Is Psychology hard to get a job?

Psychology is a complex and very interesting science, given the breadth of problems and disorders that it deals with and at any age. 

It’s not only intended to reduce or disappear what prevents people from having a full life, but also the development of human potentialities.

Every day more and more people suffer from various psychological disorders such as depression or anxiety.

In this brief article we are going to answer the question ‘’Is Psychology hard to get a job?’’ We will describe the main career options of psychology and the educational requirements you need to get a job in them.

Is Psychology hard to get a job?

Yes, psychology is difficult to find a job if you have only a Bachelor’s Degree. You will need at least a Master or PhD to practice and get a job.

When choosing a college career, your final decision sometimes depends on the job options you will have in the not too distant future. If you decide to study psychology, there will always be a place to work for you. Psychologists will be required until the day that humans cease to exist.

What does a psychologist do? A psychologist works with the mind, human behavior, emotions and all the dimensions where an individual develops to achieve the well-being of people. In short, you support society and individuals to feel good about themselves and take care of spaces to improve the quality of life.

Since you work with humans, the field of work in psychology is extensive. Not only are there many places to work, but there are also plenty of areas to specialize.

Career opportunities in psychology

And it is that the mind is everything for people. This makes psychology fit within many disciplines. For example, education, sports or organizations.

But, what outcomes does psychology have? What professional work can psychologists perform? Below you can find a list of 11 career opportunities in psychology.

1. Organizational psychologist

Organizational psychology is a field of application of psychology in which many recent graduates find work, because there is a great demand for psychologists specialized in this field. Generally, people associate the work of an organizational psychologist with that of a Human Resources professional, something that is not exactly the case.

The Human Resources department is one of the options for dedicating yourself to organizational psychology, but there are others.

For example, you can work in the marketing department or in market research, discovering formulas to better access the kind of customers and consumers with whom the organization wants to contact.

2. Educational psychologist

In the educational field, the figure of the psychologist also fits perfectly. And it is that, from practically its beginnings, psychology has been interested in how people learn or how we develop.

Behavioral science brings a lot of knowledge and many tools to education, for example, regarding how we can perform better or how we can counteract the learning difficulties that some students present.

3. Social and community psychologist

The professional of social psychology investigates and intervenes in the dimension of the collective, the group and the relationships between people in a context. Actually, the social psychologist can perform multiple functions and can work in other fields such as organizational or sports.

However, this type of psychologist is also an expert in some areas of action such as community intervention, gender violence, youth (sexual orientation, drug problems, etc.) or the family and minors, among others. In addition, they can work as researchers or teachers.

4. Clinical Psychologist and Health Psychology

Clinical and health psychology is very popular and, generally, most people associate the figure of the psychologist with this role. However, clinical psychology and health psychology are not the same.

While clinical psychology focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of mental problems (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, paranoid disorder, etc.), the health psychologist deals with the cognitive, emotional and behavioral aspects associated with health and physical illness. For example, improving the quality of life of a cancer patient.

5. Sexologist

The sexologist is a professional of psychology specialized in sexology, for which he has acquired skills and tools to improve the quality of people’s affective-sexual life.

Sex problems are not treated as purely physiological phenomena, but the cognitive and emotional aspects of these are also taken into account to achieve a more complete vision of what should be treated from the intervention.

6. Psychotherapist

Psychotherapy is a space for reflection with a psychologist in which the patient faces the problems that assail his life. In other words, the latter goes to the therapist to reflect together and find out what is happening in relation to certain non-clinical problems.

The psychotherapist uses a set of knowledge, techniques and methods to help the patients to discover themselves and to start a process of cognitive and habit restructuring to improve their quality of life and their interpersonal relationships.

Unlike the clinical psychologist, who can work, for example, with schizophrenic patients, psychotherapists deal with problems of an emotional nature, day-to-day difficulties or family or relationship problems.

7. Sports psychologist

The profession of sports psychologist is also on the rise in recent decades, as athletes, coaches and directors of sports teams have realized that in this sector psychological variables are just as important as physical, technical or tactical aspects.

Sports psychologists work mainly on variables such as motivation, emotional management, stress, self-confidence, attention or the level of activation.

8. Forensic psychologist

A forensic psychologist collects, analyzes and presents psychological evidence that will be taken into account in legal proceedings. Therefore, in addition to having skills as a psychologist, he also masters concepts, norms and dynamics of the legal system in which he is found.

