Is Majoring In Psychology Waste of Time and Money?
 

I heard that Psych majors have very limited places to work, and they don't really make a whole bunch of money, and they have to study for many years in order to do something with their major. What do you think?

Do you plan on doing graduate work?

Do you want to be a clinical psychologist, a social worker, an i/o (industrial/organizational - working for a big business) psychologist, or something else? Research different fields online; a lot of them require more studying, even doctorates (PhD for any field needing a doctorate; PhD or PsyD for a clinical psychologist).

I took Psychology Seminar when I was a psych major. I will post the notes here in a moment. Good luck! :)

hope this helps you with researching graduate psych programs!
 

1. Identify the Career You Want to Pursue
--a. Personal factors to consider
----i. Talents
----ii. Interests
----iii. Skills
----iv. Needs
--b. Job factors to consider
----i. Availability
----ii. Hours
----iii. Job Culture
----iv. Salary
2. What Degree in What Discipline Does This Career Require?
--a. E.g., B.A. in psychology, M.A. in social work, J.D. in law
3. Characteristics Graduate Schools (Specifically for Psychology Programs) Look For
--a. Hard work
--b. Get along with peers
--c. Writing ability
--d. Clinical / counseling skills and experience
--e. Research done in field of interest
----i. Brownie points if your research is in a field that the grad school also researches
--f. How well a student handles stress
--g. Discipline
--h. Good grades
--i. Good score on grad school entrance exams (e.g. GRE)
----i. Graduate schools see ALL your GRE scores!
--j. High intelligence
--k. Empathy
--l. Establishing relationship with a mentor
--m. Broad knowledge of psychology
--n. Specific knowledge in one or two areas of psychology
--o. Reflect values of graduate program
--p. Match between your interests and program’s interests
--q. Explain what you want to do specifically and confidently

I wouldn't necessarily say that majoring in Psychology is a waste of money or time, there are things that you can do with that degree even at the Bachelor level; however, most people are looking for that Masters/Doctorate/Licensed person. It all depends on what you want to do with it and which direction you want to go in. Options for jobs and education are limitless.

The career that would fit me perfectly is teaching at college/university level. I'll go to graduate school for that. How much does it pay though? I heard that garbageman or construction workers get more money than a psychologist with a phd degree. (talking about academic career)

I have a Psych degree which I got with the intent of going to graduate school. I'm getting my masters in Counseling and I intend to be licensed to do marriage and family therapy.

If you want to work in the Psych fields (you can get a business job w/ a psych degree if you have the skills) then you have to go to graduate school.

A psychologist who teaches may also practice clinically. Teaching has never paid a LOT but if you mix it with having a practice you can do quite well. Several of my professors did this. Those who weren't clinical psychologists mixed the teaching with research. The money there comes from publishing.

If you want to teach, teach. Your average construction worker makes more than many "business professionals" but that doesn't mean I want to go stand in the sun all day.

If you're not at all interesting in reasearch Psych (ie Me), do something else for undergrad and go for your Master's in Psych. My mother has her BS in ElEd and grad in Psych, and says that grad level Psych focuses more on clinical diagnosis then doing research experiments on any random goober you can get to show up by bribing them with free pizza or extra credit in undergrad Psych courses.

Actually I'm interested in research psych.

good luck with your decision....
 

light bulb gave some very good suggestions.

you really have to think about what it is you want to do. if you plan on doing anything related to behavioral and social sciences then psych is a great major. i know a good friend who has her ugrad degree in psych but went on to pursue a masters and doctorate in communications. psych is a flexible degree in that you can take other classes (ie a minor or double major) and still have a life in some ways.

as a grad major, you must be clear that you want to be a psychologist whether its clinical, industrial or organizational. grad school isnt cheap and there is research involved.

i noticed that you are concerned about the financial aspect. in considering that please consider doing something that will make you happy. not just in the first few years post grad but something that can withstand the changes that life has to offer. i know a number of people who always knew what they wanted to do in life, are doing it, making lots of money, but are unhappy because they are unfulfilled. they are stuck in the grind associated with their careers.

good luck again and consider all things when making your decision.

