PSY 305 Week 1 Exploring Psychology Careers Essay

Being in college has taught me that what you majored in does not matter when it comes to finding a career, as long as you have the experience you will be fine. I tend to question myself all the time as to “Why am I attending college when most employers probably would not care about my Bachelors or Associates Degree.” My doubtfulness of college brought me to come across the article “No, It Doesn't Matter What You Majored In”, by Carlo Rotella. Carlo Rotella is a director of the Americans Studies Program and the author of several books. The author believes that “Prospective employers frequently don’t really care what you majored in” Page 468.

Review Ch. 18 of Introduction to Psychology and the American Psychological Association website (www.apa.og) to review career possibilities for psychology majors.

Butcher, J. N., Hooley, J. M., & Mineka, S. (2014). Abnormal Psychology (16th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

College is a stepping stone into the real world. Many students would agree they pursue a college degree to obtain more money in their career. However, this pursuit isn’t only because of money, but also led by the heart-felt desires of the students. Conversely, Harvey Bump comments “Only those who are independently wealthy can afford the luxury of developing their souls while in college. College education in 2015 must be job training”. There is no exclusiveness to students who want to follow what majors they’re interested in. Lynn O’Shaughnessy clarifies in her article, “8 Reasons Not to Get a Business Degree”, that parents pressure their children into selecting “practical majors” based on their perception of what the job market needs. Many

A) There is a vast amount of career opportunities within the Psychology field. Upon completing this week’s assignment, I found myself to be very pleased with the decision to major in Psychology. Among the abundance of career opportunities in the field of Psychology, the Victims Advocate, Case Manager, and College Professor were of most interest. Collectively, these career choices encompass the ability to change the lives of others.

Psychology has been a passion of mine since I first took AP psychology in high school, and I knew then that psychology was the major for me. Beyond that, I had no idea what exactly I wanted to do in the field of psychology. The ideas of working in child psychology or clinical and even experimental have all run through my mind as I have tried to assess my potential career and life paths. This past semester, I received the opportunity to travel and study abroad in Ireland. There I immersed myself in Irish culture and I got to explore an entirely new path and new way of using what I have learned thus far in my academic career.

“Few fields of study offer more career opportunities than does psychology” (Sternburg 3). There are a wide selection of specialties a person could go into with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. In graduate school, which is a must to attend, there is the option to explore the different specialities or to go into the desired specialty without any research of the others. There are also many options within a specific specialty. There is the option to be a teacher, to work for various organizations, be a speaker, to have your own practice, and many others. In the psychology field these options can all be combined. In fact it is expected of psychologists to do more activities involving their specialty than solely sit in an office and listen to patients. There are two specialities that I am interested in however, over the years, these specialties have become very similar. Clinical and counseling psychology have evolved to become one in the same. Someone who specializes in clinical psychology are more

Education is the difference between achieving success as a forensic psychologist and being forced to find another career. Overall, a person planning to work as a forensic psychologist should focus on psychology, criminology, or forensics (“Forensic Psychology Careers”). The basic overview of training obligations begins with “a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus on criminology or criminal justice” (“Forensic Psychology Careers”). Over 3,000 colleges in the United States offer psychology programs for undergraduates; about 300 also offer a doctorate level

In order for forensic psychology to be available to the court systems in today’s estate, individuals need to seek specialized schooling to obtain this specific job. In recent years, there have been some specialized forensic training programs. Forensic psychologist can be trained in clinical, social, developmental, cognitive, or any other psychology subdicipline (Shams, 2010). Also, forensic psychologists are able to work within jails and prison settings, but they can also work with a wide range of youth in contact with the court system who are not incarcerated (Shams, 2010). Forensic psychologist can also work in juvenile court clinics that are typically housed within the courthouse setting and they are able to see a range of youth at different points in the civil and criminal justice system for a variety of mental health issues including those who are an emergency risk assessment (Shams, 2010). According to the American Psychology, there are now 18 graduate programs that offer either a Ph.D. or Psy.D. with a major in forensic psychology or a joint J.D. /Ph.D. or Psy.D. degree program. In addition, numerous graduate programs in psychology now offer some coursework in forensic psychology as an elective. The vast majority of forensic psychologists in practice, however, have received training as clinical or counseling psychologists and then added forensic training sometime

Before postgraduate work can be started, the student must receive a bachelor’s in psychology and fulfill the requirements listed for the psychology program they wish to enter. Once a bachelor’s degree is achieved, a psychology major has the choice of either obtaining their master's or their doctorate. When earning a master’s a student is accepted into the college of his or her choice, and usually completes the program within 2 years, or longer. If a master's is earned, the student may go on to become an assistant in a clinical setting underneath someone who has a doctorate in psychology, but they will not be able to do any high level of work. If a student chooses to obtain a doctorate they are again, accepted into the program of their choice, although admission is very competitive. Once accepted into the doctorate program the student serves about 2-4 years where they receive training and guidance in a hospital setting, but it all depends on the program they enter. Having a doctorate in psychology will open the doors for soon-to-be clinical psychologists, and offers a higher job title, certification, and higher pay. Whether a student chooses a master's or a doctorate, a large amount of psychology classes must be taken. More than likely when a student is an a doctorate program, they are required to fulfill a 1-2 year internal ship of professional experience, as cited from

With being a psychologist, there are many different careers to choose from within this profession (Explore Health Careers). The first type of psychologists to choose from is a clinical psychologist. Clinical psychologists help people with counseling and psychotherapy. They work with people who have all around life problems, such as new adjustments in life. Clinical psychologists also help people who have emotional disorders or

I believe that the answers to the greatest questions and problems in life could be gained through a better understanding of the human mind. Psychology is a study of human behaviors and trying to understand why we do the things we do. Because of this I would be interested in a career in psychology though there are many different career fields within psychology. I would be most interested in a career in health psychology though there’s an extensive learning process. It is important to understand the education or training requirements,skills,and talents needed salary and benefits offered and duties for a particular career when making this decision.

Psychologists with doctoral degrees (either a PhD, PsyD or EdD) receive one of the highest levels of education of all health care professionals, spending an average of seven years in education and training after they receive their undergraduate degrees.

This careers in psychology class taught me more than I anticipated to learn. Throughout the semester, this class has taught me very important concepts, such as making plans for my future, preparing myself for what to expect after I graduate with a bachelor’s degree, what I can do with a psychology degree, and other important topics.

I want to be a psychologist. I would love to learn all about the way people act, think and feel and at the same time try to help them. I have a very easygoing personality and I love to have fun and laugh. I ask a lot of questions, and I think I am very easy to get along with. Some career goals I have is to finish college, I would like to find a job I want to keep that I could make a career out of, and just take it one day at a time because I have desire to make the right decisions and live a pleasant life.