i have my BA in psychology. I, like you was too burned out after I graduated to go to graduate school. Would you like to know what i'm doing with that pretty piece of paper right now? I'm an administrator, which is the politically correct term for secretary. The job market sucks. There is very little you can do with a bachelors in psychology that will actually pay the bills. My current plan is that if the company that I am in the process of starting is not the success that we're hoping for, I am going to make my company send me back for my masters in HR because unfortunately, in this economy its hard to find any position without education or experience. My advice to you is if you are interested in a job in HR when you graduate, start looking for some kind of experience now. Most companies won't even hire HR assistants without the aforementioned degree/experience (or combination of the two)

I am not 100% sure what I want to do after I graduate. I am applying to be a Sigma Kappa field consultant... so if I got that, that would be one year of traveling to different chapters around the country. It's a paid position and seems like one I would enjoy. But more than likely, I will still apply to grad schools. If I got the field consultant job, I'd just defer my acceptance for a year.

I have also thought about applying for Teach For America. You don't have to be an education major (in fact, very few are) and it's only a two year commitment.

Part of me has also always wanted to go into sales. I definitely have the personality for it. I really love real estate so I could see myself doing that and being very happy.

So many decisions to make!

smiley21 - There are many research jobs for people with BAs in psych. If you can't find a job working with a business, check out the universities and hospitals around you. I work in research, and it's very rewarding. :)

FAB: I'm also a huge psych nerd. :D Right now, I'm figuring out whether I want to go in the spring and start on a masters in counseling or wait another year to go for the PhD. Decisions, decisions....

Psych nerds of the world unite!!!!! :D :cool: :D :cool:

I PLAN on going to grad school and focusing on child psychopathology OR speech pathology...


any suggestions/advice?

With a Master's in Psych, you can teach at the CC level. Better paying job than teaching secondary school, but without the pressure to publish as in higher ed. My friend is doing his combined Bachelor's/Master's, and before he goes to law school, he'll teach at the CC level for a year or two.

i want to change my major

Famous last words. I said the same thing. I couldn't wait to start my career. It has been almost 2 years since I started working full time, and guess what am I doing now? Applying to go back to school. :D

Yeah, I just love the psychology!

Speech pathology can pay very well. Do that.

If you want to counsel you can get certificats that will let you do it.

One of my college roomates has a B.S. in Psychology. She's in a Physician's Assistant program. Good money in that.

Her husband has a BS in Psych too - he's planning on going to pharmacy school after she finishes the PA program.

There are a ton of psych majors in law school.

It depends on what you mean by "counsel" - there are different sorts of counselling.


One who aspires to be a therapist would normally obtain a Master's degree with an option in their area of interest (Marriage and Family Therapy, Child Counselling....etc). These degrees normally include hundreds of hours of clinical experience in order to prepare the students for their licensure.


I am nearly finished with my Master of Education in Counselling. This degree is not an MSc and is not meant to lead to a career as a licensed therapist. For example, since I'm a university student affairs administrator, and I'm not intending to become a therapist, I don't need to take a programme which leads to a license. There are several different flavours of this type of counselling degree.


Finally, if one wishes to perhaps get a job with a charitible organization, or someplace similar, where they will be offering guidance or counselling to people, then these certificates you mention can come into play. However, depending on the actual job, the employers/organizations sometimes want people with Master's degrees in counselling or a degree in social work. Though, I imagine that a degree in psychology with some extra coursework in counselling (like extension courses or certificates) might work just as well for some places.


.....Kelly :)

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. You and a couple of the others have talked about HR people as if they don't have business degrees. :confused: My undergraduate degree is a BA in Human Development with a minor in Human Resource Management. Maybe it's different for other parts of the country; but in SoCal, HR people often have degrees in business and/or HR. Sometimes people might have a degree in organizational psychology; but I've never heard of an HR person with "just" a psychology degree.

???


.....Kelly :)

today i changed my major back to elem. education

Out of pure curiosity, which school has a good forensic psychology program?