Psychology Career Path

Many psychologists work in business. They can be in charge of the human resource function (this is what I ended up doing.) They can also do research on consumer behavior or work in pricing and marketing. One of the most famous psychologists in recent years is named Daniel Kahneman. He received a Nobel prize in economics for very interesting findings about how people behave irrationally and make decision about money, risk taking and related areas. He did very interesting work and you should read his book: Thinking Fast and Slow.

I think most people hear the word psychologist and think of a counselor. As Steve said above, human resources and marketing are also areas that draw psychologists but other areas like animal behavior, the military, research, or schools employ psychologist in different ways. There are a lot of ways to be a psychologist.

Here's a link to a sit that will show you a few other ways psychologist pay the bills.

http://www.onetonline.org/find/quick?s=psychologist

Good luck!

i work in corrections, providing mental health services for incarcerated individuals. i first worked w/ adults (in both the state and federal departments) and now i work with juveniles. so that's an interesting area of psychology to go into.

Gregory,

You can do so many things with a Psychology major! Of course the typical paths lead to clinical and counseling work, you can also go onto to several other fields. A Bachelor's degree in Psychology serves as an excellent foundation for many careers or graduate school. Some fields you could consider is Human Resources, Criminal Justice System, Animal Assistance programs, government.

Some Psychology graduates go onto Law School to become a lawyer. Others go onto the police academy, work in a Juvenile Corrections Center, or work as a Probation Officer.

You can also work in the Government, with some choosing to run for various offices (House of Representatives, Senate, Local Government).

If you have a strong interest in animals, there is a great deal of growth in Animal Assisted Therapy. So although you may still be functioning in a therapeutic role, it is different than the typical path. Also in this area you could be a trainer (Psychology teaches you a lot about learning and behavior modification).

Lastly, some students choose to work in a University setting as an Admissions Counselor or Residence Hall Director. Both of these jobs require exceptional interpersonal skills, which Psychology enhances.

These are not all of the options, but should give you some ideas! Best of luck.

Hi Gregory!

It is really important to know what you want to do before deciding on psychology as a major.

Too many people get a degree in psychology and cannot get a paying job.

This site will help you understand psychology and other related helping career areas:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marjorie-hansen-shaevitz/post_9154_b_6865002.html

Best of luck! Keep me posted. I would like to help further, if I can. Send thank you notes to those who help you.