The forensic psychologist assesses, for example, the psychological state of a defendant to determine whether his criminal act is the result of psychopathology; or performs a psychological evaluation of one of the parents of a minor to determine if they are suitable for custody of the child.

Unlike other professional opportunities, in this area the interests and intentions of the person evaluated are not the most important thing to take into account.

9. Neuropsychologist

Neuropsychology is a specialization that is between neurology and psychology, so it deals with the study of mental processes and the functioning of the brain when there is an alteration in the brain.

It could be said that it is useful, for example, to know the scope and treatment of brain injuries, malformations, dysfunctions and diseases that affect the functioning of the nervous system.

These psychologists perform their role in academic, clinical and research settings, and are present in neuropsychological rehabilitation programs.

10. Researcher

Psychologists can also pursue the field of research in different fields related to psychology, be it clinical psychology, social psychology or sports psychology.

One of the advantages of this professional field is the incredible variety of topics that can be addressed from research in Psychology: personal relationships, cognitive biases, decision-making, differences in the personality and intelligence of individuals, effects of educational methods. .. And the list goes on and on.

11. Professors

Psychologists can also work as teachers in a variety of contexts. Some may opt for university education and others, instead, may take training in courses in coaching, mindfulness or stress management.

What do I need to get a job as a psychologist?

You’ll need to earn at least a master’s degree or a PhD to specialize in other specialties to begin a psychology job.

You will need to obtain the appropriate degree, take a state and/or national test, and meet other licensing criteria to get allowed to work as a psychologist.

But your psychology experience actually begins during your monitored internship. Internship conditions depend on the institution, but your supervised internship takes roughly two years to finish.  Working under a supervisor takes some of the stress off, and when you have doubts or deal with pretty tough-to-treat clients, they will help you.

You must apply for a license after you have completed your internship successfully, and continue to practice on your own.

Even if you want to practice as an education specialist teacher.

The figure of the special education teacher is achieved with a degree and a special education teacher training program. As more and more children are diagnosed with special needs and there is a shortage of qualified teachers, the United States expects strong demand for these specialists.

According to the American Psychological Association in 2013, 2.5 million people with psychology as their highest degree were in the labor force.

Among all of them, almost 1.5 million have a bachelor’s degree. More than 450,000 have completed a master’s degree and only 140,000 have a doctorate. Most of these professionals work full time. Those with the highest level degrees (doctorate) have the highest employment rate, approximately 99%.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that job growth for psychologists in the coming years will outpace the average for professionals. The above eleven specialties appear to have very good prospects for the future, so it may be interesting to consider these options when planning studies, electives and further training.

FAQS: Is Psychology hard to get a job?

Is it hard to be a psychologist?

The Degree in Psychology is one of the most demanded today. Like all races, the difficulty depends a lot on each person, on interest, willpower and the ability to overcome. However, it is hard to become a psychologist, since you will need at least a master’s degree to be able to practice.

Is Psychology a good career choice?

Studying psychology is not for everyone. 

However, if you really have an interest in the subject and are willing to invest years of study to be able to practice, it is a good idea. When studying the career of Psychology you will have a wide variety of professional options to choose from.

Is Psychology a useless degree?

Sometimes it is considered useless as there is a lot of competition, and getting a job is difficult.

Is Psychology a stressful career?

Yes, it can be stressful. It is a job that requires a great emotional cost and is stressful due to the situations that arise in therapy,

What skills do psychologists need?

Key skills for clinical psychologists

• Knowledge of psychological theory and practice.
• Interest in how people think and behave.
• Good research skills.
• Ability to relate to and empathise with a range of people.
• Good teamworking skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Sensitive listening and questioning skills.

In this brief article we answered the question ‘’Is Psychology hard to get a job?’’ We described the main career options of psychology and the educational requirements you need to get a job in them.

If you have any questions or comments please let us know!

References

5 Signs That Majoring in Psychology Isn’t Right for You. Retrieved November 11, 2020, from Verywell Mind website: https://www.verywellmind.com/reasons-why-you-shouldnt-major-in-psychology-2795136

The Top 10 Reasons to Major in Psychology. (2012). Retrieved November 11, 2020, from Psychology Today website: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201209/the-top-10-reasons-major-in-psychology

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