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Im 24 and going back to school and I want to get my degree in psychology. Doing some light research on jobs in different categories and was wondering if there were any promising careers with the government. Ive heard they don't pay well ( which isn't surprising) and that its not the best place to work but correct me if Im wrong please!
First place that comes to mind is the VA. Then most of the DoD medical facilities.
In general Fed jobs pay a bit high for non professional jobs and low for many professional jobs. Retirement is (changing) decent cocsisting of small pension and a 491k like system (TSP). But is a long way from the pre 80s plan that most in the public picture.
Worst part about the working conditions are the political managers who know nothing about the work but want to look good to Congress. VA scandal is the result of political metrics driving decisions.
I am not clear, do you want to get an undergrad degree in psychology, or do you want to be a psychologist? State governments also employ psychologists (such as the state Dept. of Mental Health, and the Bureau of Prisons). Like any field, there are opportunities. I would carefully plan my internships and clinical time around areas I wanted to practice in.
You're going to need more than a bachelor's for jobs like you are mentioning. A Bachelor's in psychology isn't going to yield you much beyond tech jobs. You need at least a Masters to be an actual psychologist, but for jobs like psychological profiling for Homeland Security or the FBI you'd probably need a PhD. As a stand-alone degree, a bachelor's in Psychology is a dime a dozen and not worth much more than the paper it's printed on.
OP if your idea is law enforcement type work (Homeland Security, FBI) the typical degree path is a law degree. If it's CIA/analytical work you best bet might be advanced degrees in math or computer science or statistics (be aware that 99% of CIA work is just some geek working at a desk collecting and analyzing data). Law enforcement experience (FBI) or state department experience (CIA) for these roles might alleviate some of the educational requirements.
Not sure what you can get with a bachelor (4 year) degree in psychology - maybe a job in the maintenance departments of these groups.
Military jobs are also pretty hard to get if you have no preference. Living in a military city I all but gave up after filling out two usajobs applications. Not active duty? Not honorably discharged? Not a spouse? Not a dependent? Good luck. You will need to get a good degree in clinical forensic psychology to go anywhere in the CIA or FBI.
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