Aside from being a gateway to the intricate human mind, a psychology degree also opens doors for many career opportunities. Not only is it one of the most interesting degrees available, but it also has excellent growth aspects in the job market.
You may think you can only become a therapist or school counselor with a psychology degree, but there’s so much more you can do. From health psychology to social work, the possibilities are truly endless. So, if you’re considering pursuing this high-demand degree, you’re making a good choice. Here are the top ten jobs you can get with a psychology degree today.
1. Clinical Psychologist
One of the most popular jobs you can get with a psychology degree is clinical psychology. In this role, you’ll assess, diagnose, and treat a variety of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, OCD, and more. You may even deal with severe conditions such as schizophrenia.
Depending on the illness, you’ll use a variety of treatment methods, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychoanalysis, etc. Once you finish your online or on-campus psychology degree, you’ll need to undergo clinical training and complete a dissertation. Then, you’ll be on the road to becoming a qualified clinical psychologist, understanding the human psyche and its challenges, and offering interventions based on your studies.
2. School Psychologist
On-campus or online psychology degrees can also allow you to pursue a school psychologist career. In this role, you’ll ensure the students of that school aren’t facing disruptions in their academic success due to mental health issues. Whether it’s depression, anxiety, or an eating disorder, you’ll be there on campus to provide support as well as the necessary intervention. School psychologists also assess students’ academic needs by recognizing learning disabilities, developmental delays, and intellectual challenges.
3. Industrial-Organizational Psychologist
Psychological careers aren’t just limited to schools and clinics; you can also pursue a career in an industrial organization. That means you’ll specialize in the human behavior in these organizations and offer solutions for workplace success. Your expertise lies in creating strategies for a workplace that fosters a healthy state of mind. That means you’ll analyze factors such as the dynamics of organizations, employee morale, and team dynamics. You can use this data to implement the required interventions, training programs, and policies. At the end of the day, your goal is to prioritize employees’ mental health while maximizing workplace productivity.
4. Counseling Psychologist
Of course, you can also take the counselor route. They’re often confused with clinical psychologists, but these two careers are significantly different. Mainly, they differ in focus and approach. While clinical psychologists deal with clinical mental health disorders such as depression or anxiety, counseling psychologists aid with less severe issues that may be weighing down on their patients. That includes relationship issues, stress management, grief, or personal development. That’s why you’ll be responsible for providing short-term therapy instead of long-term treatment and diagnosis. This route of psychology is pretty versatile as your expertise may be required in private practices, mental health clinics, schools, colleges, and community organizations.
5. Forensic Psychologist
Did you know a psychology degree can also allow you to work in forensics? That’s right; forensic psychologists offer their expertise in both psychology and law. As a forensic psychologist, your expertise will extend to a few critical areas, including criminal profiling, witness evaluation, competency and sanity evaluations, and rehabilitation. In criminal profiling, you’ll be expected to create psychological profiles of unknown offenders. That means determining their potential motives, characteristics, and behavioral traits. Witness evaluation, on the other hand, requires you to recognize the reliability of a witness testimonial in court.
6. Health Psychologist
Health psychologists combine the studies of the mind and body to offer all-encompassing solutions. They focus on a holistic health approach, addressing physical factors to improve mental health. That includes the patient’s lifestyle factors, stress management, and behavior change. Health psychologists help their patients adopt healthier habits to cope with chronic illnesses. And that’s not just limited to chronic depression or other mental health disorders: it also encompasses chronic physical illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease, or cancer.
7. Human Resources Specialist
Any business is incomplete without an HR department. Employees in any business rely on this department to represent and support them in any situation that violates their rights as a human and an employee or affects their mental health in the workspace. Your role as human resources specialist begins at recruitment, where you’ll assess candidates’ interpersonal skills and personalities to determine whether they’re a good fit for the company. Beyond that, you’ll train and coach employees to ensure they’re reaching their full potential at work without facing any mental health issues due to the job.
8. Market Research Analyst
You may be wondering: How does a psychology degree get me into the market research business? Well, market research is not just about facts and statistics. It also requires some psychological principles to determine market trends and consumer behavior. Of course, consumer behavior is more than just logic-based decision-making; it’s also influenced by emotions, perceptions, and subconscious factors. As a market research analyst, you’ll dive into the psychological factors that shape why consumers may need a product or what would attract them to purchase.
9. Social Worker
Social workers are one of the most crucial members of a functioning society. Psychology and social work have a great overlap since you can’t make a living off working with and for humans without understanding the intricacies of the human mind. Your expertise in social work may be required in poverty, homelessness, addiction, child welfare, and domestic violence. That means you’ll assess the needs of individuals facing difficulties based on environmental, cultural, and societal factors.
10. Substance Abuse Counselor
Substance abuse is a prevalent issue today, and substance abuse counseling is one of the most crucial career paths you can take after completing your psychology degree. In this role, you’ll be responsible for evaluations, individualized treatment, therapy, interventions, relapse prevention, and support for those dealing with substance abuse issues.
Conclusion
Psychology is a versatile, interesting, and high-reward degree. It has tons of career opportunities for you to pursue once your education is complete. There’s something for every kind of psychology graduate, but at the end of the day, you’ll get to help people. Whether it’s in forensics or human resources, your psychology degree will give you an opportunity to pursue your humanitarian passions.
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