Hi, Elsa
I recently graduated from university and I have applied to grad schools in social work. The idea is for me to become a therapist in the future. My problem is that I just don’t feel strongly about this. I would love to feel extremely excited and passionate about the idea of social work, and it really worries me that I don’t.
And when I think of alternatives, the options that arise are music… or some kind of interior decorating/designing, both of which I love but have no professional training in. So I am wondering if anything in my chart can explain my feelings of ambivalence towards social work, or can point me towards a field I can be more excited about.
Or perhaps I need to think in a different, more revolutionary way about social work? I would really appreciate your help.
Thanks, and God Bless,
Student
Nigeria
Dear Student,
They say that life it too short to spend it doing something you are not passionate for. But for Capricorn risings like you and me, I’d say that life is too long! And looking at your stellium in Scorpio, I have to think you’re going to prove very hard to kill – so I think your concern that you might be on the wrong path is valid… sort of.
See, your education will never be wasted because being psychologically sophisticated is an asset that is applicable to everything all the time. If you consider the symbol for Capricorn – a goat climbing a very large mountain – what you could be discovering is not that you are climbing the wrong mountain, but that the top is somewhat further off than you thought. And when you initially consider this it may upset you, but in reality it’s not that big a deal. This is just life and life unfolds.
And I’m not worried about you at all. Because obviously this has emerged and if you were intent on stuffing your feelings and committing to a career you have no passion for, you would not have written me.
So this is where you are and you are going to have to do something about it. Are you capable of that? Of course! I would bet you are more capable than 95% of the people out there and I bet you’d agree with me.
So just be still and ask the universe to show you the best path. I bet you anything it will oblige and from there you need only execute, which is a walk in the park for Capricorn.
And on a more visceral level, with all those planets in Scorpio, never ever choose the thing that has no energy for you. Because if you do, you will shrivel up.
Good luck.
On a practical note interests in music/interior decorating don’t always pay the bills while social work offers more promising career prospects at the start (provided you don’t get killed of course).
Social work (at least in the UK) is a very difficult and often frustrating profession but there are lots of exciting things in it. You certainly get deeply involved in people’s lives (which may appeal to your Scorpio side). It’s certainly a field where people get burned out all the time (and when that happens it’s time to leave) and you’re going to see horrible things all the time, but if you stick with it it may be the thing you need to do.
My passion is writing and painting and astrology. But none of these things will allow me to pay my mortage or buy pretty shoes, so I also have a job that while I may not be as passionate about I recognise as good and valuable, and it’s certainly a place where I learn a lot. But while I am working I also write, and I paint, and I learn more about astrology. Just because they are not my primary career doesn’t mean I am not pursuing the other things which interest me – simply recognising that for practical purposes I can’t do the other things just yet.
I know tons of people in the same boat. A friend has just had a novel published (after two years of rejections) and she’s working on a second book – but she had to work at the same time as doing the writing because writing is not something she could live on.
Now if finances are not an issue in your situation, then you are very lucky and you can afford to pursue your other interests. BUT if they are then you need to be smart, and practical and stretsmart in terms of employment. Work experience counts for a lot, and while you are doing a job you can always look for others and think about how you can do a career shift (take weekend/evening classes in design for instance, look at what about those things you like and whether you have any aptitude for them, what the pay is like and so on.) Do your research and if it seems clever then you can figure out how to do a shift.
Good luck.