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If you want to do "Direct" psychology you need a graduate degree. By this I mean being a clinical or research psychologist.
If you want the BS to be terminal, you will probably find yourself in an indirect application like real estate or something.
Psych degree isn't necessarily useless, but there's just too much supply and not enough demand.
The problem is the degree has become too easy to get. It screws people who are genuinely interested in the field, for those who just pick it purely for the sake of going to college.
first be aware that Psychology is a very broad field. Clinical Psychology (What many people see as psychology) is a very small area.
For that reason a BS in Psychology is very broad and does not qualify one for any specific Job that any generic BS would qualify them for.
to succeed in Psychology one needs to pursue a specific field of Psychology and that begins when formulating your Master's degree, which will eventually become the path towards ones PhD
Every Baccalaureate Job in psychology can be obtained with a BA or BS in nearly any discipline. If you do not have plans to obtain your PhD far better to select another Baccalaureate Major.
If you think you might like the realm of Physiological Psychology a good pre med curriculum is a good choice. If you think you would be interested in psychological testing a BS in advanced mathematics is essential. If you are interested in eventually being a therapist you want to go on a path that will lead to an MSW.
BS level jobs in any field of psychology are essentially non-existent. The closest you will come is as a case manager in state social services, which any Baccalaureate can qualify for.
Unless you are dedicated to achieving a PhD it is best not to pursue a BS in psychology. go with a bachelors in a field you like and seek employment in a state social work agency.
This is not really true. Many jobs in the criminal justice and social services fields ask for bachelor's degrees related to human services: psychology, sociology, criminology, criminal justice, social work, counseling, behavioral science, etc. For these types of jobs, a degree in mathematics, history, physics, engineering, English etc. will not do. There are also jobs in corrections that give preference to those with degrees when it comes to promotion and those degrees are often sociology, criminal justice, and psychology.
The problem with bachelor's degrees in psychology is saturation since it's the second most popular major in the country; the problem is not usefulness. Psychology is the most flexible social science degree; it helps to have a focus, though. I/O psychology is used in human resources, clinical and counseling psychology are used in the mental health fields, just about any field of psychology can be used in marketing research if you're well-versed in statistics, just about any field of psychology can be used for social service and criminal justice jobs, and cognitive psychology can be used in the technology field if you know HTML/Javascript/CSS.
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Originally Posted by Wartrace
It will be very useful in a typical career for Psychology majors.....
This is a misconception. Most psychology majors work in a job that requires a bachelor's degree. A lot of those jobs don't necessarily require a degree in psychology, but they do require a degree.
Hi! Psychology is a GREAT field, it's a very interesting major. I greatly enjoyed my classes. Aside from this, psych. and mental health workers are SO needed in this world. It might not be as lucrative as engineering, or computer science, but if you're smart about your class choices, and you intern and pick good part-time jobs in college that will BOOST your resume, you won't end up a Starbucks Barista.
I am going to offer my personal experience and I hope it helps you. I've been out of college 1 year. I have a BA in Psychology from a state university. I graduated in 3.5 years and graduated with a 4.0. Throughout college, I worked as an editor for 3.5 years making 11.50 an hour. I also interned at various local nonprofits in their management departments. mainly all of these internships were either unpaid, or minimum wage-- all 15-20 hours a week. After college, I applied to masters programs (MSW) and decided to go part-time to get more work experience. I am now working, interning, and completing my MSW.
My first job out of college was a VERY low pay position working with special needs children. It paid 11 an hour... It stunk. It was rewarding and the kids were ADORABLE. but it wasn't for me, at all.
After that job experience, I quickly realized I wasn't cut-out for clinical work. During my masters, I began working at a VERY entry level marketing/ nonprofit administration position, for 12 an hour. Like I said, VERY entry level, but it helped boost my resume. It gave me some good social media skills, I learned some photoshop skills, and some valuable HTML/ computer skills at this job. Even if it wasn't related to social work and my masters, I learned some valuable skills that I feel are transferrable anywhere.
Fast forward to today, I JUST got offered an 18 dollar an hour job in policy/ admin and to run social media (I probably wouldn't have been offered this position if I didn't have the social media management skills that I had from my lower paying 12 an hour gig). I am also getting my MSW with a planning and nonprofit administration concentration.
Case in point: YOU WILL MAKE IT, even with a Psych. B.A. you just have to be smart about your choices after college and IN college. DO INTERNSHIPS. I can't stress this enough. My friends who didn't and just worked retail and fast food for 3 years are STILL doing fast food and retail, just with a psych BA. You can't be SUPER picky out of college, but after you boost your resume some, you can begin to ask for higher wages. I got offered 18 an hour, as well as 35k 1 year out of college because of my job experiences- not really my psych BA.
In the end, I had a few low-paying job experiences in AND OUT of college but even those were VERY valuable as they helped boost my resume and eventually land a higher paying position. I hope to keep moving up a bit at the job I was offered, but ultimately I want to move somewhere I enjoy and get a high salary
Also, if you decide to pursue a masters like me, I recommend going part-time and getting work experience. I love my MSW program, but work experience in the right field is WHAT YOU NEED!! GOOD LUCK!
I hate math.... one reason why I majored in psych. I also found the human brain fascinating though....
STATISTICS WAS REQUIRED AND IT WAS A *****, though
I actually had more Math in by Psychology requirent than my Biology requirements.
Statistics (Which was probably the hardest I ever took)
Testing and Measurement
Educational Psychology which turned out to be an application of statistic
Unless one is going into Clinical Psychology or a closely related are Math is a very major part of Psychology.
Physical Psychology, which was my field was basically very similar to Neurology and required a lot of math
If you want to do "Direct" psychology you need a graduate degree. By this I mean being a clinical or research psychologist.
If you want the BS to be terminal, you will probably find yourself in an indirect application like real estate or something.
Psych degree isn't necessarily useless, but there's just too much supply and not enough demand.
The problem is the degree has become too easy to get. It screws people who are genuinely interested in the field, for those who just pick it purely for the sake of going to college.
This.
I have a psychology BA, and to be honest, not getting a more practical education is far and away the most significant regret of my life. Don't get me wrong: My life is generally just fine, but my degree just didn't do much for me in terms of finding work. [I have decent job, but it's unrelated to my degree.]
While a BS degree is significantly more challenging and somewhat more practical, it still presents many of the same limitations in terms of practicality. If you're committed to majoring in psychology here are two suggestions:
1. Get practical experience while you're attending college. Internships and volunteer work will not only help you get practical skills, but could also help you figure out what type of work you want to do. This might also help you make some connections, making it easier to find a job.
2. Consider grad school. While a bachelors degree is fairly limited, psychology is an excellent foundation for grad school. It's a good basis for counseling, criminal justice, education, and many other fields.
Just make sure you understand what you're getting in terms of practicality only a bachelors. Unless you get the right type of experience and make the right connections, it might not do much in terms of getting a decent paying job.
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