What can I do with my psychology major?

[Mrs. Me]

I'm about to start school for my BA in psychology but I don't want to be a counselor, a social worker or a teacher. What other career options would I have?

[eqmidnite]

Not many, I'm afraid. You will need to pursue graduate work to be able to do something in the research field (I presume that's what you want?).

A psychology degree basically preps you to deal with the human mind. Social work, counseling, and teaching are the 3 main professions of those with BAs in psych. If you get a PhD you could work at a university as a researcher or something.

[Cookie777]

If you double major in business, you can go into human resources.

[nicebomb795]

You could go to medical/dental school, or go to graduate school and do research in a particular field of Psychology that you enjoy. You should talk to your career counselor at your school and they should be able to give you some advice about which direction would be best for you according to your interest and which route to go to get there.
Hope that helps!

[memyselfandi]

work for the Human resource department.they are the one who handle recruitment,training etc..

[internationalspy]

The vast majority of jobs that require a college degree don't require any particular major. So, you can do almost anything with your psychology degree. My wife has a degree in television broadcasting and has a great career as a claims adjuster. The insurance company just wanted people with degrees.

People with psychology degrees can make great managers, because managing is largely about understanding people. Psychology majors can make great salespeople, because selling is about knowing people. Psychology majors can make great writers because you will learn to write in college no matter what major you choose.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers, which is the professional association for career counselors and human resource professionals, conducts a study each year of what employers want from new graduates. The answers are always the same. They want 1) communication skills, 2) honesty/integrity, 3) teamwork skills, 4) interpersonal skills and 5) motivation. You can develop those skills with any major.

One way to make sure you stand out from the crowd when applying for jobs is to find good internships in whatever career field you choose. You should also try to get involved on your college campus. When you apply for jobs, you'll want to be able to prove your skills are better than the skills of the other candidates. Since you will all likely have degrees, your experiences will set you apart. Internships can get you references from employers. And internship employers usually offer jobs to interns they like. And getting involved on campus shows you have motivation, teamwork and interpersonal skills. Becoming a leader of some campus organization can also show your leadership ability. And one great benefit of all this is it will actually make college more enjoyable. So, you'll get benefits while in college and after college.

[ronnieneilan1983]

Marketing, market research, media research (if you minor in communications), forensic psychologist, FBI agent, CIA agent, NCIS agent, financial aid advisor, recruiter....

I would suggest seeing if your school offers a BS in Psychology as it will increase your hiring potential

[Miss QA]

You can pursue several types of careers with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology because an undergraduate degree in psychology develops a set of knowledge, skills, and abilities that are highly attractive to organizations. As psychology students, you will graduate knowing how to plan, organize, and problem-solve in novel and complex situations. You will possess valuable communication and interpersonal skills. You will understand some of the laws governing human behavior. You will also be comfortable examining difficult research questions and understanding how best to answer these questions using statistics and logic.

Careers to consider....

Community Relations Officer: works either for business or government in promoting good relations with the local community.

Affirmative Action Officer: works for recruitment and equal opportunities for minorities; employed by business, industries, schools and government.

Recreation Worker: plans and supervises community recreation facilities. (Increasing number of opportunities available for therapeutic recreation workers, often requiring course work in therapeutic recreation.)

Urban Planning Officer: deals with city planning, renewal.

Personnel Administrator: works with employee relations, selection, promotions, etc.

Advertising copywriter: researches audience and media, writes text of advertisements.

Media Buyer: researches product and audiences to select most effective media for advertising.

Psychiatric Assistant: administers routine tests, helps with patients under supervision of psychiatrist.

Director of Volunteer Service: responsible for volunteers--recruits, supervises, trains, and evaluates volunteers.

Public Statistician: collects and interprets data on health and disease and community relations.

Customs Inspector: serves at international borders and airports in investigations and inquiries.

Probation and Parole Officer: persons with psychology backgrounds are often preferred for such positions, especially with adolescent parolees.

