So you have earned your degree in psychology — now what? Whether you have already earned your master’s degree or just bachelor’s degree, you will always have some interesting options. First things first, consider your long-term career goals and plan your actions with your ultimate vision in mind. Here is a few things to consider before committing to a career choice:
- your passions and interests;
- your skills;
- your life experiences;
- supply and demand;
- your financial goals;
- your lifestyle goals.
Psychology is one of the most interesting, flexible, and dynamic fields available. Your degree is highly adaptable — many attorneys and physicians begin their career paths with psychology degree. Even sales and marketing requires a solid understanding of human behavior!
There might be career options you aren’t even aware of. They include:
- substance abuse counselor;
- behavior analyst;
- career adviser;
- mental health case manager.
Your skills are very much sought by human and social services agencies. If you only have your bachelor’s degree at the moment, you can look for job titles such as
- psychiatric technician,
- case manager,
- rehabilitation specialist,
- residential assistant at psychiatric and substance abuse hostpital,
- residential assistant for education support services.
Having a graduate degree in psychology will open many more doors for you. Traditional jobs with psychology degree include research, counselling, and social work. Careers in research require well developed analytical and critical thinking and ability to test assumptions. As a researcher, you must be prepared to perform a wide range of tasks from analyzing brain functions to studying complex social relationships. Here are some research areas you might want to look at:
- alcohol and drug research;
- medical school research;
- nutrition research;
- military research;
- social research;
- experimental research.
Careers in counselling may be very rewarding, particularly when you align your personal interests with those of your patients. Here are some options for you as a counselor:
- suicide intervention counselor,
- veterans counselor,
- rehabilitation counselor,
- school counselor,
- multicultural counselor,
- mental health counselor,
- marriage and family counselor,
- domestic violence counselor,
- depression counselor,
- geriatric counselor,
- child abuse counselor.
Careers in social work require you to help people manage their lives or to diagnose and treat emotional, behavioral, or mental issues. Social work jobs include:
- disability policy worker,
- family social worker,
- addiction social worker,
- geriatric social worker,
- corrections social worker,
- public health social worker,
- school social worker,
- probation officer,
- parole officer,
- pediatric social worker.
Your knowledge of psychology is highly appreciated in business world as well. Companies want to sell their products to consumers, and they need to know what motivates people to spend, and how they make their buying decisions. Here are some possible directions to consider in the business world:
- advertising,
- sales,
- marketing,
- management,
- administration,
- human resources,
- corporate management.
More jobs with psychology degree:
- Clinical psychologist;
- Special needs teacher;
- Industrial organizational psychologist;
- Engineering psychologist;
- Airforce psychologist;
- Army psychologist;
- Counselling psychologist;
- Psychotherapist;
- Biogerontologist;
- Educational psychologist;
- Child psychologist;
- Forensic psychologist;
- Cognitive neuroscientist;
- Further education lecturer;
- Cognitive psychologist;
- Occupational psychologist;
- Consumer psychologist;
- Sport and exercise psychologist;
- Art therapist;
- Existential therapist;
- Physical therapist;
- Life coach.
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