What Can You Do With a Psychology Degree?

We all can understand the confused mind of a student who has completed high school and is entering college. Along with the excitement, what confuses him the most is what major subject to choose. We all must have experienced this ourselves.

In times like today, with so many options available, and the list seemingly never ending, it has become much more complex to choose a career. Opting for a major in psychology can be a very interesting and rewarding career opportunity for people who would want to help others in their own way.

It is a science which attempts to find out why people behave the way they do, and also what makes them behave in such a way. It is an understanding of emotions, behavior, and unexplained thoughts. There are various sub-fields in psychology, and once you are armed with your degree, you can specialize in these sub types.

Clinical psychology largely involves counseling; industrial psychology does the work of analyzing workers of a company or an industry; and research psychology involves doing research on animal and human behavior. This stream is not as simple as it looks, and it runs deeper than it appears.

A college degree is the ticket to get into a challenging and rewarding career. Firstly, a person must be clear in his mind as to what he wants to do. It requires intense research study and dedication. One who is prepared for this, is best suitable for this career option. Psychology students develop skills to assist people in bettering their mental health.

For a student who has studied psychology, it does not indicate that he must work only within his domain, he can work in a variety of fields like public relations, social work, education, health centers, etc. As the course advances, the in-depth knowledge which the student gains also advances. The more the level of study is, more advanced is the knowledge.

Psychologists cure a person's disturbed mind and they do this by talking to the respective person. They not only gain mastery in their field, but also develop interpersonal and problem solving skills. It is not an easy task to talk to someone who is disturbed, and the challenging part is to make that person talk about it.

For beginners, it can really be difficult. Another angle to this is the degree of truthfulness. What if the patient is not being true or is giving out false information. This is where the real skill of a psychologist comes into picture. They need to gauge the person's mind to find out the untold.

A career in this arena offers a descent salary. For people who have just gotten a degree, getting a job as a psychologist can be a little tricky, as the industry prefers experienced candidates. But then, one would need to start somewhere to get experience.

Not all students do their Masters in Psychology to get more in-depth knowledge of the subject they specialize in. The rest, as it is easier to guess, start working. The salary varies, depending upon the education and also the organization one works with. Internships are a great way to get into this field to gain the required experience.

Some of the fields where a psychology major student may be enrolled are:

• Personnel training
• Human Services
• Advertising & Marketing Research
• Social Service Specialist
• Career Counselors
• Child Care Workers
• Teachers

• Administration
• Substance Abuse Counselor
• Public Relations
• Behavior Analyst
• Nursing and Physician Assisting
• Rehabilitation Aid
• Human resources
• Other management-related occupations

The average salary with a major degree can be approx. $74,000 - $92,000. This is just a tentative figure, as it greatly depends upon the domain you'll be working in and the employer. Also, these figures change with many factors such as the organization, geography, internships, etc.

Psychology jobs with a bachelor's degree are vast, but of course, opportunities will be bigger and better if you've done your masters or a Ph.D. Besides the monetary aspect, psychologists are also a respected part of the community, as they perform services that help other individuals. Therefore, self satisfaction is another important non-monetary benefit.

It is important to plan your future and consider a field only after doing enormous research. Decide on the one which is more suitable to you. Understand what you want to do. Psychology is the study of human and organizational behavior which can be complex. But in the long run, it has the potential of being one of the most successful and creative careers.