Job Market Outlook for Psychologist in California

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The outlook for psychologists in California has taken a downturn. This is due to the fact that psychologists are specialized in their services and not as versatile in hiring pools. The perception is that a psychologist administers therapy. While, this does occasionally occur, most of the time it is not the case.

Specialty Studies

Psychologists specialize in the study of the brain in individuals and systems. The work can be truly exciting in that one really gets to roll up their sleeves and find out why people are thinking and behaving the way they do.

They are not segregated to the study of people, as psychologists often spend a good portion of time with animals not only to help them develop studies for humans, but to understand how animal systems and brains work. This is applied in areas like zoos and animal studies to help benefit animals that are being used for scientific purposes.

The job market for psychologists in California is mostly in schools. From grade schools to Universities there is a need for their special skills.

Grade schools and secondary schools employ psychologists to apply psychological tests to children whose performance might be in questions. The request for this could come from a teacher, a parent or an administrator or in some cases, the student himself or herself. Standardized tests help place children in a learning environment in which they can achieve and also help those providing for them know how to best work with them.

In Colleges and Universities there is a need for psychologists to teach and also to conduct studies and write about outcomes. These studies ultimately help the state to legislate as outcome measures are important when deciding on helping people and providing funds.

Private Sector Needs

There are other private sector needs for psychologists. A good amount of psychologists are employed at law firms and by court for expert witnesses. This typically involves administering tests on someone who is involved in the court system and can be for anything from family law to murder cases.

Psychologists may also set up their own practices to provide second opinions and offer outside consultation for any of the previously mentioned areas of employment. It may be the case that a parent feels a school psychologist is loaded down with too many students and wants outside testing. This can help young people get their needs met as psychological tests are administered for gifted and talented programs as well as for autism and special emotional needs consideration.

Adults too can benefit from using privately employed psychologists. Perhaps they have always suspected they had Attention Deficit Disorder. This is the psychologist’s area of study. A psychologist can help an adult who has struggled a lifetime of learning how to work with this in a healthy way.

The state of California reports over five thousand student graduate with PhDs in Psychology yearly. This may seem like a lot and yet bleak in terms of job outlook. However, the interesting challenge psychologists have is to find new ways of using their skills. There is currently a dip in hiring, but this should not hold people back who love the field of psychology from pursuing it. The outlook for the future is good if current psychologists continue to study the current systems. This has been exemplified by the recent understanding that conditions like autism have a spectrum and not everyone with it has the same symptoms and reactions. Psychologists will be leaders in helping others in the medical and helping fields to understand why people behave the way they do.