Career Outlook

[gjoseph]

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Hello Everyone!

I'm a psych student at the University of North Florida and am considering of going to grad school for counseling, or another profession. How's the outlook of psychology looking in the future? I absolutely love the subject however, I am concerned about the market for psychologists. I really want to make a difference, and pay isn't too important (just want to live comfortably). I'm also minoring in health and hope to work in a hospital, group practice, or have a private practice one day. Also, I'm considering a career in speech-language pathology or audiology. What tips do you have to see if a career in psychology fits me.

Best!

 

[jdawgg]

Hello Everyone!

I'm a psych student at the University of North Florida and am considering of going to grad school for counseling, or another profession. How's the outlook of psychology looking in the future? I absolutely love the subject however, I am concerned about the market for psychologists. I really want to make a difference, and pay isn't too important (just want to live comfortably). I'm also minoring in health and hope to work in a hospital, group practice, or have a private practice one day. Also, I'm considering a career in speech-language pathology or audiology. What tips do you have to see if a career in psychology fits me.

Best!

Several perspectives pertaining to the vague questions you're asking are covered extensively in the PhD forum (and in this one). My tip is to spend some more time reviewing posts.

 

[ela]

Also, check out ONet

http://online.onetcenter.org/

LOTS of info on different career paths, with government statistics related to employment outlook/pay, etc.

Super useful.

 

[gjoseph]

jdawgg -- I have read through many posts in the PsyD and PHD forum and I'm still confused. I saw a career counselor in the spring and she suggested that I look into getting a PsyD I'm just worried that I'll end up spending A-LOT of money on a degree that wouldn't have a good "return" compared to other health professions such as Physical Therapy, Optometry, etc. Basically, I want to know in the future would a PsyD be worth it? I'm not interested in research so a PHD is not worth it for me. Also, what if I looked into getting a LMHC or MFT then work for a couple of years then looked into a PsyD program. Would it make more sense that way? I'm not interested in an MSW at the moment because I heard theres a quick burnout rate, and not enough compensation. I want to be compensated for all of the years I'm willing to put into an education. I'm not looking into making 6 figures even-though that would be nice...I'm just "lost" due to the fact I can't shadow therapists or psychologists due to confidentiality reasons and I cannot participate in research since I haven't taken enough psychology classes.

Ela -- Thank You I'll definitely will look into your resource its greatly appreciated!

 

[Psy01]

If you're not interested in doing research, don't do a PsyD or a PhD. That's the general consensus here, and I agree with it. I had been intending to go into clinical PhD, but my interest in doing research just doesn't justify it. (That is, I'm interested to a certain extent in doing some research, but not enough to justify doing a PhD.)

Note that the good PsyD programs require research. Actually, a lot of the curricula of PsyD programs looks very similar to PhD. The difference is you're likely paying a gargantuan amount more.

If you only want to be a therapist, look into mental health counseling, clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, psychiatric nurse practioner programs, etc.

Also note that the pay is generally lousy for all involved - PhD, PsyD, LMHC, LMFT, LCSW, etc. Psych NPs get good pay though.

The extra costs in time, money, and effort to do a PsyD, with a very large burden of debt to be expected, really makes it hard to justify doing over the aforementioned paths.

 

[jdawgg]

If you're not interested in doing research, don't do a PsyD or a PhD. That's the general consensus here, and I agree with it. I had been intending to go into clinical PhD, but my interest in doing research just doesn't justify it. (That is, I'm interested to a certain extent in doing some research, but not enough to justify doing a PhD.)

Note that the good PsyD programs require research. Actually, a lot of the curricula of PsyD programs looks very similar to PhD. The difference is you're likely paying a gargantuan amount more.

If you only want to be a therapist, look into mental health counseling, clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, psychiatric nurse practioner programs, etc.

Also note that the pay is generally lousy for all involved - PhD, PsyD, LMHC, LMFT, LCSW, etc. Psych NPs get good pay though.

The extra costs in time, money, and effort to do a PsyD, with a very large burden of debt to be expected, really makes it hard to justify doing over the aforementioned paths.

I agree with everything mentioned above. There are already too many psychologists -- they face intense competition for internships and are some of the lowest paid doctoral professionals around. Master's level folks, meanwhile, are in high demand... though they are poorly paid. Also, I do want to note that MSWs working clinically don't differ all that much from the other master's level clinicians -- they are paid similarly and often work in the same positions. All mental health professionals face the possibility of burnout.

And I'm sure it goes without saying, but working in mental health is much different than optometry. Sure, you're unable to shadow a therapist, but have you interviewed any? Attended personal therapy of your own? Attended group therapy or support groups? Volunteered at a crisis hotline, mental health agency, youth shelter, or hospice? Read books on the subject? "On Being a Therapist" by Kotter is a good place to start.

It's good you're asking these questions now, but be prepared to do some leg work to get this sorted out. You need to dig deep inside yourself and find what it is that you really value. Money? Recognition? Status? Novelty? Predictability? Making connections with others? Figuring out how things work? Educating others?

 

[gjoseph]

Thank You for your feedback you guys I definitely feel like as if I'm taking a step in the right direction. I have attempted by networking with local groups in my hometown but they declined since I'm only home for the summer. Maybe once I'm in school I can gather some resources from the psych club. I definitely will look into books and other resources to see if Psychology is meant for me.

Money -- Nice to have I just want to live a comfortable lifestyle (50,000k+) not have to worry about losing my job, etc.
Recognition -- It would be nice for any achievements I reach.
Status -- Not important.....not looking to be an MD (Psychiatrist) I'm looking at my abilities and I stink at Math (Calculus 1).
Novelty --- Looking for a career that doesn't get "old" I want to help others, make a difference, and of course love my career choice.
Predictability -- I'm not looking for a career that's too predictable I wouldn't mind being in a new situation every-day.
Figuring out how things work -- I have always had an interest in the arts and sciences. I want to know the processes of the human mind and why we perform certain actions.
Educating -- I have considered this...my counselor stated if I received a PsyD I could operate a private-practice and teach at the local community colleges etc. Would I have the ability to do this with just a masters level degree?

Interests -- I'm Social and Investigative
Personality --- ENFP

What sparked my interest in Psychology (counseling) was seeing my therapist in school and taking a class in Intro to Psychology. My therapist helped me with my sexuality and the coming-out process, etc. My Psych professor was AMAZING I was became interested with learning the history of psychology, and human behavior. In the fall I'm taking his Human Sexual Behavior course 🙂 in which I'm very excited about.

In all, I'll start looking at masters programs and once school starts I'll look into gaining experience at a crisis center etc. Also, I'm working at the campus LGBT Resource Center in which I'll gain experience working with the community and if a student confides their sexuality to me. During my Psych class on intelligence I marked highly as Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and Existential. My friends always confide their issues to me and state I really should look into counseling/psychology.

I really do appreciate the advice, and tips you guys have shared with me. I enjoy reading SDN you guys are very informative and its interesting reading everyone's experiences etc.