2 answers
Beth
Student
Miami Gardens, Florida
19
Questions
2 answers
Dr. Carolyn Cowl-Witherspoon
Social Psychologist, Executive Director, Psychological Coach, Consultant
16
Answers
Richmond, Texas
Updated
Dr. Carolyn’s Answer
I’m so glad you asked this question! Most people don’t understand what earning a doctorate (also known as a Ph.D.) in psychology allows you to do, in terms of career choices. The answer is – almost anything! There are a few important details to share:
Earning a PhD in psychology takes a long time, and it’s a lot of hard work. But like many career pathways, you can specialize in whatever area of psychology interests you the most. For example, if you enjoy helping people explore their past to improve their future, you may want to become a clinical psychologist. They work therapeutically with their clients, and this type of psychologist is what most people think of when they think about psychology as a profession. However, there are other exciting career paths you can explore after earning your doctorate in psychology. People who enjoy working in organizational or business environments and want to help employees and businesses thrive can become an industrial/organizational psychologist. For those who enjoy the process of research, they can become a research psychologist, where they might discover a new theory of human behavior or help to explain why we do the things we do in life. Still others enjoy trying to understand human behavior rather than diagnosing it, and they can become social psychologists. Some people are interested in the connections between health and wellness and psychology, so they pursue doctorates in health psychology.
Some people who have earned a doctorate in psychology enjoy teaching others, so that they can share their knowledge and experience with students who may have an interest in becoming future psychologists. Many Ph.D.’s in psychology also write books, articles in professional journals, and present workshops for other career professionals at special events like American Psychological Association (APA) conventions, which occur every year, in a different location each year.
And this is just the beginning! Any one of these career paths can allow you to springboard into a career that is relevant to your degree and your interests. For example, some people with doctorates in psychology go into human resources, some go into politics, some work for the government, some lucky people get to work for NASA, some work as advisors or consultants, some work in correctional institutions, some go into religious or spiritual roles, some go into medicine, some work with people with special needs, some work with curriculum development, some work in advertising, and some work in product development. This is not a complete list of employment options for people with doctorates in psychology, by any means! It’s just a few examples.
You’re really only limited by your imagination, since a doctorate in psychology provides you with a solid foundation in understanding people, both individually, and collectively. It also prepares you to understand how people interact with each other, including how groups form, what happens to human behavior when they’re a member of a group, and what groups are capable of doing, both good and bad.
If you have an interest in any aspect of human behavior, and you enjoy learning, reading, and writing, then you might be an ideal candidate for becoming a psychologist. Importantly, the only way that you can earn the title of being any kind of “psychologist” is by earning a doctorate in psychology. Fewer than 1% of the population, worldwide, earns their Ph.D. in psychology, so it is a distinguished group of achievers who all share a similar goal – helping others in some way.
I hope that this information has been helpful. And I wish you the very best of luck as you move forward in your academic journey!
Good luck!
Dr. Carolyn
Earning a PhD in psychology takes a long time, and it’s a lot of hard work. But like many career pathways, you can specialize in whatever area of psychology interests you the most. For example, if you enjoy helping people explore their past to improve their future, you may want to become a clinical psychologist. They work therapeutically with their clients, and this type of psychologist is what most people think of when they think about psychology as a profession. However, there are other exciting career paths you can explore after earning your doctorate in psychology. People who enjoy working in organizational or business environments and want to help employees and businesses thrive can become an industrial/organizational psychologist. For those who enjoy the process of research, they can become a research psychologist, where they might discover a new theory of human behavior or help to explain why we do the things we do in life. Still others enjoy trying to understand human behavior rather than diagnosing it, and they can become social psychologists. Some people are interested in the connections between health and wellness and psychology, so they pursue doctorates in health psychology.
Some people who have earned a doctorate in psychology enjoy teaching others, so that they can share their knowledge and experience with students who may have an interest in becoming future psychologists. Many Ph.D.’s in psychology also write books, articles in professional journals, and present workshops for other career professionals at special events like American Psychological Association (APA) conventions, which occur every year, in a different location each year.
And this is just the beginning! Any one of these career paths can allow you to springboard into a career that is relevant to your degree and your interests. For example, some people with doctorates in psychology go into human resources, some go into politics, some work for the government, some lucky people get to work for NASA, some work as advisors or consultants, some work in correctional institutions, some go into religious or spiritual roles, some go into medicine, some work with people with special needs, some work with curriculum development, some work in advertising, and some work in product development. This is not a complete list of employment options for people with doctorates in psychology, by any means! It’s just a few examples.
You’re really only limited by your imagination, since a doctorate in psychology provides you with a solid foundation in understanding people, both individually, and collectively. It also prepares you to understand how people interact with each other, including how groups form, what happens to human behavior when they’re a member of a group, and what groups are capable of doing, both good and bad.
If you have an interest in any aspect of human behavior, and you enjoy learning, reading, and writing, then you might be an ideal candidate for becoming a psychologist. Importantly, the only way that you can earn the title of being any kind of “psychologist” is by earning a doctorate in psychology. Fewer than 1% of the population, worldwide, earns their Ph.D. in psychology, so it is a distinguished group of achievers who all share a similar goal – helping others in some way.
I hope that this information has been helpful. And I wish you the very best of luck as you move forward in your academic journey!
Good luck!
Dr. Carolyn
TLAUREN TLAUREN
CA
120
Answers
San Gabriel, California
Updated
TLAUREN’s Answer
PhDs in Psychology are proposed for students who need to work in examination, the scholarly world, or organization. The degree's accentuation on exploration and investigation is a solid match in case you're keen on a vocation as a college educator, specialist, advisor, or program chief.