job hunting's a bitch

ok, so i feel like i spend hours at a time and don't really get anywhere. i do still hope that chicago is a possibility, seeing as it's the only place i have been looking...but seriously...i'm either incredibly overqualified, or underqualified. you'd think that with a master's degree and lost of patient experience i could find a counseling job somewhere, but there seems to be a large gap between positions that require a BA in some counseling/social work related field, and one that requires licensure or certification in one area or another. i can apply for licensure as soon as i take 3 more classes (not part of my master's program), and i can apply for my CADC (certified alcohol and other drug abuse counselor) and my MISA (mental illness/substance abuse) certifications with 2 more years of paid counseling experience, 150 hrs of supervision, etc. and you gotta love this>>all this info can be found through the IAODAPCA--the Illinois Addiction and Other Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association (i put my 'CAPS LOCK' on to finish that acronym). how i'm supposed to get 2 years of counseling experience is beyond me, b/c no jobs let you counsel without your CADC or MISA. Damn Illinois.

So, i've also applied to about 15 patient access/registration positions, going on the experience i have from the hospital this past year. but that puts me in a position i already have and don't need an MA for. and don't get me wrong, i have no problem starting at the 'bottom' and working my way up...i just feel like the bottom i'm gonna have to start at is the same place i could be without two years spent in god-forsaken morgantown, without thousands of god-forsaken dollars spent for this education, which i'm still not convinced i need. well, not in Illinois anyways.

ok, i know i needed the MA, but just call me frustrated and in need of an internet-job-searching break.

now i'm gonna go study for my NCE (national couseling exam) that is to take place in 8 days. shit...i gotta get on it!!

someday this will all end and it will have been worth it...for one reason or another!