In my last semester of senior year & seriously doubting my psychology major, feeling hopeless...

College Majors
1

<p>I'm entering the 3rd week of my last semester of senior year undergrad (graduating one semester early) and I don't think I've ever felt so hopeless. I was (am) depressed for the entirety of my college career. I had no direction and didn't know what I wanted to do in life. Up until college I thought being a doctor would be my future but I am not particularly good at science. I took two science courses and did badly and after that I stopped premed. I'm not bad at science (I really wasn't applying myself) but I'm not particularly good at it, so I thought the doctor route was not an option..I thought I should be pursuing a field I am particularly good at. </p>

<p>In this situation, psychology appeared to be a doable major that I could do well in and so I pursued that for the next 3 years. But here I'm sitting months away from graduation, after hearing for years a lot of discouragement against my psych major...NOW I am sitting here and getting a little clarity on life that I didn't have before and I am more worried than ever that my degree will not get me a job that will pay well out of undergrad and I literally do not know what I will do with my life. I have been losing sleep over this lately. Psychology is awesome but as a practical undergrad degree, I am only starting to realize I might've set myself up for failure. </p>

<p>I am only 2 classes away from finishing my major and I am looking at all those kids doing economics and feeling incredibly let down by how much security they would have coming out of college. And on top of this, I have a SHITTON of student debt I'm going to be in right after I get out of college. I go to an extremely expensive school (very well known)..I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life throughout my undergrad career but right now I just really want to earn $ and help my family out of undergrad, because we are NOT as well off as my parents made it seem like. I was good at math in high school and I have been always wondering whether that is something I should have made use of. I just feel so stuck going to such an expensive school that it is too late to switch my major and even to find something else to do. I've been looking up careers that pay well and actuarial science seems to be an option that uses math. This is my problem though, I don't know what it is exactly I want to do with my life. But I feel that I am smart and doing psychology I am not making the most of my potential. I am looking at all kinds of careers and just not knowing what I need to do to go further with my life. I really would appreciate any kind of guidance. I understand I have made many mistakes and I just need help in moving on from them and knowing that I there is hope for me to be able to get a high paying job that will take care of my student loans..</p>

2

<p>Have you had internships or any work experience in the summer? Do you have some idea of what kind of job you might want to get with your degree? If I were you, I would go see your career counseling office at your college. Ask them what kinds of jobs past psych majors have gotten. Ask for help with your resume, interviewing practice, and help finding appropriate jobs to apply for with your skills. You need to start right now, since you are only a few months from graduating.</p>

<p>My advice is to finish your degree and see if you can find a job in your major. Spend a year or two in that job if you can find one while you consider other options.</p>

<p>One of my D’s friends was a psych major as an undergrad. He got a job on graduation with the Neilsen company (the one that does TV ratings). My D had a humanities major, and she started work as an analyst for a company – primary skills needed were writing and communications. She got the job by networking with an older student who had graduated ahead of her. Now she manages 25 people at the age of 24. Another one of her friends with a humanities major got a job at the entry level with a non-profit and has worked their way up in the office over the past couple of years.</p>

<p>Some things you can do now:

  • If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, create one now. Link with everyone you have met through work or internships, older students you know who have graduated, professors, parents of your friends who might work in fields you are interested in, etc.
  • Get your resume in shape for the job hunt. Make it general, that you are looking for an entry level jobs where you can use you <whatever> (strong analytical skills? communication skills? what ever your other strengths are).
  • Do NOT bad mouth your major when you talk to people about jobs, even your friends. Don’t belittle what you have studied or where you feel you are in relation to others.<br>
  • DO be open to a variety of types of positions and opportunities. No one starts at the top. If you can manage to share an apartment and buy groceries on your intro salary, consider taking an offer if you get one.</whatever></p>
3

<p>Also: Yes, psychology isn’t a terribly marketable major with a bachelor’s degree. A master’s in psychology is, at least according to people I know in that field, much more marketable—so you may want to consider taking the extra year or two that would take.</p>