<p>She is a rising hs junior. A lot can change between now and when she has to declare her major at the end of her sophomore year in college! She doesn’t even know what else is out there, only that this is one thing she’s interested in. In time, she may add to that, or change it completely. For example, one of my brothers also went to college to study psychology. After an internship in human factors research at NASA, he totally changed his mind. Today, at age 48, he’s a CPA/CFP and a partner at his firm.</p>
<p>My daughter, who will start college in the fall, went from wanting to be a concert pianist (7th grade) to a writer (9-11th grade) to a teacher (12th grade) to maybe becoming a diplomat (now). The truth is, she really only knows what she likes now, not how her interests and talents will turn into a career. And that, folks, is why she’s going to a liberal arts college…</p>
<p>…yes, it is nice to have $$$, not everybody is so fortuante to just go to college for a college sake. We had to make sure that the UG education is the cheapest or free and it would lead to some financial self-support. S. figured out himself (good artist who figured out at about 14 y o that selling art will not sustain most and he is not up to become the next Picasso, so he went to Graphic Design), had to steer D. a bit from Marine Biology to Medicine (currently in Med. School), while also steering her (just bit) away from psychiatry specialty (seems to have worked).
Anyway, while it is nice to read wonderfull stories about apportunites for the pshych majors, in fact, I heard that the jobs are very hard to find. Again, while it is absolutely admirable to work for a very low compensation, helping others, how about your own future kids? Would you be able to raise and financially support them and give them all chances out there if you deliberately choose a low paying job? Whatever yout choice, keep in mind that you are not only choosing for you personally, you are choosing your kids future also. Well if helping others is a higher priority than being able helping your own kids, then be it, it is admirable thousands times over. But not many out there will put anything or anybody ahead of their own kids. So, looking for the higher compensation is not such a low goal (not in my books).</p>
<p>My D is going liberal arts also because she is not sure what she wants to major in; psychology is one of about 6 subjects she likes (and there are some she has never looked into which may come into play). I don’t think she has to know right now what she wants to do with her life. I am sure she will be able to support herself in life, and not worried about her kids! I didn’t see anyone say she should go to college just ‘for a college sake’. They are explaining what their psych majors have done.</p>
<p>“Everyone’s goal should be to make a lot of money for their kids’ futures?”</p>
<p>Yes, there are really people who believe this. That jobs that don’t pay well immediately after college or degrees that don’t practically guarantee a high-paying job are “worthless” That “other people” should do the grunt work of non-profits, social work, teaching, etc. because those are “crap jobs”.</p>
<p>I call BS. If we didn’t have those willing to do these jobs (and believe me, most of them are not living in their parents’ basement), we would have many more homeless, troubled kids, addicts, and everyone else who are helped by such people. Those that I know have settled for something less than a huge house and lots of money but are still able to provide for their kids. It’s not all about me, me, me, and I think they should be applauded.</p>
<p>Many of the students with so-called, per posters on cc, “unemployment line” BAs will be running circles around science majors who can’t find a job in a lab, because the funding is not there, and have limited writing and communications skills.</p>
<p>DS graduated a few years ago w psych major. Worked for a few years on a day psych treatment unit as mental health aid for low pay. Recently graduated from an accelerated BSN in nursing program. Previous experience helped him to get into the program and then, post grad, to land a job he loves in psych earning north of 70K. Friends that majored in psych - several also went the accelerated BSN route and a couple others returned to school to become school guidance counselers or school psychologists.</p>
<p>I majored in Psych because I found it interesting studying material. Later I realized that I would have to get a PhD to get a job. I also realized that I would not have the proper temperament for the industry (too depressing I imagined). So I finished the Psych degree and then went back to “trade school” and learned a trade - computer programming - which eventually led to management consulting. After more than 20 years as a management consultant I see that many management consultants are Psych majors - you need it to deal effectively with clients.</p>
<p>I’m not worried about her making a lot of money. I just want her to be able to get a job that she likes and that supports her. Life is too short to have a career you hate, just for money. </p>
<p>I got out of college in 82, which was during a really bad recession. Everyone said the same thing, that liberal arts majors were stupid, that only engineers would get a job. I majored in Advertising because I loved to write and liked Marketing. I’ve supported myself well for over 30 years. So I just want her to have some possibilities, such as the ones you guys have listed here.</p>
<p>My D is a psych major and exercise science minor, she is hoping to go to grad school to become an occupational therapist. That’s a field that is in huge demand, and uses a lot of psych. Hindsight being 20/20, if she had known about OT as a job she probably should have looked for a school that offered a direct entry BS/MS in OT (since it requires a MS to take the licensing exam). But at the time we were looking at colleges she didn’t even know what OT was - she thought she wanted to go into counseling.</p>
