Is psychology the right career for me?
As an extensive subject, psychology is used knowingly and unknowingly by everybody, every day. Understanding ourselves and others has huge significance on an individual and societal level. It’s an area of study that has a great effect on our lives, and one that demands to be explored by enquiring minds. Part of the attraction to the subject is that it can be studied exclusively, or applied to a range of different industries. This could be anything from law to sports, and the numerous areas in between. However, once you’ve confirmed your interest in studying for a psychology degree, it can be tricky to decide exactly how you want to learn this subject.
There are many distinct branches of psychology, and multiple roles from which to choose. It helps to have a clear idea what these differences are, and which roles you are most suited to. Most of the paths, however, share strong interpersonal skills and an empathic nature as desirable qualities – further specialisations will be more specific in their needs.
Honing in
An important early step is to know just how qualified you need to be for the particular role you have in mind: some healthcare roles will benefit from an undergraduate degree, whilst to find work as a psychiatrist will require a doctorate. Particular applications of psychology benefit from more focussed degrees – if you plan on entering the legal profession, BA (Hons) Law & Psychology or BA (Hons) Criminology & Psychology would be more useful reaching your goals than broader courses.
Special delivery
Careers in the field of psychology often feature their fair share of stress and the odd Freudian slip, and the study process is no different. By developing a resilience to stress early on, you are helping yourself in the long term. The delivery method you choose will also be a major contributing factor, and remotely available online study may help to reduce this stress in several ways.
Cash flow
Experienced practitioners in this field rank among the most highly educated. Because many roles in this field require continued study, the associated costs tend to rise. We all want to avoid debt and ease the financial burden, and with this it may be worthwhile looking into options of funding for your course.
If you have questions regarding a career in psychology, or any other route for your vocational future, then why not ask us about BA (Hons) Psychology & Sociology or MSc (Hons) Psychology (BPS) today and discover if it’s the path for you?
Recommended Programmes
MSc Psychology (BPS)
The MSc Psychology (BPS) is an online master's programme that explores the core areas of clinical psychology to improve ethical and evidence-based decision-making skills.
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