What is the Job Market Outlook for Psychologists?

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The Clinical Psychologist

In a stereotypical world, placing that brown and gold plague on the door to announce you’re a licensed psychologist with is the primary ambition for those who choose psychology as their major. It’s not a stereotypical world. There is actually variety in the type of psychology jobs that are offered. Although clinical psychologists still comprise the highest number of those going into the field, the market demand has increased in other sectors and is expected to rise over the next ten years.

Clinical psychology is a competitive field and the competition begins at the doctorate level of your university curriculum. You must earn your doctoral degree to become a clinical psychologist, and for most universities, there are fewer classroom positions than there are students who wish to fill them. In most states, at least a one year internship is also required. In terms of psychology jobs, it is one of the highest paid professions, with the average clinical psychologist earning over eighty thousand dollars a year.

The Potential of a Counseling Career

A large percentage of the psychology jobs are in counseling. In fact, it’s projected that counseling jobs will grow at a rate of 29% by the year 2022. The greater number of counseling jobs is in the social services, such as youth and family counseling, substance abuse, nursing homes, assisted living and out-patient mental health clinics. Part of the demand however, is in the educational department.

School psychologists play a vital role in public education. They do far more than assist the parents, teachers and administrative staff with the student’s academic dilemmas. Their functions also include the diagnosis of learning disabilities and mental disorders. They provide therapy to students with behavioral problems, and in cases where there is a great deal of concern, may refer the student to a clinical psychologist. Generally, the public school system requires a master’s degree in psychology. Some school psychologists have chosen to work within the system, teaching specialized education and coping skills to students with mental disabilities, such as autism and Down’s syndrome.

The changing demographics of the job market have created a greater demand for career counselors. It’s truly common for college and University students to change their minds about the courses of study and switching their majors, but career counseling has extended to a much broader level. Struggling with a paycheck that is not keeping up with the costs of living, many people have chosen to switch careers or expand their education in order to receive advanced opportunities in their career choice. Career psychologists appraise their client’s job history, degree of education and their personality traits and characteristics. Their objective is to help their clients prepare for a career within their abilities and interests and to teach them the skills for landing a job, such as putting together a resume or practicing for an interview.

The Broadening Field of Psychology

Psychology jobs have hit the industrial level. Engineering psychologists investigate the interactions between humans, machines and technology. They may work to help design applications or products with more human interest appeal, to create amiable work settings or to help redesign products to make them easier to use.

Television has created a wide interest in forensics psychology, although it’s not every day you’ll get to sound like Sherlock Holmes if you go into this field of study. Forensics psychologists generally help make decisions in child custody cases, investigate abuse cases and evaluate insurance claims.

There are actually very few organizations you can examine that don’t utilize the services of a psychologist. Psychologists are found in the work place, communicating with employees on ways to increase productivity and even assisting in the hiring and firing process. Sports psychologists assist team members in mentally preparing for top performance and coping with injuries. Their goal is to improve the human condition through teaching them motivational and coping skills, adjusting their behaviors or to find closure to grief and trauma. As we become more aware of the world around us and ourselves, we gain a greater appreciation for the disciplines of psychology.