Psychology & Careers

A 4-year education in psychology earning a BS degree grooms you for any career that requires extensive interaction with people, including careers in the hotel or other service industry or an entry-level opportunity in any business, particularly the human resources department. Studying psychology teaches you to consider why people acts or reacts the way they do, adding valuable insights into the human psyche. Continuing your education past the BS degree to a master's level then on to a PhD and becoming a psychologist opens many different career doors to clinical and counseling opportunities.

Clinical

A career in clinical psychology offers the opportunity to help all types of people resolve their emotional and mental disorders. Psychologists cannot prescribe medications as psychiatrists can in the treatment of mental disease, but they can offer practical ways to cope with the everyday issues and stresses surrounding a new job, marital discord, personal fears and many other emotional factors that keep people from living their best life.

Cognitive

Cognitive psychologists spend their careers in university and private labs researching and evaluating mental processes like memory function, decision making or problem solving. Cognitive psychologists focus on how people relate to stimulus and response, similar to the way you know you can train your puppy to come to the dinner bell. If internal mental processes fascinate you, then you would enjoy a career in cognitive psychology.

Industrial-Organizational

Clinical psychologists who thrive around the workplace setting can opt for a career as an industrial-organizational psychologist. This is a relatively new field specializing in creating training programs for corporations, helping in the hiring process and administering cognitive and emotional tests to determine the strengths and weaknesses of employees.

Child Psychologist

A clinical psychologist may choose a career specializing in child psychology if she enjoys working with children. Child psychologists understand the special needs of children and are trained in ways to relate to and help a child overcome fear, express his emotions and cope with difficulties in his life.

Sports Psychologist

If your passion lies in a sports arena, you may be interested in a career as a sports psychologist. According to the American Psychology Association, a sports psychologist studies the psychological factors surrounding sports participation and performance. This could be anything from helping an athlete learn to cope with limitations resulting from an injury to helping them train for the Olympics. The phrase "get your head in the game" takes on deeper meaning when applied to a sports psychologist's career.

Resources

• Psychology Careers

[GetATrip]

on 2/14/2009 Well written--Solid information. JFYI though, some Child Psychologist are men too!