<p>D1 psych major '09 has had a $15 job as psychiatrist’s assistant Jane of all trades (client liasion, prescriptions, PowerPoint presentations, research), giving it up for a two-year MSW program this fall.</p>
<p>I work part-time in a homeless shelter (my choice of 10 hrs per week) where we have hundreds of psych and SW intern applicants, every year, for a limited number of grad internships (no pay). </p>
<p>After the few selected applicants go through the 1100 hour program, and are looking for jobs (they want to stay and get paid but there’s no budget for them), they often ask me about my occupation because they realize that there are no jobs for BA/BS psych majors that pay a livable wage. We do have several MFT’s, MSW’s, and Psych’s (Ph.D’s) but they’ve been in the occupation for years (20-30 years). </p>
<p>When I tell these students that the rehab services (Speech, OT, PT) will probably run a minimum of 4 years of Grad school and internships, they are disappointed. Many owe huge amounts in loans and it’s really sad that they won’t really recoup that money in their field. </p>
<p>No, it shouldn’t be about the money, but when you and your husband have to live with your parents with almost $200K in school loans, it just doesn’t make sense to have a job that pays you $15 per hour (sorry Christie!). You’ll never get out of that hole. We have a recent grad who is on Medi-cal and food stamps because her pay is so low and she owes $140K in loans that she qualifies for public assistance (she’s pregnant and lives with her husband and parents). That’s just sad after 8 years of education!</p>
<p>My friend has two kids who got undergrad degrees in psych. Both worked awhile and then got masters degrees in applied psych (they want to help people like those with Down’s syndrome learn better because their older sib has downs). They both have had many jobs and offers. </p>
<p>Another friend whose child has a psych degree has worked in testing and then for a firm that does mock juries for law firms. It is interesting work. (Hard to get a job in our state without at least a masters in psych, PhD is better).</p>
<p>S1 was an undergrad psych major and, with his BA, was able to get good, real work in his field for five years. He’s now in a Psy.D. program and seems to genuinely enjoy what he’s learning and doing. He knows he won’t be on Forbes’ Richest list but he is earnestly committed to helping children and adolescents overcome difficult situations.</p>
<p>My D just graduated with a psychology major and Spanish minor. She lined up a job before graduation with a major Silicon Valley computer company. She starts Monday. They didn’t care what her major was. They just wanted the new grads to have a 3.2 GPA. I imagine she will stay in the business field. She won’t go on to do psych grad school. Psychology can lead into almost any field.</p>
<p>A MS/MA degree in speech is a 2 year program followed by a 9 month paid Clinical Fellowship Year resulting in state licensure and ASHA certification. It’s a great degree for a psych major, but it will take longer than 2 years because of the prerequisites. If your undergrad major is communication disorders then the graduate degree is 2 years.</p>
<p>I was a social sci major and something related for grad school- didn’t end up in that sort of career, at all. Why all this insistence what you study leads to only one path in life? Maybe, if one sees things that black/white, one can’t imagine otherwise-? That’s it’s own issue.</p>
<p>D2 is psych and I envision her in public health, as a program manager (Because she acquired some experience in public health and community programs.) Anything where her knowledge of the process she’s responsible for and organizational expertise can be used. Not social worker, residential counselor, teacher. Maybe LICSW, in the distant future, because she has a knack for dealing with others-- but if that were her original academic intent, she would have majored in SW at a school that offers that.</p>
<p>She loves how her psych classes open her mind to how people, groups, communities, etc, act, react, operate. Been a great choice, for her.</p>
<p>The behaviorists that I hired to help in my home had BAs in psych, had worked in schools for children with pronounced behavioral issues, and had done some sort of ABA training.</p>
<p>I don’t think the psych degree was needed for them to put up a shingle as a behaviorist, at that time the rules on this were very vague, but I do think it meant they were able to discuss the situation in our family with me in a way that led to their getting the jobs. </p>
<p>They were hired to help my son learn to do what most children learn naturally and they had to fit in with our home for 12 hours a week. I paid between $45 and $60/hr. It is not much compared to the costs of a psychologists, but without them the psychologists would have been useless.</p>
<p>My son just graduated as a School Psychologist (6th year Masters) although he could have done the PhD if he was inclined too in this program. The past few years no one has been unemployed for long so my fingers are crossed.
I have known Psych majors that got jobs in various fields after graduation, human resources, insurance, etc. but many did go back to get an advanced degree later.</p>
<p>Yes becoming a behaviorist is a great job for a psych major, although it does require training and possibly some type of certificate. Some of the colleges now have ABA majors.</p>
<p>Humanities & social sciences majors may require additional training/another degree to get where they want to go eventually, but that is becoming true of many majors even hard sciences like biology.</p>
<p>Undergrad degrees help students to find a lens through which they view the world.
Sometimes that’s enough to become employable, sometimes not-so it’s good to keep in mind more training/money may be needed.</p>