I have been a college professor teaching psychology for almost 8 years now and in those 8 years I have witnessed a sharp decline of people wishing to take on psychology as a major. My colleague Wayne Imber and I were scratching our heads as to why this was, so we checked out some recent research on the subject. The biggest reason that came from the study, in terms of why people don’t want to study psychology, is because they believe that there is no really career path for them. Not only is psychology an absolutely fascinating subject to study, where you will learn about the inner workings of the human mind and behaviors, there are also many different types careers which you can embark upon after finishing your studies. Let’s take a look at some of the jobs you can get with your psychology degree.
Therapist
One of the most obvious choices of course is to go into therapy and work as a doctor of psychology, a very popular career choice for many of our students. Working as a therapist you will be helping many people with mental health issues, grief, historical issues, addiction and any number of psychological problems which people may have. This can be a tough but very rewarding career choice that many people enjoy.
Counseling
Being a therapist requires a doctorate but if you simply want to help people to talk through their issues and help them to become better people, you could look at becoming a counselor. Counselors are used by many people across the country who don’t feel at their best and want to use psychological techniques to improve themselves and their lives.
Private Companies
A great many private companies use people who are trained in psychology to work closely with their staff members. This is more prominent in industries such as finance, where there are many people working under huge amounts of pressure. The company will have you working in-house to help the employees with any issues which they may have. Furthermore, the companies like to use therapists and psychologists, to increase the output of their staff by making them better people with more belief and more confidence. You don’t necessarily have to work in the public sector once you have graduated, there are many positions in the private sector which you can also find careers using your psychology degree.
Teaching
My own personal story is one which you could also follow, as soon as I graduated I wanted to share the knowledge that I had learned and teach people about psychology. I started working in the university around 2 years after graduating and I am now a part time professor and spend the rest of my time writing books about the subject. Having knowledge is one thing but being able to share it is something truly special.