Newspaper Reporter: social science, psychological interest areas.

Technical Writer: researches and writes material dealing with social science and psychological knowledge for magazines, newspapers and journals.

Sales Representative: major publishers of psychological books often seek out undergraduates with psychology majors for these positions on college campuses.

Opinion Survey Researcher: does opinion polls and interprets results.

Daycare Center Supervisor: supervises and coordinates activities of preschool children with working parents.

Research Assistant: assists in the collection and analysis of data for major investigations. Positions usually available only in large hospitals, businesses, and government.

Laboratory Assistant: psychology background preferred for students working with animal behavior research, especially primate laboratories.

Scientific Instrument Salesperson: opportunities in sales and development for companies specializing in psychology apparatus.

Other careers you should consider as well...

Activity Director
Administrative Program Assistant
Admissions Market Analyst
Admissions Public Relations Director
Admissions Recruiter
Admissions Representative
Adolescent Care Technician
Agency Representative
Airline Reservations Clerk
Alcoholism Unit Manager
Area Administrator
Arena and Sports Facility Instructor
Assistant Residence Manager
Assistant Youth Coordinator
Association Manager
Behavior Analyst
Camp Staff Director Caretaker
Case Tracking Specialist
Center Supervisor
Chemical Dependency Advocate
Chemical Dependency Secretary
Child Care Worker
Child Development Worker
Child Protection Worker
Circulation Manager
Collection Assistant
Collector
College Admissions Representative
Community Activist
Community Correctional Service Worker
Community Outreach Coordinator
Community Organizer
Community Service Coordinator
Community Worker
Compliance Officer
Consultant
County Personnel Officer
Crime Prevention Coordinator
Customer Relations
Customer Service Trainee
Daily Living Aid
Day-Care Aid
Demonstration Coordinator
Deputy Juvenile Probation Officer
Development Officer
Director of Activity and Recreation
Director of Alumni Relations
Director of Day-Care Center
Director of Displaced Homemakers
Director of Human Services
Director of Planned Parenthood
Director of Planning Director of Security
Director of Youth Service Bureau
Early Childhood Specialist
Education Prevention Specialist
Education Daytime coordinator
Educational Coordinator
Educational Representative
Educational Salesperson
Educational Textbook representative
Employee Assistance Program Ppecialist
Employment Representative
Executive Director
Export Order Coordinator
Field Representative
Grants Coordinator
Head of Alumni Affairs
Head of Fund Raising
Host/Hostess
Human Relations Director
Human Services Technician
Information Specialist
Information Referral Specialist
Inservice Director
Insurance Agent
Interviewer
Investigator
Juvenile Justice Planner
Juvenile Prevention Program Coordinator
Living Unit Assistant
Loading Dock Superintendent
Management Trainee
Marketing Manager
Mental retardation Professional
Mental retardation Unit Manager
Neighborhood Outreach Worker
Occupational Information Seveloper
Park and Recreation Director
Patient Service rSpresentative
Personnel Analyst
Personnel Coordinator
Personnel Generalist
Pharmaceutical Salesperson
Planner-Assistant
Planner-Evaluator
Private School Representative
Private Tutor
Probation Officer Program Consultant
Program Coordinator
Program Director Project Learning Instructor
Police Training Coordinator
Public Information Officer
Rehabilitation Aid
Relief Houseparent
Research Analyst/Planner
Research Assistant
Research Trainee
Residence Vounselor
Resident Aid
Resident Caretaker Residential Assistant
Residential Director
Residential Service Coordinator
Residential Supervisor
Resource Developer
Retail Manager
Secretary
Security Officer
Service Advisor
Social Service Director
Social Services Supervisor
Statistical Assistant
Student Activities Adviser
Supervisor
Task Force Coordinator
Temporary Admissions Clerk
Textbook Coordinator
Trainer
Trainer-Coordinator
Veteran's Adviser
Volunteer Coordinator
Work Activity Program Director
Youth Worker