Just finished my psychology degree—now what?

ruggedraven42 said:I don't know, I suspect statistics remains the backbone of just about every niche in psychology, so I really doubt that. I mean, even if you look at the correction, interpretation, and integration of results from any given assessment tool or observation—that all demands a solid grasp of statistical concepts. You need those theoretical foundations to actually make sense of the data coming out of psychological measurements.
...and even if we ignore that entirely, there's always the matter of maintaining a license. That’s unavoidable. It requires attending seminars, hitting up conferences, maybe even conducting research or publishing papers. So, yeah—statistical significance is always going to be lurking in the background somewhere. 😍

I could be wrong, but it feels like you're still in college and haven't actually started working in the field yet...

Gary James88 said:If they move into school or Clinical psychology after graduation, they'll forget about it pretty fast.

Honestly, I think how they handled statistics is way more important, along with whatever experience they actually have there.😍

Roger Morgan4 said:But wait, can't a psychologist eventually become a psychotherapist if they just go back for some additional specialized training? It seems like that dream is still within reach for most people. 😁

I always figured people majored in psychology because they expected to do therapy, like that was actually what they were taught at a US university to prepare them for the job.. 🙂

Plus, you don't even have to wait until you're a full-blown psychologist to start training as a therapist. I heard about this one person who's already in their third year of psychotherapy training and hasn't even graduated yet...😍

Gary James88 said:I could be wrong, but it feels like you're still in college and haven't actually started working in the field yet...

I think they're right on the money..

redharbor9 said:I think they're right on the money..

Honestly, though, I’m still stuck in the middle of my degree, so maybe I’ve got it all wrong... I mean, I suspect all this theoretical nonsense will just evaporate the second I step off campus. That's how it usually goes, isn't it? You don't actually learn psychology in any real sense until you're out there in the field doing the work... at least, that's my take on it anyway. 🤷
But look, does anyone happen to have any info on whether they offer that specific module at the university over in Seattle? Every time I ask someone, I get nothing but vague answers or total silence.

I just graduated with a psychology degree, and I’ve already been hunting for work for two months. There's an internship requirement, but you either have to find a paid position or settle for volunteer work.
I know plenty of people my age who haven't landed anything even after a year of searching, but given my current financial situation, I simply can't afford to
volunteer.
Finding a job is incredibly difficult in major metropolitan areas; if you're coming from a smaller town, your odds are actually better. I heard there might be some new openings coming up in Miami soon.
If I wanted to enroll in psychotherapy training right now, it would cost anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000 depending on the program. While the long-term returns are good, that's still a massive upfront investment. A specialized Master's degree runs about $3,000 to $4,000 as well.
Ultimately, you need a solid job immediately after graduation to fund any further specialization, because having nothing but a basic degree doesn't provide much
specialized expertise, especially in clinical psychology.
The bottom line is that everything hinges on finding a steady job or a paid internship, and right now, that's a massive hurdle...

I have a question that might fit within this discussion topic... 🙂
I am currently in my second year at the University of Michigan, and I find myself becoming increasingly fascinated by psychology lately. I was wondering if it might be possible to enroll in psychology courses alongside my current major, perhaps given that I managed to maintain a fairly strong GPA during my first year? I suppose I feel a bit foolish at the thought of letting the last two years go to waste... also, I was curious if there might be a career path out there that could actually bridge these two different fields together?

slydriver54 said:I have a question that might fit within this discussion topic... 🙂
I am currently in my second year at the University of Michigan, and I find myself becoming increasingly fascinated by psychology lately. I was wondering if it might be possible to enroll in psychology courses alongside my current major, perhaps given that I managed to maintain a fairly strong GPA during my first year? I suppose I feel a bit foolish at the thought of letting the last two years go to waste... also, I was curious if there might be a career path out there that could actually bridge these two different fields together?

At FF, you can't really double major like that; it's just not an option they offer. Psychology isn't just some single class either, since it requires those long lab practicums that you absolutely have to complete to get credit. Trying to juggle another concentration along with psych would be brutal, let alone trying to handle an entire second university degree. Maybe it's possible through American Studies, though, they have a website so you could probably go check it out.
First off, I’d say just think long and hard about this and don't overextend yourself (or sell yourself short), because you honestly might not have the time for all that.

You could try enrolling in psychology as a full-time student with federal funding, and then maybe take Economics part-time since that's an actual option. With a good enough GPA, they might let you pull off studying at both schools simultaneously, but at FF, you pretty much have to be a regular full-time student.

My bad, I totally messed up there. You can actually take classes concurrently at FF, but they don't offer part-time options. Sorry about that, I got my wires crossed.🙂

It’s possible, but you’ll need to maintain a GPA above 4.0 at your current university and submit a formal petition.

I know this one girl who finished her degree in the Economics Department and then decided to go back for psychology (not at the same time, though). She’s planning to bridge the two by diving into organizational psychology, which actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it...

