How long will it take to get a job in psyhcology after college
Is a very big part in deciding my major in college #psychology
4 answers
Cian’s Answer
Hi Jonathan,
I did psychology in college in Europe and two of the things it's important to know if you're looking for a job as a psychologist are
1) What do you mean by "job in psychology"? Psychology is incredibly broad, and includes everything from Counseling to Neuroscience. Although you'll get an overview of most areas during your undergrad it's probably good to think about what aspect of psychology you're most interested in. I actually enjoyed the advanced statistics part of my course and ended up going into data analytics. I now work in tech doing business improvement. So I definitely don't work as a psychologist, but I do use the skills I learned from that degree program and it helps to inform my professional practice. Be aware that certain areas of psychology (clinical etc) will have different barriers to entry, which brings me on to point 2
2) For most jobs where you would call yourself a psychologist as part of the job title, you need to go to do a postgraduate masters or doctorate (grad school). That includes clinical, educational, forensic, child, research. About 25% of psych grads end up going to grad school afterwards. So if you want to work specifically as a psychologist straight out of college, more likely than not you won't get that type of work without a postgrad. I know people from my year that ended up in college for another 6+ years AFTER their undergraduate degree just to qualify to work in the area of psychology that they wanted to work in.
3) Competition for grad school places in psychology is high. Most people doing the undergraduate will want to work directly as psychologists but there is only a fraction of grad school places compared to undergrad places. In order to get into grad school you will need to be academically strong throughout your degree and, if you're looking for a care-based profession, have experience in that field. I did a research postgraduate based on my academiuc results but everyone that I know who got straight into a vocational grad school (clinical/educational) had experience in that area during their degree, for instance volunteering with local organisations that served the community in that way (phone helplines, mentoring programs, etc). Even if you have this experience be prepared that you might have to work for a year in between undergrad and postgrad to build up your experience before somewhere will take you on.
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Denise’s Answer
Amy’s Answer
I hope you are doing well!
Many people are in jobs that are different from what they studied in school. Always remember that school is different than working in the real world. Experience and the desire to work is all that matters at the end.
When I was attending school, I majored in Psychology with two minors in Human Development and Public Leadership. I currently have a business job because I had taken classes in computer science. Sometimes I use the psychology skills that I learned in undergrad to better communicate with staff members in different levels of management.
Landing a job can be tough at times. It is very important to have skills outside of your field and be open to learning new skills.
When it comes to hiring people, the following factors come into play:
- Experience
- Overall GPA
- Extracurriculars
- Quality of Classes (not how many majors or minors you have)
- Quality of interview skills
-Etc
I hope this message finds you well! Don't ever give up on your dreams :)
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