subject: Psychology Jobs: Discovering a Career in Psychology [print this page] Psychology Jobs: Discovering a Career in Psychology
Psychology is an extremely popular major on virtually any college campus, and many students are interested in pursuing psychology jobs after they graduate. There are a number of reasons that psychology is so popular. Many people find it a very interesting field, and others are interested in the fact that there are so many different paths one can go down with a degree in psychology. Some of the different types of psychologists include:
Clinical Psychologists
Counselors
School Psychologists
Social Psychologists
Experimental Psychologists
Many types of psychology jobs exist. Often a master's degree is necessary to land a position in this field, and some psychology jobs in counseling and clinical psychology require medical school. Having just a bachelor's degree likely only means a person can work under other psychologists, as an assistant of sorts. However, doing so for a few years while getting a higher degree either part-time or online is a great way to make additional college more affordable.
There are several differences between the different types of psychology jobs available. For example, a clinical psychologist might work in any number of medical facilities and could find work with people in a number of areas, like coping with physical therapy or grieving over the loss of a loved one. Clinical psychologists have such a wide range of job opportunities that they often specialize in a specific area, such as drug addiction or aging. Clinical psychologists often work in a medical setting, and so it's appropriate that they work closely with doctors and physicians in the treatment of their patients, though they aren't the ones to prescribe medications.
School psychologists and counselors work in a school setting, working with students. Counselors can work in other areas, too, not just schools. Some businesses and other places of employment offer counselors to their employees. Counselors do not have the basic medical knowledge that clinical psychologists have, but instead focus more on understanding their clients' ways of thinking and acting.
Social psychologists, as the name suggests, study how people interact and think, especially in a social environment. They look at people in group settings and study the nature of leadership, among other things. Social psychologists often work in areas of marketing and business.
Experimental psychologists work on research in an any number of levels, including at universities, within the government, for private businesses and for non-profit organizations. They conduct experiments dealing with specific topics provided by their employer and look to see how people behave or react to things like drug addiction, different methods of learning and genetics.
