List of Jobs Available in the Psychology Field
Feb 16, 2015 | 8:00 am
There are many jobs in the psychology field. The field of psychology is an ever-expanding universe that seemingly has no bounds. It began a little over a century ago and has expanded and broadened at a near colossal rate since then. After earning a psychology degree, a graduate can choose from a wide variety of career options. Of course, the specific career you pursue will depend largely on your educational background. Some entry-level jobs are open to those with a Bachelor’s degree, while others require advanced or graduate-level study.
What Basic Fields Are There?
Psychology delves into the mind and personal interactions on very basic levels. The studies can be theoretical or behavioral. It can deal with the “whys?” as well as the “hows” of human activities. In sports psychology, the psychologist must not only look at motivation, but also how the attitude affects performance. Addiction psychology deals with the healing process of rehabilitation. A psychiatric nurse would also fit into the specialized and intense areas of psychology. All are truly specialized areas that obviously are based on the realities that most people know, but also the very specific realities of the individual groups.
What if you’re saying, “But I am more interested in the real world.” In the forensic psychology area, you have the areas of grief and guidance counseling. Both have specialized aspects to them. The guidance counselor generally deals with students. Many times, they deal with testing students and help to put them in appropriate classes. The guidance counselor often deals with discipline, particularly in the lower grade levels. Grief counselors deal with some of the hardest times in people’s lives. They must peel back the shock and disbelief to help connect with a person who quite often does not want to be touched.
In social services psychology, you may well deal with all of the above while making decisions and recommendations that will alter a person’s life forever, either positively or negatively. These are the real world.
Are Things a Little Calmer in a Psychology Career?
There are problems everywhere you turn with jobs in the psychology field, whether you’re talking family and marriage counseling or forensic work. However, by listening to these clients, you help them cope with their troubles. You may even help them heal their relationship or find a way to deal with the death of the relationship, while facing new challenges.
An even calmer aspect of psychology can be as an employment interviewer. This is a position that works to best match the person and the position for the betterment of both the company and the person. Sometimes the interviewer will give tests and sometimes make their decisions based on the applicant’s history and by the answers given.
According to the BLS, counselors earn an average of $53,610, which is a starting level salary that matches most other mental health jobs for advanced degree students. The challenges and opportunities of the field of psychology should be evident at this point. It covers the gamut of human endeavors and offers many possibilities to one choosing the field of psychology. It is a growing and ever challenging to grow with for your entire career and the jobs in the psychology field are plentiful.