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Why did you choose Psychology? How was the process like?
I am a Junior at Baruch College, pursuing a BA in Psychology. I chose to major in this field because I love helping people and I'm passionate about supporting others who deal with mental health problems. However, I have many interests, having previously majored in CIS, being very strong at mathematics, and I absolutely love sports. I would like to hear from anyone who has dealt with uncertainty, how did you definitively determine that psychology is what you wanted to do, and what were your subsequent steps? If you never faced uncertainty when choosing psychology as your field of study, why do you believe this to be the case?
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Chinyere Okafor
Educationist and Counseling Psychologist
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Chinyere’s Answer
Hi Jeffery,
I truly understand what you're describing. Having a variety of interests, particularly in fields as distinct as psychology, math, and technology, can make the selection seem more difficult rather than easier. This shows that you are multiskilled, which is actually a strength rather than a sign of confusion.
Many people find that choosing psychology is a gradual process of alignment instead of a single "aha" moment. It usually comes from identifying patterns such as "I prefer to understand people," "I get satisfaction from helping others," and "I'm interested in the workings of the mind." Experience, not just thought, is often what transforms an interest into a decision.
Testing the field in real life is an effective way for people to get clarity. Volunteering, internships, positions as research assistants, and even unofficial experiences like mentoring or helping others are examples of this. As time goes by, you begin to observe: Do I still feel motivated to do this repeatedly? Compared to initial interest, that's often a better signal.
You don't have to "give up" your other strengths in this situation. In fact, there are connections between psychology and fields like technology, athletics, and data analysis. For instance:
- Sports + Psychology → sports psychology or performance coaching
- Math/Tech + Psychology → data analysis, behavioral research, UX research
- Psychology + Helping → counseling, therapy, or social impact roles
So, a better question to ask besides "Is psychology the one?" might appear to be:
"How can I build a unique path by blending psychology with my other strengths?"
Here is an organized approach for the following steps:
- Get some hands-on exposure (research lab, volunteering, internships)
- Talk to professionals in different psychology-related roles
- Reflect on what type of work feels meaningful and sustainable for you
- Keep building at least one practical skill alongside your degree (e.g., research, data tools, communication, or counseling basics)
Uncertainty doesn't disappear before you make a decision; instead, it lessens as you act and gain experience. You have asked the proper questions already. Now, the goal is to begin creating a path that works for you, step by step, instead of waiting to discover the ideal solution.
Best wishes!
I truly understand what you're describing. Having a variety of interests, particularly in fields as distinct as psychology, math, and technology, can make the selection seem more difficult rather than easier. This shows that you are multiskilled, which is actually a strength rather than a sign of confusion.
Many people find that choosing psychology is a gradual process of alignment instead of a single "aha" moment. It usually comes from identifying patterns such as "I prefer to understand people," "I get satisfaction from helping others," and "I'm interested in the workings of the mind." Experience, not just thought, is often what transforms an interest into a decision.
Testing the field in real life is an effective way for people to get clarity. Volunteering, internships, positions as research assistants, and even unofficial experiences like mentoring or helping others are examples of this. As time goes by, you begin to observe: Do I still feel motivated to do this repeatedly? Compared to initial interest, that's often a better signal.
You don't have to "give up" your other strengths in this situation. In fact, there are connections between psychology and fields like technology, athletics, and data analysis. For instance:
- Sports + Psychology → sports psychology or performance coaching
- Math/Tech + Psychology → data analysis, behavioral research, UX research
- Psychology + Helping → counseling, therapy, or social impact roles
So, a better question to ask besides "Is psychology the one?" might appear to be:
"How can I build a unique path by blending psychology with my other strengths?"
Here is an organized approach for the following steps:
- Get some hands-on exposure (research lab, volunteering, internships)
- Talk to professionals in different psychology-related roles
- Reflect on what type of work feels meaningful and sustainable for you
- Keep building at least one practical skill alongside your degree (e.g., research, data tools, communication, or counseling basics)
Uncertainty doesn't disappear before you make a decision; instead, it lessens as you act and gain experience. You have asked the proper questions already. Now, the goal is to begin creating a path that works for you, step by step, instead of waiting to discover the ideal solution.
Best wishes!
Chinyere, I can't thank you enough for your thorough breakdown and analysis of my question, addressing my concerns and offering a step by step approach to help guide me throughout my path. I learned greatly from the various points you brought up, such as blending my skills, and experience is what transforms interest into a decision. I now feel more comfortable as to what my next steps should be, and that being multi-skilled shouldn't cause confusion, rather treating it as an asset. I greatly appreciate your response, thank you!
Jeffrey
You're welcome, Jeffrey.
Chinyere Okafor
Updated
Mercedez’s Answer
I chose psychology because I wanted to understand why people do what they do, especially under pressure and inside systems that were not built with them in mind. That felt more urgent to me than any other question.
But I want to be honest about something your question is really asking underneath: you have multiple strong interests and you want someone to tell you how they knew. The truth is most people do not definitively know. They notice what keeps pulling them back and they follow that.
For me psychology was never just a major. It became the lens I use for everything — healthcare operations, organizational design, and now a framework I built around how AI affects human judgment over time. The degree did not limit me to one lane. It gave me a way of reading every room I walked into.
What I would ask you is this: when you are doing mathematics or thinking about sports, are you drawn to the human behavior inside those fields — why athletes choke, how teams break down, what makes someone persist? If yes, that is psychology too. It does not stay in its box.
Uncertainty about a major is not a signal that you chose wrong. It is often a signal that you are paying attention to more than one true thing. The question is which one you want to build the foundation from.
Everything else can come after.
