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Was it hard becoming a Psychologist?
If your currently a Psychologist, was there anything that wanted to make you quit when you were becoming one? #psychology
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3 answers
Dr. Carolyn Cowl-Witherspoon
Social Psychologist, Executive Director, Psychological Coach, Consultant
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Dr. Carolyn’s Answer
You have asked two great questions. First, was it hard to become a psychologist? Yes it was! Your second question shows a lot of thoughtful intelligence behind it. Every career path has pros and cons, from the length of time it takes to complete it, to the amount of money you'll make when you're finally done with whatever education or training that particular job requires.
Before anyone should consider any career path, it is really important to understand what the hardest parts of that journey might be, so that you can make a really informed decision about whether or not you want to actually pursue that goal. There are a lot of variables to consider, especially when pursuing a career in psychology. For example, how long are you prepared to go to school? Many people don't realize that the term "psychologist" is a protected title requiring you to complete a PhD. Getting a PhD requires a lot of schooling, and often costs a great deal of money for your education! So that's a very important reality to think about before you consider anything else.
Then you should consider whether your specific personality, temperament, academic work ethic, and learning style are compatible with becoming a psychologist. For example, do you have tenacity? Can you follow through with something to the very end, even if it feels frustrating and challenging? How do you feel about receiving constructive criticism and honest feedback? Do you like to read about complex psychological theories? Or explore the differences between clinical modalities and when to appropriately apply them? Do you have any interest in learning about the history of psychology and the seminal psychologists who created, influence, and shaped the field? Are you interested in learning about the various approaches (perspectives) psychologists use to understand human behavior? Do you like to write (a lot)? Do you have the patience to edit and re-edit your writing, over and over again, without giving up? Are you prepared to do a major research project? All students who obtain a PhD in psychology must conduct doctoral level research. This is a very time-consuming process that takes most students two to five years to complete (after they finish all of their coursework).
Then you’ll need to consider what kind of specialization in psychology you’re most interested in pursuing. This is a very personal decision and there are a lot of options to choose from. You have to have some idea about what kind of psychologist you want to be by the time you enter your master’s program, because that’s when coursework becomes specific to your area of focus and specialization.
Finally, if you decide to pursue a clinical degree, you’re not finished when your coursework is done. You’ll have to do thousands of hours of supervised internships until you can sit for your licensure exams. During that time, you will either make no money or very little money, depending on where you intern. So you’ll need to consider the management of your finances if you have an interest in clinical work, so you’ll be able to support yourself until you can pass your licensing exams.
These are very important considerations. Unfortunately, it may sound like a long list of negatives, but it’s actually a short list of realities, and anyone who might be considering a career as a psychologist should be aware of them so that you can set yourself up for success by knowing exactly what you’re getting into.
Now to your second question – was there anything that made me want to quit on my journey toward becoming a psychologist? YES! Lots of things! I can only speak for myself, since everyone’s experience will be different. But for me (and many, many other students), quantitative statistics and advanced quantitative statistics were unbelievably difficult courses. They are required courses for all doctoral students, and they take a lot of time and a lot of effort to make it through them.
And the only other significant time I desperately wanted to quit was during a portion of the research component of a PhD (called the dissertation). I really enjoyed everything about researching, and I love writing, but writing Chapter 2 of my dissertation (the Literature Review, in all dissertations) felt like standing at the bottom of an impossibly tall mountain that seemed unscalable (my Chapter 2 was very long because of a lot of pertinent literature to review and synthesize). It was complicated to organize that volume of literature, and miserable to structure the writing of it effectively. But I didn’t give up, and I made it through, and when I finished writing it, I felt so relieved and incredibly proud.
So if someone were to ask me if I thought it was worth it – going through all of this to become a psychologist – I would say, absolutely! It was the greatest decision I ever made, and I would encourage anyone to pursue this career if they believe they have the ability, the drive, and the passion required to make it through. I hope this information helps! Good luck!
