The Common Thread: Understanding People Through Psychology
You have sharpened your listening and communication skills. You get along well with others and know how to tune into others needs. A career in Psychology would be a good fit. The evaluative and analytic skills you learn in Psychology will be useful and provide the basis for a successful career, whether it be a career in engineering, business, law, administration, medicine, public health, education or of course, counseling.
New entrants into the Psychology field may start off in mental health jobs such as a behavior analyst, a drug/substance abuse counselor, social worker, youth counselor or group home coordinator. If you want to work in a field other than mental health, possible positions include: college admissions counselor, community relations officer, employment counselor, business management/sales trainee or public information officer.
Most people who enter an advance study program in psychology want to help people, so most of the opportunities for advance degree holders are in the mental health industry. There are jobs available for people holding a master’s degree in psychology, in such fields as clinical psychology and industrial/organizational psychology.
However, if your goal is to be a counselor or a researcher, then you will most likely need a doctoral degree. Many psychologists want to set up a private practice. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 40 percent of psychologists were self-employed in 2004.
To learn more how to get started on your career in psychology, click here.
