God will bless you if you're diligent in this matter.

[houston]

"...become a teacher. Your country needs you." Barak Obama