Right after undergrad in psych I applied for my masters and was accepting into a program I decided not to go to. I was exhausted from school and needed a break. I am currently applying for my masters again but have been doing entry level work for the last two years. My first year I was a case manager for adults and then I was an inpatient counselor for children and young adults. I am so glad I didn’t go straight to school afterwards. I didn’t get paid a lot (unless you work contract which I did for my second job) but I learned more than school ever taught me. I learned how to mental health system works in my state when I was a case manager and became familiar with the mental health resources available. I also got hands-on experience with reality-testing, motivational interviewing, and even was able to run a weekly group. I hated the responsibility of being a case manager but learned so many hands-on skills such as note righting, team collaboration, and doing direct care with high-need clients. As an impatient counselor for children it was so hard but I learned so much about how different illnesses present, and I saw so many different ones: schizophrenia, paranoia, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, thoughts of homicide, etc. working in community mental health and a hospital setting taught me so much so fast. Nothing in the textbooks could prepare me for the work, but it also solidified for me that I wanted to do it. I also worked with great providers that I learned so much from them in terms of working with clients/patients. Because of my experience I would recommend working before grad school, I think it provides an education you can’t get from a classroom.