Careers in Psychology - Personal Statement Example

Careers in Psychology al Affiliation Careers in Psychology The Occupational Outlook Handbook, published online by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, provides a good overview of relevant information regarding students who graduate with a degree in psychology. According to the site, it takes a masteral degree, specialist or pursuing a doctorate program to become a psychologist with appropriate license or certification to be sought (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). In addition, the outlook for the profession is deemed bright and optimistic given that “employment of psychologists is expected to grow 22 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations.

Job prospects should be best for those who have a doctoral degree in an applied specialty and those with a specialist or doctoral degree in school psychology” (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012, p. 1). The current discourse hereby aims to explore the career opportunities for those who graduated with a degree in psychology. Exploration on What One can do with a Degree in Psychology The American Psychological Association provided a more extensive preview of career opportunities open for psychologists.

Accordingly, there are hundreds of career paths that could be pursued by graduates from this field of discipline (American Psychological Association, 2013). From among those career opportunities listed and where various practitioners documented their work experiences, the following were noted: become psychophysics psychologist, researcher, university professor, clinical psychologist, developmental psychologist, counselling psychologist, school psychologist, neuropsychologist, health psychologist, and industrial/organizational psychologist, among others (American Psychological Association, 2013).

Actually, the subfields noted by APA (2013) of the profession were explicitly identified as follows: clinical, cognitive and perceptual, community, counseling, developmental, educational, engineering, environmental, evolutionary, experimental, forensic, health, industrial/organizational, neuropsychologists and behavioral neuropsychologists, quantitative and measurement, rehabilitation, school, social, and sport psychologists. How the Degree Fits in with Future Plans of becoming a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) and/or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) A Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) are defined as “master’s-degreed mental health service providers, trained to work with individuals, families, and groups in treating mental, behavioral, and emotional problems and disorders” (American Counselling Association, n.d., p. 1). On the other hand, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) were described as undergoing training and orientation that focuses more on finding solutions to identified problems.

A degree in psychology fits these professions in terms of the provision of the theoretical frameworks for assessing individuals, couples, or family members, and being able to discern how various factors contribute to evident problems manifested by the clients. As emphasized, “psychologists study mental processes and human behavior by observing, interpreting, and recording how people and other animals relate to one another and the environment” (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012, p. 1). Thus, the degree significantly assist practitioners in their evaluation process of the behavior that is being exhibited and finding out how external factors impact on this behavior.

Specialized training and passing of state licensure examinations would therefore be instrumental for graduates of psychology to delve into this career path/s. Steps to Put Plans in Action To put plans into action, students who have pursued a degree in psychology should be apprised of the various career opportunities and sub-fields of discipline that could provide appropriate specialization and training, depending on the level of interest and the opportunities that abound for that particular career path.

For instance, after graduating with the degree in psychology, if the graduate has immense and genuine interest to specialize in forensics, for example; then, more comprehensive research must be undertaken to determine the strategies to delve into this sub-field. The information disclosed in APA (2013) regarding forensic psychologists revealed that: “Forensic psychologists apply psychological principles to legal issues. Their expertise is often essential within the judicial system. They can, for example, help a judge decide which parent should have custody of a child or evaluate a defendant’s mental competence to stand trial.

Forensic psychologists also conduct research on jury behavior or eyewitness testimony. Some forensic psychologists are trained in both psychology and the law” (American Psychological Association, 2013, p. 1). The next step is to determine additional training or credentialing requirements; including documents to be submitted and examinations to be passed. There are some career opportunities, such as the Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) that require as much as a minimum of “3,000 hours of post-master’s degree supervised clinical experience, performed within two years” (American Counselling Association, n.d., p. 1), as one of the qualifications for licensing.

Finally, just like in any other endeavor, graduates of a degree in psychology would be able to delve into a successful career when there is genuine interest in this field of endeavor. As such, future practitioners must discern at this point the career path that one intends to specialize in and exert best efforts to fulfill personal and professional goals as one looks forward to a challenging; yet rewarding career. References American Counselling Association. (n.d.). WHO ARE LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS.

Retrieved from counseling.org: http://www.counseling.org/PublicPolicy/WhoAreLPCs.pdf American Psychological Association. (2013). Some of the subfields in psychology. Retrieved from apa.org: http://www.apa.org/careers/resources/guides/careers.aspx?item=2 American Psychological Association. (2013). What psychologists do and where they do it. Retrieved from apa.org: http://www.apa.org/careers/resources/guides/careers.aspx?item=4 Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2012, March 29). Psychologists. Retrieved from Occupational Outlook Handbook: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Life-Physical-and-Social-Science/Psychologists.htm