What Can You Do With Your English Degree?
Careers Series The Princeton Review
Have you always been fascinated by the inner workings of the human mind?
Were you the older sibling who used reverse psychology on your younger sibling?
(Your secret’s safe with us.)
Do you love understanding why mirroring, or question framing, or finding commonalities,
is an effective communication strategy?
If you answered YES to any of these questions, you may be budding psychology major — someone
who studies how humans and animals interact with their environment — why people behave
in certain ways — how they develop their personality type — and how they’re influenced
by society at large.
Your classes will touch on everything from emotion and motivation to cognition, perception,
and mental disorders.
And you’d be in good company.
Nearly 117,000 people earned their undergraduate degrees in psychology in 2017.
The field has grown tremendously in recent decades — and professional opportunities
are more plentiful now than ever before.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that, based upon that amazing overview, your curiosity
is definitely piqued.
But you may be wondering — and you know you’re going to get asked —
What are you going to do with that?
Ah, yes.
Every great-aunt’s favorite question at holiday dinners.
The question that you and your parents may be asking yourselves every time you write
a tuition check, or sign for a loan, or apply for scholarships.
Because make no mistake: What you do in your career matters.
And your major can have a huge impact on that.
BUT, having just said that, I want to qualify it by reminding you that your fate is not
predetermined, folks.
You’ll want to find a major that interests you (you’ll be taking a LOT of classes in
it) — and one that will open more doors than it shuts in fields you might wish to
enter.
The good news about psychology is that, not only do you get to learn fascinating facts
about the human mind, but you’ll also have some career flexibility.
That’s right — you’ll find psych majors in many industries, ranging from advertising
to medicine.
Not to mention, of course, actual psychological practice and research.
Now that I’ve just told you about the multitudes of fields that are possible, I want to qualify
THAT by letting you know some of the careers that are probable.
Psychologist — This one’s pretty straightforward.
You go to grad school and get a doctorate — typically a PsyD or PhD — and work as
a practicing psychologist (and you’d have a range of subfields and schools of thought
to choose from).
The market for psychologists is strong, and, we hope, getting stronger as mental health
awareness continues to increase.
Now, if you THINK you might want to go into psychological practice or research, you may
want to try your hand at being a
Lab Assistant — If you’re interested in potentially pursuing a career in research
and experimental psychology, becoming a lab assistant is a great entry point.
After all, conducting experiments is a primary component of the field.
This is a great opportunity for some hands-on learning.
Or maybe you want to do some applied psychology — test-drive your theories and concepts
IRL.
Then you may want to explore becoming a
Market Researcher — As a market researcher, you’ll analyze trends and monitor sales
forecasts.
In other words, you’ll study consumer behavior and make marketing decisions based upon the
data you collect.
This is a great career path for you if you’re also analytical and enjoy doing quantitative
work.
Then, of course, you may fall so in love with the field that you have to TEACH it.
If you become a
Teacher — You’ll have a rewarding career ahead of you.
Take your knowledge of human development and apply it in the classroom.
Of course, you will need to earn your teaching certification in addition to your psych BA,
or continue graduate studies to teach at the post-secondary level.
Another way to practice psychology in the real world is to become a
Counselor — Another brilliant role within education!
As you’re probably already aware, school counselors help students with behavioral and
social issues.
They also push them to achieve their academic goals.
You won’t be able to step directly from your graduation to a guidance office though;
this position typically requires a master’s degree as well.
Or you could turn to a different type of counseling altogether and become a
Genetic Counselor — In this role, you’d work with individuals and families undergoing
testing for genetic disorders and diseases.
You’d determine which tests are needed and help evaluate the results.
Your psych degree will definitely come in handy when talking to patients.
This field also requires an advanced degree.
Another way to work directly with clients is to become a
Social worker — You’d listen, offer advice, and provide counseling — in a school, outpatient
or inpatient facility, prison, or any among a variety of settings.
This work, while often rewarding, can also be emotionally intense.
Typically, you’d also need to attain a Master of Social Work degree, as well.
These fields — and many others — are open to you if you major in psychology.
Plus, you’re likely to learn some cool psychology party tricks over the course of your studies.
Folks, thanks so much for watching!
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