Questions for people with a pyschology background

Hint: Memorize this line: "Did you want that supersized, sir?"

The professional degree in psychology is a PhD. You can get work as a social worker with a master's degree.

 

I minored in pysch, my brother majored and got a job as a psychiatric social worker after he got his masters. It's doable, but he had quite a bit of "right place, right time" and "who you know" in his favor.

It ain't easy, but you can also look into being a psychiatrist, which does require you to be an MD. Another avenue to look into is being an APRN, which is a psychiatric nurse who can prescribe medication. Some have private practices.

 

i've got a bs in counseling (and another in philosophy, that's two useless degrees now), not terribly different from a psych degree, lot of the same requisite courses. anyways....unless you have a great deal of time and money on your hands, their are easier paths to work than a phd in psychology. i minored in sociology this time around, and while it certainly hasn't helped my employability, the soc. coupled with all the lovely critical thinking skills i got w/ philosophy contribute greatly to my job performance.

the market is flooded w/ psychologists, phd's included. jobs in the field are at a premium for anything above case management (which you can do w/ a ba/bs, if you're a masochist.) i've been working w/ mentally ******** adults, one on one, for the govt. and loved it. the pay stinks at anything below social worker/director/supervisor/LPC etc.

still, with a bachelor's you can do the direct care/counseling thing w/ mentally ********/ill clients, troubled adolescents etc, crisis intervention (shelters, hotlines; usually volunteer,) welfare/food stamp/other govt. social program work, substance abuse counseling. w/ more specialized programs you can lead psychoeducational groups (necrophiliacs anon.) or do assessments/intake.

these entry level jobs abound if you know where to look. frankly, they are usually so under-staffed that they will take any warm body they can get. i was the sole educated person at my last position, and while i was compensated monetarily for my knowledge and skills, it's not encouraging when one's co-workers are 50 yr. old fat redneck mountain women who (literally) can't read. walking in as a white male, college educated, with an actual suit (not a sweat-suit) will see most of these places lunge to employ and underpay you. why? nobody wants to take care of mentally ******** people.

a phd or psyd, if i recall, can take 4-5 years of intensive study. a masters degree can be had in a year or two. i haven't attended grad school as of yet, and don't plan on it in the social sciences disciplines. i did my internship w/ a high school as an assistant guidance counselor, and it was super cool! i wish i had had me around when i was getting out of school. internships aren't hard to find unless you expect to be paid; then, watch out, there's not a lot of others around.

i'm a little down on it all, after a few years kicking around w/ a variety of populations. the system is redundant, our clients are low iq's w/ big dollar signs in their eyes to the administrators, human rights are severely neglected, ethics are a fantasy, and frankly, nobody cares. so, i'm out, going back to school (again!) to be a psych or surgical rn.

best of luck.

 

Munji is right. I know several people with a BS in Psych and they are all in that boat.

If you want to major in psych, make sure it's a stepping stone to something else.

 

A lot of psych majors go to law school. Psych is a huge "party major," but it's a degree and you can use it as a stepping stone to a Juris Doctorate. BTW, "party major" of the sciences? Geology.

 

What you talkin' about... Geology Rocks!

Actually I'd have to say it's General Science, seeing as you could take Geology and any other easy courses you please...

 

There are some subfields in the Psych major. The University I attended was specialized in 'Experimental Psychology' as opposed to Clinical Psychology or Cognitive Sciences.

The job market with a MA is weak. With a BA/BS just about nonexistent. With a PHD from an Ivy caliber school you can get hired. MAYBE. Paricularly if you are published, or have cowritten with professors who are published.

A good psychologist often make a good salesperson, particulary if they have good insight and are astute students of human behavior. And that's where the time, freedom, and earning potential lies. I'm not talking Amway here, there are a lot of good companies that produce and sell good products that need creative salespeople to market their products. The best salespeople produce a lot of sales and profits, and often get to share in the return.

I worked with Autistic children when I got out of college. I got paid nothing for that.

Hungry? I sell seafood for a living. I love it. I yak on the phone to people all day. Anybody planning on taking a few meals off because of the recession? Don't think so.

But if you can afford the education, get it.

Thor