I'm actually a graduate who majored in a worthless degree. That being said, I'm teaming it up with a fairly good law school, so hopefully given the proper amount of effort, I'll have good career prospects. That being said, I would never trade my 4 years of undergrad. I majored in Poli Sci, which was interesting and came naturally to me. Thus, I had plenty of time to enjoy SEC fraternity life, football season, etc. There are a lot of degrees are there that could be considered a "waste." Most things in Liberal Arts, for example. However, they also give you time to figure out what you really wanna do, while enjoying your college experience. In my experience, I've also found that people who majored in directed fields like Mechanical Engineering or some sort of computer science, etc., generally end up doing things in their field. My friends came out of school, got good jobs making 50-70k, and will probably do it the rest of their life. For me, who is interested in law, politics, teaching, etc, I don't wanna get into a career at 22 that I'll probably stay in my entire life.

Then go for it. You can definately teach and do research. Professors don't exactly roll in the dough but if it's what you want then go for it.

Pretty much second all that. My engineering major fiance already has a guaranteed job and he's a year away from graduating. It's a sweet job and he could easily stay there for life (although he'll probably switch companies at least). To me, that's just icky. Do what interests you - it's not worth being miserable to do otherwise. You can make pretty much *anything* marketable if you're creative about it. I do publicity and recruiting, so maybe I'm biased, but really.

On a side note, people can make a lot of money with liberal arts type degrees. When you have a safe degree like some sort of engineering, you're less likely to leave your comfort zone and try for something different. So while I have plenty of friend's parents making good money (200k or so), for them, that is about the ceiling. That is something I prefer about the legal/business/writing worlds, is that if you're good at what you do, there is no ceiling on what you can accomplish. A lot of my engineering friends are now looking into business or law school, as they anticipate hitting a wall at some point. Of course, I think this is where networking and social abilities come into play. In my experience, it isn't the top one or two in the class that have the greatest success, but somewhere closer to the balance of the middle. I know this has gotten off subject some, but the fields I mentioned provide a little more freelance ability, and therefore more opportunity to display your other abilities (social, leadership).

I'll say this because no one else has. What you major in during undergrad doesn't really affect what type of job you can get. If you have a degree only a few years after hs, it proves the point. The name of the major on the piece of paper they give you, is a talking point.

Now, it will matter if you already know you want to do grad work in a certain area, but most grad programs only require a degree or a degree in a related field.

Whatever you do, don't get your masters/phd from the same instutution from which you earned your Bachelor's, espically in the more "academic" fields like psyh, soc, etc. It is considered to be somewhate "incestoues" if you only were trained in one school of thought, or by one faculty.

Second that. No more than 2 degrees from the same institution!

I second what RU OX Alum said.

My undergraduate major was Microbiology and Cell Science. I changed majors a few times, but picked this one early in my sophomore year and sticked with it.

I am now a children's librarian at a public library.

That said, I also handle the 500s (Natural Sciences) and answer the science questions when necessary. So it came in very handy.

Well I am doing applied psyh. but I got creative and I am modifing my major into an interdisciplinary major with the two concentration in Psych and Helath education. My plan is to the master's in Public/Community Health and work with people with mental health issues as well educate them on how thier mental health effects thier physical health.

I see psych/poli sci [my bf has a degree in that and he is going to law school] and libreal arts majors as frosting on a cake to what your expertise really is on the inside [hence the cake] so verasitlity is easier with Libreal Arts majors

Just my .20 cents

But why? What's wrong with it?

After two degrees (either a BA/MA or a MA/PhD) you know the faculty, they know you and you're probably not being challenged the same way. You know the program very very well.

Some of it is just snobbery, but it's also realistic. State U. has one way of teaching their Psych. program and U of State teaches another way. To be well rounded and knowledgable in the field, you want multiple experiences.

It's not a REAL rule. It's a social thing. But some schools/professors will encourage you to look outward as well.

But what if I got my bachelors, masters, phd all at one state university and then applied to the very same state university to teach there? Won't my chances be higher since i'm very familiar with their system and all.

No. I think by then the Psych Dept. at that University by then would have you diagnosed with seperation issues.

You're transfering anyway, what difference does it make?

Should you ever want to work elsewhere.. you'll have a hard time getting a job. It's considered incestuous to an extent.

I understand, thanks for your advice.

My transfer doesn't really mean much. I am transferring from one California State University to another.

It does make a difference. Unless all of the faculty commutes back and forth.

I can only imagine the commute from Berkeley to Fullerton!!!

The Psychology Tenure professor I intern with gets 200+/ year:eek:

A) He probably STARTED at $25-$30k (if that).
B) He pretty much got lucky won the professor lottery, because this is definitely not typical.