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away... there was this couple. They were obsessed with history and archaeology from the jump; they knew exactly what they wanted to do with their lives. But life happened, and through a series of random turns, she ended up enrolling in an Archaeology program while he went off to the Economics Department. Fast forward twenty years: she’s working at a local museum and teaching high school on the side, while he’s a wealthy executive at a major firm like Goldman Sachs, traveling the globe to see world monuments, funding archaeological expeditions, and spending his downtime collecting and studying rare, high-end artifacts.
The path you think is leading you straight to your goal isn't the only one available. 😉

And you can also offer support to those struggling with mental instability. Honestly, there seem to be more and more of them every single day... ☕

A close friend of mine decided to take psychology alongside his physics major, and I suppose he's actually managing to pull it off quite well... whereas I, on the other hand, ended up selecting Economics almost by accident due to a series of random circumstances. Lately, though, I’ve started to notice this persistent urge within myself to help people, and I have encountered all sorts of different patients during my time at the university 🙂. I find myself genuinely curious about how everything works "on the inside," yet I can't help but feel a certain trepidation that I might have made the wrong career choice... perhaps it would be best if I were to go see a psychiatrist myself 🙂

Psychology isn't primarily about helping people. In fact, there isn't even such a thing as a degree in "helping people." Every single field essentially operates on its own specific methodology. People might be involved more or less, directly or indirectly, through one method or another—but the core approach is always rational. There is no profession dedicated solely to pure emotional venting. It’s worth keeping that in mind.
Even a psychology degree itself barely trains you to help people, if at all. Instead, it trains you in the analytical and critical observation of psychological phenomena and processes, which apply to other living beings just as much as humans. That’s actually useful. So, it ends up being helpful indirectly, I suppose, by its very nature.
You need a massive amount of additional training if you want to pivot toward anything else.

Don't pick a major on a whim.

And you can find plenty of "patients" on almost any campus, whether it's psychology, pre-med, or other "weird" (?) majors—sometimes that's even an advantage.

"So, I finish my psychology degree... now what?"

Sit down and cry... well, if you’re feeling optimistic, anyway. 😵

Just kidding—but seriously, the biggest delusion people have when they decide to major in this is thinking they'll immediately become psychotherapists. You know the trope: private practice, sitting around with a couch, talking about Freud and all that stuff, while making bank... yeah, forget about it. Or rather, maybe you can, but definitely not right after graduation. A degree just gives you the fundamentals—it provides the methodology and teaches you how to think.
Once you actually graduate, you’ll likely need (I don't think it's strictly mandatory, but...) to complete training in at least one specific psychotherapeutic school of thought. Then comes the specializations, and God knows what else. That isn't necessarily a bad thing—it forces you to constantly improve and stay educated—and honestly, most people are pretty motivated by that. But let's be real: it costs a lot of money and takes a massive amount of time...
But it’s great, did I forget to mention that? 😂

ruggedraven42 said:hehe, alright, look—the difference we found is statistically significant (p.

But honestly, I could write an entire novel just explaining that process... anyway, for now, it's enough to know that it means there's a statistically significant difference...☕

Just a quick heads-up though... It’s actually 99% straight up, not 99.9% 😁

redharbor11 said:I’ve been spending a lot of time lately weighing my options for grad school, and honestly, I’ve become pretty obsessed with psychology recently. Since graduation is looming closer every single day, I’m starting to get a bit anxious about the practical side of things. What kind of career paths are actually open to someone once they have a degree in clinical psychology? Also, if you had to pick, which US cities are the best places to study this, and what should I expect from the professors there?🤷

hmm... shouldn't you figure out what you actually want to do before picking a major? 🤔

If you're into psychology as a science but don't have a specific career path in mind—and you're willing to grind, stay creative, and stay curious—then research is your lane.

Not sure where you're planning to go to school or if they have a solid selection process—like after freshman year—to funnel people into specialized research tracks (think labs, field studies, etc.).

That's one way to go.

Psychology is huge—you could work for any firm doing public opinion research or similar stuff;

there's work in schools and preschools;

or even high schools as a counselor.

A buddy of mine actually works as an editor for a kids' magazine—they were specifically looking for someone with child psychology expertise for the role.

The psychotherapy routes have already been covered in other threads, so I won't bore you with that again.

driftingscout8 said:Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away... there was this couple. They were obsessed with history and archaeology from the jump; they knew exactly what they wanted to do with their lives. But life happened, and through a series of random turns, she ended up enrolling in an Archaeology program while he went off to the Economics Department. Fast forward twenty years: she’s working at a local museum and teaching high school on the side, while he’s a wealthy executive at a major firm like Goldman Sachs, traveling the globe to see world monuments, funding archaeological expeditions, and spending his downtime collecting and studying rare, high-end artifacts.
The path you think is leading you straight to your goal isn't the only one available. 😉

👍

I’ve been scrolling through everything being said here... and honestly, I’m starting to get a little nervous about majoring in psychology. I still have a year left before college starts, so everything is 🙏 pretty much a blank slate to me. All I know is that it falls under the social sciences umbrella. I just wanted to throw out one quick question:how many {{problems}} can statistics actually cause you in a psych program?? I know it's basically the backbone of the entire major... but math has never really been my thing. So... yeah.