Psychology Jobs - Careers in Psychology

One of the best things about majoring in psychology in college, is there are numerous options for careers after graduation. A psychology degree is a flexible degree, because it can be used to so many different work fields. It is also a flexible degree to earn because, whether you study online or through a brick and mortar university, the education is equal in all aspects. The career you choose with a psychology degree will depend on a few different factors, such as the type of degree you earn, whether you want to work in a science field or a people oriented field and your interest.

It is important to keep in mind that if you are studying psychology, this does not mean that have to become a psychologist. With a psychology degree you will be prepared for positions such as those in human resources, management and administration as well as a variety of community service positions. For example, with a bachelor degree you will be qualified to work in a hospital as a mental health technician which will allow you to be involved with patients on varying levels such as conducting group sessions. With a bachelor degree you will also be qualified to teach grade levels k-12, work in a criminal justice field, work as a case manager for social services, a psychology assistant and in an assistant in a research lab.

If you continue your education and earn a doctorate, there are a number of specialties to choose from including lifespan and development, child psychology, sports psychology, forensic psychology, criminal psychology, school psychology, neuropsychology, education and research.

Child Psychology-a career in child psychology means you will be specializing in treating children. Although the primary client is the child, you must take into consideration that you will also be involved with the families of the child. The child may seek psychological counseling for a variety of reasons such mental health problems or being the subject of a traumatic experience. It is important to note that when you specialize in child psychology, there will be a variety of unpleasant situations and it may be difficult to be objective, however, you will have to remain nonjudgmental.

Lifespan & development-specializing in this field means you will be working with clients from all age ranges as well as counseling those who are experiencing grief or that may be elderly. The person specializing in this field will need to be very open minded to a varying degree of situations that may arise such as explaining grief or preparing someone for a family members death.

Sports psychology-working in the field of sports psychology requires you to work with clients that are involved in various sport arenas. This may involve situations such as teaching them anger management techniques, how to deal with social anxiety and/or how to deal with the pressure of performing. Sports psychologist also work with whole teams at times as opposed to solely working with individuals.

Although forensic psychology and criminal psychology are often considered to be the same field, they do differ in many ways. A forensic psychologist has a greater interest in determining if a client suspected of or accused of a crime was is currently and was mentally unstable at the time the crime was committed. Forensic psychologists are often called upon to give testimony as an expert witness during court proceedings. Someone working in criminal psychology has an interest in analyzing the specific behaviors the individual exhibits. A criminal psychologist is focused on getting to the root of the individual's behavior as opposed to a forensic psychologist whose primary concern is usually the persons stability at a specific time.

Neuropsychologists are interested in the chemical components of the brain, the brains chemicals and the possible results of behavior due to chemical imbalances. They are often involved in research, analyzing and development.

School psychologist have an interest in working with students and/or faculty members for a variety of reasons. For example should a traumatic event occur at the school or if something traumatic happens to a student or instructor, the school psychologist would be on hand to help those who experienced the trauma. They also work with individuals on a variety of capacities, for example social anxiety or bullying.