I don't know what career I want to pursue when i go to college next fall

Hello,

I will tell you that in general it is as important to go to college as it is to decide on a major. However, you do not have to decide immediately. At 18 years old you are not expected to know everything about what you want to do in the future. I will also tell you that numerous companies are more concerned with you being able to do college level work versus your specific degree.

Here is how I would approach the issue. First decide in general where you want to go to college. Make a list of 3-5 colleges. I would suggest ones that are highly diversified and accredited. Look at the differences between in state and out of state tuition. Consider if there is any real differences, besides cost.

Next try to have a general idea of an area of study. Understand that each school within the college has several majors, for example the school of Social Science included Psychology and Criminal Justice, as well as several other majors. Go to a web page about the various colleges and review their majors and again make a list of those things that interest you.

Next is to see which colleges you can potentially get accepted to. A specific college does not have to accept your application just because you applied and there are limits on how many new freshman they take per year. Check on scholarships and all the free money offered.... not student loans, but grants and the like. Your high school counselor has a list of them.

Lastly, in general most colleges require you to have 120 hours for a 4 year degree and at least 66 hours has to be in a specific major to receive credit for that major. So you have some time. In the first couple of years take your core requirements and test the waters with a variety of other courses. The college counselor can help you. You really want to work close with them.

In my case, they helped me get credit for college level courses taken at other institutions. They also helped me take non-major related courses so I would be prepared for graduate school. It was a big help.

If you have additional questions please ask and I will help if I can.

Good Luck

This comment is with regards to the part of your question about being a lawyer. You should understand that there are different types of law specialty areas. Criminal law (district attorney, defense attorney), civil law (violation of civil rights), torts (slip and fall, negligence, liability, etc.), intellectual property law (copyrights, patents, trademarks), contract law, environmental law, etc. Depending what type of law you choose, and whether you go into public, private or corporate practice will determine what type of schedule you will have. The 80 hours a week usually is the type of work schedule for private practice (when you work at a law firm its all about billable hours). It does take 3 years (full time) for law school, and if you are concerned about the cost, you should look at public vs. private law school as the cost varies. If you can get a job out of undergraduate school at a company that will pay for law school and give you a job when you are done, that might be the way to go (but is hard to find unless you have a special skill).

Hi Willian,

A basic point that helps a lot when choosing a career, is to opt for a profession that you feel passion for what you do, motivated by the occupation of everyday life and purpose of going to the organization or project that is developed. Money is a consequence of the work, not the main cause when choosing a career.

From what you report in your question, you have skills and talents to help and encourage people. Thus, I believe that psychology can be a career choice for you.

As a professional psychology, you can also work with numbers in an Human Resources of a company, for example, and also help the organization's employees to feel motivated and carried out professionally. What do you think?

Hello William D and any others who read this. My answer to this question comes not so much from my experience as a police officer (nearly 30 years) but from my experiences as a parent and my recollections of wondering what to do with my life when I was 17-20 years old.

It is unfair to ask an 18 year old person what they want to do with the rest of their life and expect them to have real plan of action. The vast majority of 16-20 year old people have very little "real life" experience thus they have little more than generalized ideas about where (in the working world) they want to spend the rest of their adult lives.

My advice is this: Unless you can provide a specific completion to this sentence: "I want to be a __" please do not take on huge student loans and saddle yourself (or your parents) with potentially crippling debt in order to attend a university. If furthering your education is the priority then look into the junior colleges and community colleges in your area. Most of these schools offer the "Gen Ed" classes you need for a university degree and you can take the classes at greatly reduced prices (compared to the cost of a university). This option would likely enable you to continue living at home while you study. Get your basic classes completed with good grades and spend your free time doing two things: 1. Get a job to pay for those classes! 2. Check out any career ideas that you come up with. Go to the places where the work is done. See the job in action and talk with the people who do it. Then decide if it's what you really want. Be certain that class credits you get from the junior or community college are transferable to the university level.

More school not really for you? Consider the military. Yes, please consider it. The long-term benefits to a short-term period of military service are huge. The best of the benefits are that the military can help pay for school, they offer some of the worlds best "on the job training", and you get paid! In addition it looks great on any resume'/job application and, in many work places, veterans get preferred hiring and promotion benefits

More school not for you? Military not really your gig? Then get a job, work hard, and save your money while you figure out where/how to invest yourself for the future. This was the course I took in life and it lead me to a very successful and fulfilling career in public service.