Before anyone should consider any career path, it is really important to understand what the hardest parts of that journey might be, so that you can make a really informed decision about whether or not you want to actually pursue that goal. There are a lot of variables to consider, especially when pursuing a career in psychology. For example, how long are you prepared to go to school? Many people don't realize that the term "psychologist" is a protected title requiring you to complete a PhD. Getting a PhD requires a lot of schooling, and often costs a great deal of money for your education! So that's a very important reality to think about before you consider anything else.
Then you should consider whether your specific personality, temperament, academic work ethic, and learning style are compatible with becoming a psychologist. For example, do you have tenacity? Can you follow through with something to the very end, even if it feels frustrating and challenging? How do you feel about receiving constructive criticism and honest feedback? Do you like to read about complex psychological theories? Or explore the differences between clinical modalities and when to appropriately apply them? Do you have any interest in learning about the history of psychology and the seminal psychologists who created, influence, and shaped the field? Are you interested in learning about the various approaches (perspectives) psychologists use to understand human behavior? Do you like to write (a lot)? Do you have the patience to edit and re-edit your writing, over and over again, without giving up? Are you prepared to do a major research project? All students who obtain a PhD in psychology must conduct doctoral level research. This is a very time-consuming process that takes most students two to five years to complete (after they finish all of their coursework).
Then you’ll need to consider what kind of specialization in psychology you’re most interested in pursuing. This is a very personal decision and there are a lot of options to choose from. You have to have some idea about what kind of psychologist you want to be by the time you enter your master’s program, because that’s when coursework becomes specific to your area of focus and specialization.
Finally, if you decide to pursue a clinical degree, you’re not finished when your coursework is done. You’ll have to do thousands of hours of supervised internships until you can sit for your licensure exams. During that time, you will either make no money or very little money, depending on where you intern. So you’ll need to consider the management of your finances if you have an interest in clinical work, so you’ll be able to support yourself until you can pass your licensing exams.
These are very important considerations. Unfortunately, it may sound like a long list of negatives, but it’s actually a short list of realities, and anyone who might be considering a career as a psychologist should be aware of them so that you can set yourself up for success by knowing exactly what you’re getting into.
Now to your second question – was there anything that made me want to quit on my journey toward becoming a psychologist? YES! Lots of things! I can only speak for myself, since everyone’s experience will be different. But for me (and many, many other students), quantitative statistics and advanced quantitative statistics were unbelievably difficult courses. They are required courses for all doctoral students, and they take a lot of time and a lot of effort to make it through them.
And the only other significant time I desperately wanted to quit was during a portion of the research component of a PhD (called the dissertation). I really enjoyed everything about researching, and I love writing, but writing Chapter 2 of my dissertation (the Literature Review, in all dissertations) felt like standing at the bottom of an impossibly tall mountain that seemed unscalable (my Chapter 2 was very long because of a lot of pertinent literature to review and synthesize). It was complicated to organize that volume of literature, and miserable to structure the writing of it effectively. But I didn’t give up, and I made it through, and when I finished writing it, I felt so relieved and incredibly proud.
So if someone were to ask me if I thought it was worth it – going through all of this to become a psychologist – I would say, absolutely! It was the greatest decision I ever made, and I would encourage anyone to pursue this career if they believe they have the ability, the drive, and the passion required to make it through. I hope this information helps! Good luck!
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Yes. It is a lot of years of training for a relatively low return on investment. The term psychologist can only be earned with a Doctorate degree, so typically 4 years undergraduate school, two more years to Master's degree, two more years to Ph.D. or Psy.D. and to be licensed a year of internship -- 9 years if you do everything on time.
Updated
Jennifer’s Answer
Hi Tyler, I have talked to a few psychologists because I considered psychology at one point. A neuropsychologist that I shadowed said that the research can be tiring in addition to seeing patients and another clinical psychologist switched fields because I think she was impatient with the progress of her patients. However, she's still in the field of psychology, she just decided not to practice clinically. There are multiple fields within psychology whether you want to do research or help people in a clinical setting. Good luck!