Is a Career in Psychology Worth It? A Closer Look
Whether you’re a young student or an experienced professional looking to change career paths, you might be seriously considering a career in psychology. But is it worth it?
The short and simple answer is yes. Between now and 2030, hundreds of thousands of individuals will enter the industry and start careers as psychologists, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, and many other related roles.
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How Do You Start a Career in Psychology?
This is a question that gets asked on Google daily. Here’s what you need to know: it’s more than possible to start a career in psychology. However, you need to follow several steps.
Step 1: Study for a Degree
The first step to take is earning your degree.
These days, many people are enrolling in online psychology programs so that they can study from home. If this is something you’d like to do, you might be interested in the online bs in psychology program. You’ll learn all the fundamentals, from developmental psychology to brain and behavior, which will set you up perfectly for a career in psychology. You’ll still need to pay for the program, but you can use grants, loans, or scholarships to help you.
Whichever type of psychology-related degree you choose, you’ll generally be studying for around three years.
Step 2: Choose a Specific Psychology Career to Aim For
After you successfully complete your degree, the next step is to choose your specialty. Arguably, this is the most important part of your journey. For example, you might want to go down the Counselling Psychologist route. Or you might want to be a Sports Psychologist — the choice is yours.
Step 3: Choose a Postgraduate Degree
The final step is to choose a postgraduate degree (for most people, this will be a doctorate degree, which takes around four to seven years to complete). While doing your postgraduate degree, you’ll be put on a work placement while learning all the knowledge and skills you need before officially starting your career.
The Benefits of a Career in Psychology
Now, let’s take a look at why a career in psychology is worth it:
1. Positively Impact People’s Lives
Psychology is a unique career path to follow, as you’ll get to work with a variety of patients and clients while making a positive impact on their lives. Depending on your specialty, this could be anything from helping individuals recover from trauma to developing an athlete’s mental strength.
2. Earn an Excellent Salary
As a psychologist, you can expect to earn an excellent salary. In the US, the average psychologist’s salary is $116,304. Of course, if you get lots of experience, then you can earn well above this.
3. Career Progression
Lastly, during a psychology career, there are plenty of opportunities for progression into different roles. It’s very common for successful psychologists to progress into education, academic research, and much more. You can even move to other countries to work across different private institutions if you want to broaden your horizons.
