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Kristofer Miron
Dr. Synstelien
1108-11
22 February 2015
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Careers of the Mind
Psychology is a strong career choice for those who value helping people, delving into the
human mind, and making differences in other's lives. There are various careers in psychology,
and psychologists get the privilege of having many diverse places to work. No matter who or
what someone wants to work with, as long as their primary interest is in the mind, there is a
career in psychology for them.
Reasons for wanting a career in psychology don’t seem to vary much. People who are
interested in the human condition are primarily psychologists. The basic need to want to help
people also lead down a similar path. Psychologists often make great pay at the doctorate level,
and that financial motivation, in conjunction with the other interests, make psychology a much
desired profession.
Depending on what branch of psychology one was to go down, and where you work, the
day to day duties might differ. At schools a psychologist could be working with children or
young adults, and helping them with behavioral problems or giving them career counseling.
Clinics have psychologists to assess and diagnose various disorders, and so a psychologist would
consistently see many patients. Even prisons and police departments have psychologists. At these
jobs, the workflow will remain pretty consistent, but if one was to enter into private practice,
they may have to accommodate patients’ schedules.
Education is quite important in the field of psychology. A minimum of a doctoral degree
is required for the majority of careers, although a masters and bachelors does have a few
opportunities. If a potential psychologist wishes to go into private practice, they need to get
licensed and either have a supervised experience, an internship, or go through a residency
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program. Other requirements for a career in psychology are to have analytical and
communication skills, and to have a lot of patience and trustworthiness.
Any psychologist who wishes to practice psychology or work independently requires
licensure or certification. The licensing laws differ depending on the state, but most require a
doctorate degree, professional experience, and an Examination for Professional Practice in
Psychology. To keep their license, they must also complete continuing education courses.
Having a doctorate in psychology allows a psychologist to work at various places, unless they
wish to specialize into a more specific career.
Along with the diverse work opportunities, careers in psychology can have varying
salaries as well. The median salary for psychologists is $69,280 per year, and that is chiefly for
careers that require a doctorate degree. With less than a doctorate, the salary can go down to
about $25,000 per year for some career choices. Benefits psychologists will receive depend on
where they work, as with some places, like normal schools, they will not work during the
summer. Medical also varies on the institution they work for.
The schedule of a psychologist can greatly differ from job to job. Working at a school,
hospital, clinic, or university, their hours would correspond more to the regular working hours.
Psychologists may be required to work weekends at medical locations. If they were to go into
private practice, they would set their own hours, most likely based on their patients’ needs to
accommodate their busy schedules. Most psychologists are based at where they work, so not
much travel is required, except to their place of employment.
Growth is expected in the various careers of psychology. The overall employment of
psychologists is expected to grow 12 percent from 2012 to 2022 (Occupational Outlook
Handbook). Demand for psychologists will increase in nearly all areas, and especially in schools,
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where there is a raised awareness of the connection between learning and mental health. Those
with a doctoral in school psychology will have an easier time at finding a job than those without.
Employment of industrial-organizational psychologists will also increase 53 percent in the same
time period, because of the need to help hire and keep good employees, and increase office
moral.
There is no concern that careers in psychology are going anywhere, and without a doubt,
they will continue to grow and have more employment opportunities. Schedules and salaries may
differ on the specific job, but they generally earn based on how much work they do. Those with a
doctoral degree will end up going much farther into psychology than those without. Being a
diverse field, psychology offers many career choices down various paths for people who have
social skills and are interested in learning more about themselves and others.
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Annotated Bibliography
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook. US Department of Labor, 8
Jan. 2014. Web. 22 January 2015. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-socialscience/psychologists.htm>
1. The Bureau is the primary fact finding agency of the federal government for common
occupations.
2. The audience is the general population, particularly those interested in a career in
psychology.
3. This website has basic information on psychology including salary, job outlook and
areas of growth.
4. I will use this to fill the basic fact requirements of the assignment. However, I still
need to find some source that gives anecdotal information and some idea about day to
day activities.
Schreiber, Katherine. "Careers In Psychology." Psychology Today 47.2 (2014): 81-89.
EBSCO MegaFILE. Web. 21 Jan. 2015.
1. Katherine Schreiber is a psychology writer formerly with Psychology Today, but now
writes for various other publications, print and online.
2. The audience is the general public interested in psychology, and looking to eventually
move into the career field.
3. The main point is to give a quick rundown on psychologist and psychiatrist job points
and a few college programs for psychology.
4. I can use this to briefly compare the psychology and psychiatry fields.