One concrete example of how my psychology background shows up in practice: I work in AI research and data evaluation, and the Mental Health concentration changed how I assess quality. Most people approach data by asking what is correct. I learned to ask what is missing, what is being masked, and what the absence of something is actually telling you.
That is via negativa — the discipline of defining something by removing what it is not rather than asserting what it is. In clinical psychology you learn it fast because a symptom is rarely the problem. It is the visible edge of something underneath. You train yourself to not accept the surface presentation.
I apply that same reflex to data. When I evaluate AI outputs I am not just looking for what is wrong. I am looking for what the model confidently omitted, what patterns disappear under pressure, where the silence is doing work that the output is not accounting for. That is a clinical skill running through a technical process.
Your math background will do something similar for you if you let it.
Mathematics is also a via negativa discipline — you prove something true partly by exhausting what it cannot be. If you are drawn to both psychology and math, you are not split. You are building a very specific kind of thinking that most people in either field do not have.
That intersection is worth following.
But I want to be honest about something your question is really asking underneath: you have multiple strong interests and you want someone to tell you how they knew. The truth is most people do not definitively know. They notice what keeps pulling them back and they follow that.
For me psychology was never just a major. It became the lens I use for everything — healthcare operations, organizational design, and now a framework I built around how AI affects human judgment over time. The degree did not limit me to one lane. It gave me a way of reading every room I walked into.
What I would ask you is this: when you are doing mathematics or thinking about sports, are you drawn to the human behavior inside those fields — why athletes choke, how teams break down, what makes someone persist? If yes, that is psychology too. It does not stay in its box.
Uncertainty about a major is not a signal that you chose wrong. It is often a signal that you are paying attention to more than one true thing. The question is which one you want to build the foundation from.
Everything else can come after.
One concrete example of how my psychology background shows up in practice: I work in AI research and data evaluation, and the Mental Health concentration changed how I assess quality. Most people approach data by asking what is correct. I learned to ask what is missing, what is being masked, and what the absence of something is actually telling you.
That is via negativa — the discipline of defining something by removing what it is not rather than asserting what it is. In clinical psychology you learn it fast because a symptom is rarely the problem. It is the visible edge of something underneath. You train yourself to not accept the surface presentation.
I apply that same reflex to data. When I evaluate AI outputs I am not just looking for what is wrong. I am looking for what the model confidently omitted, what patterns disappear under pressure, where the silence is doing work that the output is not accounting for. That is a clinical skill running through a technical process.
Your math background will do something similar for you if you let it.
Mathematics is also a via negativa discipline — you prove something true partly by exhausting what it cannot be. If you are drawn to both psychology and math, you are not split. You are building a very specific kind of thinking that most people in either field do not have.
That intersection is worth following.
This is really insightful and helpful, I always believed that if I specialize in one area, I wouldn't be able to necessarily branch out of it, unless I were to go back to college and earn another degree in that field, as I've heard others say. I particularly appreciate you sharing your personal and work experiences with AI, and bringing up negativa, I will look more into that, it sounds like a very unique way of combining psychology with another field of study I could never picture working together, and yet they do. You've inspired me to pursue psychology and combine it amongst my other skills and interests. Thank you Mercedez, I truly appreciate your response!
Jeffrey
Caroline Matute
CNA, Remote English and Literature Teaching, Creative writing; Poetry and prose.
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Caroline ’s Answer
Psychology is a great choice for someone with your interests. Educational Psychology is a good option if you're considering becoming a math teacher or work in a school environment as a sports teacher or coach. Knowledge in Psychology is also a great asset for mental and behavioral health.
In my opinion psychology is very broad and it cuts across numerous disciplines hence I'll advise you tailor down to your points of interest by specializing in either of the disciplines you sighted after you get your Bachelors. That will ease your attainment
of professional and career goals.
In my opinion psychology is very broad and it cuts across numerous disciplines hence I'll advise you tailor down to your points of interest by specializing in either of the disciplines you sighted after you get your Bachelors. That will ease your attainment
of professional and career goals.
Thank you for the advice, Caroline, I will definitely consider specializing after completion of my Bachelor's degree!
Jeffrey
Updated
Nigel’s Answer
I can relate to this. A lot of people think career decisions happen in one clear moment, but for many of us, they do not. Being interested in multiple things does not mean you are lost. It often means you have strengths in more than one area.
What helped me was figuring out the difference between what I was good at and what kind of work would feel meaningful long term. For you, psychology may be the right path if helping people with mental health challenges still feels important even when you think about the schooling, the work, and the emotional weight that can come with it.
My advice would be to test that interest in real ways. Talk to professors, connect with people already working in psychology, and get experience through volunteering, internships, or research if you can. Then pay attention to how you feel. Do you feel energized and more certain after being exposed to the work?
Also, do not feel like your other interests are wasted. Your background in CIS, your strength in math, and your love of sports could all still connect to psychology in areas like sports psychology, research, behavioral data, or human-centered work.
You do not need to have everything figured out right now. Clarity usually comes from experience, not just thinking.
What helped me was figuring out the difference between what I was good at and what kind of work would feel meaningful long term. For you, psychology may be the right path if helping people with mental health challenges still feels important even when you think about the schooling, the work, and the emotional weight that can come with it.
My advice would be to test that interest in real ways. Talk to professors, connect with people already working in psychology, and get experience through volunteering, internships, or research if you can. Then pay attention to how you feel. Do you feel energized and more certain after being exposed to the work?
Also, do not feel like your other interests are wasted. Your background in CIS, your strength in math, and your love of sports could all still connect to psychology in areas like sports psychology, research, behavioral data, or human-centered work.
You do not need to have everything figured out right now. Clarity usually comes from experience, not just thinking.
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