Are there any steps I should take ,aside from getting my degree, in order to get a good paying job with a bachelors in psychology?

Hi Tonique!

I would start by defining what “good paying” means to you and what type of work you’re interested in doing. I say this because there are A LOT of options with Psychology, and in my personal experience, my definition of “good paying” changed as I left the environment I grew up in. I defined it as enough to barely cover my bills, and soon realized I sold myself about 10k short at one job because my definition was far too low. I recommend using sites like salary.com to find information about specific roles in specific locations.

I struggled to find work that would pay my high DC rent with a Bachelors in Psychology and no work experience. But that just means you can learn from my mistakes!

Many jobs I wanted required a Masters or relevant work experience. I had neither. If a Masters isn’t an option, take advantage of internships or volunteer opportunities in research labs, for example, while you’re in school. This will give you experience and get your foot in the door. It’s much easier to move forward if you’re already working somewhere with opportunities or have connections willing to recommend you.

My school didn’t promote this type of experience because they expected most students to go straight to grad school, so you may need to proactively discuss it with your advisor.

Consider jobs that aren’t your ideal opportunity, but are at organizations that have room for growth. From within the organization, you’ll hear of open opportunities quicker and you can prove your work ethic before the job is even posted. You’ll have to work hard and go above and beyond at a role that isn’t ideal in order to move up, but it can be worth it.

Though networking is intimidating, it really does give you an advantage. I only had the opportunity that I consider my “big break” because a former manager referred me after he had been referred by one of his connections. Many companies will take interviews they wouldn’t have considered based solely on the resume/experience level if the applicant is recommended by a trusted source.

Apply for jobs even if you’re not sure you’re qualified. I didn’t do this and learned later in my career that many people aren’t qualified for jobs they take when comparing the job description and their experience, but they have the potential to learn and challenge themselves on the next level.

Lastly decide if you’re open to options that aren’t your typical psychology career paths. You can apply psychology to many fields of work. I personally ended up in people and project management roles. It’s not what I imagined I’d be doing with a Psychology degree, but I apply my knowledge to my every day work. I started in a call center and worked my way up as a leader. The reputation I built doing that less-than-ideal work set me up for that good paying job I wanted.

To summarize, do everything you can to get experience while in school - internships, research labs, volunteer opportunities - and give every opportunity you have 110% to set you up for the future.

Psychology is such a fun degree! The trouble is that it's extremely difficult to find a well-paying job in your field with just a B.A. (by well-paying I mean $40k+). Most psych-related jobs that were available in my area after graduation paid about $8-10/hr. It's super hard to make a living on that. You won't see higher salaries until probably the doctorate level.

If you have a chance, my recommendation is to take more STEM classes, with programming or math. This will serve you in the psych field if you go into research, as well as other higher paying opportunities. The good thing about a psych degree is how flexible it can be.

Best of luck!

While getting your Bachelor's, you should really look for some Social Work companies your city or Town in which you would like to work and take on an internship in that field.