No matter what path you choose to take, be sure that your destination is a job/career that you will find personally fulfilling. It is very true that if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.

Best of luck to you in your endeavors William.

Willian,

I tried to put together your motivation for team player and your interest in career in business. The result was a career dedicated to sports management. What do you think? Take a look at this explanatory link on the profession:

http://www.allbusinessschools.com/business-careers/sports-management/job-description/context/api/listings

I hope this can help you. Best!

Fields Within Psychology

Individuals interested in a psychology career can specialize in many different fields. Amongst these fields are clinical psychology, sports psychology, forensic psychology, developmental psychology, counseling, experimental psychology, and industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology.

Clinical psychology, the largest field of psychology, is what the general population likely envisions when thinking about a psychologist. These practitioners are concerned with assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients with mental illnesses. These individuals are trained in many different techniques to treat patients, and this treatment can be dictated by the patient’s disorder, age, or both.

Sport psychologists study the psychological factors that influence athletes’ actions and performance. Sports psychologists work with individuals and teams to help maximize performance. This is accomplished by managing the possible detrimental effects of injury or changes in performance. These psychologists can help individuals set goals, visualize those goals, and gain control and confidence in their sport.

Forensic psychologists work within the criminal justice system, helping law and legal professionals understand the psychological factors in particular cases. It is not uncommon for a forensic psychologist to act as an expert witness in family court, civil court, or criminal court. Those who work in family court settings can be responsible for completing evaluations for child custody, investigating claims of child abuse, or even providing therapy. In civil court settings, forensic psychologists may provide therapy to victims of crime. Finally, those working in criminal court settings can perform evaluations to determine the mental competency of witnesses and work with minors who are serving as witnesses.

Developmental psychologists typically focus on behaviors during major periods of change in life, such as infancy, childhood, adolescence, and old age.

Psychologists in the counseling field provide services that are aimed at improving one’s quality of life. This counseling can take place in schools, hospitals, or in group settings.

Experimental psychology is the area of psychology dedicated to research in the field. These individuals typically work at universities or private research facilities studying human behavior.

When improvements in the workplace are needed, an I-O psychologist may be called in. They help maximize worker output while keeping employees as satisfied with their work as possible.

Industrial-Organizational Psychologist

Industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology is one of the few fields in psychology where one can find gainful employment after pursuing only a master’s degree. This is a rapidly growing psychology career with excellent job prospects and salary potential.

An I-O psychologist uses psychological principles to maximize work performance while keeping a high quality of life for the employees. Oftentimes, an I-O psychologist will work as a consultant coming onto a work site to evaluate and try to fix a specific problem. I-O psychologists perform many duties, including:

• Evaluating job performance


• Employee recruitment and selection


• Conducting performance evaluations


• Performing personality assessments


• Performing tests to evaluate skills


• Training


• Assessing job attitudes


• Achieving a work–life balance


• Coaching


• Organizational development


• Evaluating group performance

When working with a human resources (HR) department to find new employees, an I-O psychologist might start by helping to design an employment advertisement and guiding the HR department as to the best sites to place this ad. They can also help identify the key qualifications necessary for job applicants and aid in the screening process. Once individuals have been hired, an I-O psychologist can help determine which employees should be eligible for promotions.

One of the most important factors in maximizing a worker’s performance is examining that employee’s motivation. Without the appropriate motivation, the employee will have little desire to meet expectations, nor will the worker have a feeling of pride or accomplishment upon completion of a task. Examining how individuals become motivated is a key area of research in the I-O psychology field.

A related function is the selection of students for colleges and universities. I-O psychologists can function in this role as well or even for education testing companies, helping to design tests to best examine a student’s aptitude in certain areas.

An I-O psychologist can earn a relatively high salary considering that only a master’s degree is required to work in the field. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicates that the average salary of an I-O psychologist is roughly $75,000. Depending on the level of experience and geographical location, individuals can earn over $100,000.

For individuals studying psychology who are interested in what factors enhance employees’ performances and what factors lead those employees to enjoy their jobs, I-O psychology may be a good fit.

I hope these information can help you. Read more in:

http://www.psychologycareerzone.com/fields-within-psychology.html

Good luck in your decisions!!