Which Way To Publish?

I know this is thinking too far ahead, but someone I know brought up something about publishing. A lady who attends the mental health center that I attend and work at, writes poetry.  Our center director asked her if she had been published. The lady said she'd gotten one of her poems published in Reader's Digest.  She then suggested the idea of me trying to publish my memoir in a magazine rather than trying to publish it as a book right away.

Is this a good idea? Do people still serialize stories in publications? I'm afraid no one I know will see it or read it this way.  Furthermore, it seems that this only for fiction. Do publications serialize memoirs? Suggested publications were medical journals or Psychology Today.  But such journals will only publish stuff from non-medical professionals.  I was told this in a writing group I joined on Facebook.
My story is just too long for Reader's Digest. 

Again, is this a good idea? And what is your opinion of possibly self-publishing?