Interestedin a career in psychology? If so, you aren’t alone. Psychology is a highly popular and competitive field, due to the high salaries and rewarding career opportunities. How can you get a jump on the competition? Here are some suggestions.
Choose Your General Area of Psychology Early
Psychology is a broad field, offering a wide range of career opportunities. Choosing your specialty—or at least your general area of psychology—early can provide you with an early lead in the race, because you will be able to tailor your classes toward your general area. You don’t necessarily have to choose your exact specialty area, but if can, so much the better.
To properly choose a general area, you will first need to figure out what general type of psychology you are most interested in. Do you consider yourself a lab rat, or would you rather work as a counselor? Or maybe you’d prefer to be a teacher, or even work in advertising.
Sometimes your choice might come down to examining the type of person you are. If you are an introvert who loves conducting experiments, you should consider becoming a researcher for a university or a private corporation. If you are an extrovert who likes helping people, you might consider becoming a counselor or a social worker.
Another factor to consider is the type of environment you would like to work in, such as a hospital, school, private office, research institute, governmental office, etc.
Here are a few of themost common careers in psychology to consider, as well as some specialty areas:
Clinical psychologistsare similar to counseling psychologists, except that their clients generally suffer from more serious psychological disorders, often to the point of being institutionalized. Clinical psychologists generally work in hospitals or mental health institutions.
Clinical social workersare a cross between clinical psychologists and regular social workers, as they can counsel mentally ill patients.
Researchersconduct laboratory experiments on humans or animals in order to gain a better understanding of mental functions, emotions, social capacities and feelings. Researchers help expand our psychological knowledge, which can lead to new scientific breakthroughs or revolutionary psychological theories. Some researchers are required to teach part-time or to write grants. A few of the specialty fields in this area of psychology include social psychologists, developmental psychologists and neuropsychologists.
Psychology teachersgenerally work for a high school or university, often performing research on the side.
School psychologistsnormally work in schools, working directly with students and school officials. They help students develop better strategies for learning and for coping with the stresses associated with school life. They counsel students and parents, while also working with educators and other professionals in helping combat issues like learning disorders or outdated methods of teaching.
Industrial psychologistshelp improve the efficiency and health of the workforce, helping to raise the morale and performance of the workers in any sort of workplace. Industrial psychologists work with employers to incorporate better hiring practices and to improve conditions in the workplace.
Forensic psychologistswork within the criminal justice field, usually either for a law enforcement agency or for a court system. They help judges, lawyers or law enforcement agents understand the psychological aspects of a case and the mental condition of defendants. Forensic psychologists often appear in court as expert witnesses.
Get the Proper Education
Because psychology is such a competitive field, you will need to get good grades in high school and college. You will also need to tailor your school subjects toward the type of psychology you want to practice.
Aresearch psychologistneeds to get a Bachelor of Science degree (not a Bachelor of Arts) in psychology anda PhD in psychology.
Most clinical and counseling psychologistsneed a PhD in clinical psychology or a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Degree, the latter being preferable for those who don’t plan to perform much research.
School psychologists need either a Specialist Degree in Education (Ed.S.),a PhD or PsyD Degree in psychologyor, in some cases, just a master’s degree. Their coursework needs to include studies in both education and psychology.
Social workers can sometimes get away with just a Bachelor’s or a Master’s Degree, but clinical social workers usually need a PhD or PsyD Degree.
For many jobs in advertising, sales, business administration and high school teaching, aBachelor’s Degree in psychologyis adequate.
Get the Proper License
If youwant to work independently as a psychologist, you will need a state license. In most states, all practicing psychologists need a license. Most clinical and counseling psychologists also need a year of two of internship or professional experience before they can get licensed.
