Is this a good career path for me? ABA vs LPC
Hello! I am about to graduate from my undergrad and haven't figured out what I want to do yet. Initially, I was going to apply to get a master's in therapy or social work. I only recently learned about ABA, and wanted to learn a little more about the field as I prepare to apply for an MSABA program.
There are a few big questions that I have:
Do I need to be an RBT? I am planning on moving to LA because I want to go to Pepperdine's program, and I was planning on getting my RBT cert this summer so I can apply to jobs when I move and get my hours while in school. I have seen a few posts that are quite critical of BCBA's without RBT experience, and I honestly feel a bit of imposter syndrome for applying to a master's without any experience in the ABA field.
What is the actual job and work-life balance like? Pretty much all of my work experience has been with kids, mostly through tutoring or after-school/summer programs, and I love working with kids, especially in an educational setting! However, I know that being a BCBA is more about working with parents, developing behavior plans, and supervising RBTS, and I also know that most of the time we work in clinics or home-to-home. How is the work-life balance? The pay seems to be pretty darn good for how short the masters is, but I keep seeing lots of posts about burnout and people leaving the industry, so I would like to hear from people what the job is actually like. How much of it is sitting at a desk? How much of it is dealing with parents? What is RBT supervision like? (I actually think I would really enjoy supervising RBTS)
Third big question that is making me hesitate: I am trans (MTF), and I have begun my medical, but not my social transition. I adore working with kids, and it kind of kills me that people will make horrible assumptions about me as I transition and continue to work with kids. How accepting is the industry, especially in SoCal? I'm hoping that compared to where I live in Dallas, LA will be way better, but I know intolerant people are everywhere. My biggest worry is that I will lose out on clients, and therefore money, which sucks. I'm nearly 6'3 and I'm just terrified thinking of all the unpleasant interactions that might come, especially early in my transition. I think I have really thick skin and great people and social skills, but I've also lived my life shielded by the fact that I was born a man, and I don't yet know what the other side of that might bring.
As much as I loved the idea of becoming a therapist, it's really hard for me to stomach the idea of 3 years of school plus 2 years of underpaid LPCC-A work. This is compounded by the fact that while my parents will fully support me financially through school, they are very unaccepting of my transness, and I worry that if I do a long program like therapy, they could cut me off or use their financial support to force me to delay my transition. I am also aware of the ABA changes coming in 2027 and 2032, and I think that it might be wise to get a full master's program since the path of getting a BCBA with any master's degree and additional classes seems to be closing (correct me if I'm wrong). I also think that in the future, I might end up getting a counseling degree anyway, and since I have always been interested in doing lgbt and trans work anyway, BCBA might prove to be a very useful degree for working with that population. Is my plan of starting in BCBA for a faster path to financial independence sound? I would REALLY like to hear from people in the industry in Southern California. I grew up in LA and have wanted to move back for years. I just want to make sure that I am able to afford it and have a well-planned-out future that allows me to have a fulfilling career and afford my transition and all the costs associated with it.