Is psychology a good major? And is being a psycholosist a good job? Or are there too many psychologists in America. And is there a high chance of employment after graduation? Are psychology degrees expensive? And incase I consider psychology a minor is it still something?

Psychology is an EXCELLENT major and can provide a path into all sorts of careers. Catalina provided some fantastic information on the sub-types of psych and what they do, so I won't repeat that.

As a psych-major alum and someone who worked as an administrator for a psych PhD program for many years, I can tell you this: 80% of the Psych majors who go in thinking they're going to be a psychologists end up falling in love with something else!! Only 20% get an advanced degree in counseling/psych phd. i.e., Being a psychologist is NOT what the majority of psych majors do, and it's not your only option!

I'm not sure where you are in your educational prep, but the first thing you want to do when you get the chance is talk to some of the psych professors and current psych grad students about what they do. This is going to give you an idea about whether a Masters or PhD programs would be a fit for what you want to do.

As far as finances, it will depend on the type of program/what you want to do.

To see what being a psychologist entails, what educational prep you need, what they make on average, and their outlook for the next 5-10 years, you can take a look at O*Net. This will also tell you whether you need a masters/phd to be competitive in the career.

Using this, you might find a career path related to psychologist that seems even more interesting!

It depends. There are several fields within Psychology that you can focus on. To mention a few: clinical psy, school psy, social psy, experimental psy, Industrial/organizational psy.

There are several applications on each field. For example, in clinical psychology you can focus on families, couples, kids, adolescents, eating disorders, etc. Each one with several applications from private practice to working in a hospital.

School psychologist typically focus more in things related to education. Industrial/Organizational psychology focus on things related to the workplace. Experimental psychologist focus more in studying through experiments with human and animal participants in a lot of topics including: memory, learning, motivation, perception, sensation, developmental processes, and many more.

And then there are the combination of psychology with other fields. For example: psychology + mktg + economics: you get into the field of consumer behavior.

So to answer your question, it really depends on which area within psychology you want to focus on. Some of these fields have more professionals than others, some are better paid than others, and some have more job opportunities/applications than others.

If you are interested in Psychology, check out more info about the different applications to get a better idea of one that you might like.

Any major is a good major. Psychology, in particular, is a good major if you are interested in learning about people and their behavior. There are many people who can be called a "psychologists" - they can be PsyD, PhD, or social workers skilled at counseling. Depending on what type of psychology you are interested in, and your decision on career shouldn't be dependent on how many people are working in this field, instead, if you can see yourself working as a psychologist.

Majoring in psychology doesn't mean you have to be a psychologist after school. In fact, many people who majored in psychology ended up going into business. You can use your degree and the soft skills you learned from college on your job. And the price tag of the degree depends on the schools you go to. If you decided you don't want to major in psychology but a minor, that is still something because you can still talk about it during your interview or use the knowledge you learned on your everyday job.

Psychology is going to be a major community need going forward, especially with rising mental instability issues. And this is going to grow not just in the America but globally. Explore more...

Few options I can think of - Individual practice, being associated with a large hospital, working with large organization...

Dear Angel,

I just want to add a few comments, since you already have a lot of information from the previous answers. Psychology is a very popular undergraduate major, but unfortunately there are very few jobs that require only a bachelor's degree in the field. If you want to function as a psychologist you are looking at a master's degree at least, and probably a Ph.D. On the other hand many employers want someone with a bachelor's degree and don't care what field it is in. In that situation a degree in psychology is as good as any other, and will teach you how to look at people's behavior from a scientific perspective. You could certainly minor in psychology or have a double major. I can't say much about the cost of getting a degree, except that it will be the same as any other four year program. If cost is a big factor for you I recommend applying to state schools, which are generally much less expensive that private universities. Most universities have lots of information on line about their costs, and also about financial aid.

I am a clinical psychologist but there are many other areas of specialization. Psychology is first and foremost a science and many psychologists do research in such areas as brain function, human development, behavioral economics, social interaction, etc. Other applied areas include industrial, educational and organizational psychology. In short the field is much broader than just clinical or counseling. The demand for psychologists is strong, and the number of jobs available is expected to grow by about 20% in the next ten years.

Deciding whether psychology is a "good measure'' depends a lot on your interests. If you like science and enjoy learning what makes people "tick" I think you will enjoy the field. I have enjoyed my work as a clinical psychologist immensely and have no regrets about choosing it as my life's work.

I hope these comments are helpful. I wish you the best in pursuing your career goals.

Ray Finn, Ph.D.