Hi

I stumbled across this site, and I'm glad I did as I need some advice. I just finished my A levels and the subject I find most interesting is Psychology. I'm thinking of taking a degree in Psychology, but nearly everyone I talk to either trys to put me off intentionally or unintentionally. I have heard various arguements for why I shouldn't pursure this path. "It's not a science", "There isn't any jobs in that", "Poorly paid, why not be a doctor" and my favourite, "It's only for gays and women".

I suppose I'm looking for some reassurance that I can get somewhere after all the negativity I have been subjected to. Is there a lot of truth to what people have been saying to me? Should I look to some other area to study and qualify in?

Thanks.

/ramble

In terms of an undergrad degree, you couldn't do much better than psychology, especially if you're not sure what you want to do after uni. It's a great course for developing general transferable skills. If you're thinking of a career in psychology, it can get quite competitive - it would depend what area you want to go into, but generally you need to get experience of working in that area during your degree e.g. if it's research, work a summer in the lab; educational, get some experience working with kids etc. What have you been studying in psychology that interests you?

I'm a final year undergrad in psychology and hoping to do a PhD, so if you have any questions at all, just ask.

I can't help you with the psychology as a career choice question, but am fascinated by this bizarre idea that it's only for "gays and women". Who actually says things like that these days?

1. "It's not a science" - This bothers you why?

2. "There isn't any jobs in that" - Arguably very true.

3. "Poorly paid, why not be a doctor" - Pretty sound advice.

4. "It's only for gays and women" - handy if you're either then.

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I wouldn't listen to anyone giving you information about psychology that hasn't studied it themselves; some of what you said has a grain of truth in it though.



Psychology is a science, but perhaps has different methods than in other sciences. Also there are some areas that aren't very scientific. That's why you can get a BSc or BA in psychology, whether or not you consider it a science depends on what aspect of psychology you're thinking of.



There are jobs... but not loads of them. Sounds like you're thinking of clinical psychology, in which case so long as you complete the postgrad, you generally will find a job. The problem is, the postgrad in clinical tends to be very competitive and numbers are restricted. While you're at uni, you'll need to get about 2 years relevant experience before being considered for entry. Most people doing psychology will not go on to become a psychologist - this is partly because a lot don't want to, and partly because of the competitive entry at the postgrad level. The BPS website is a good starting point for thinking about careers.



Psychology is not that poorly paid in my opinion... a clinical psychologist earns at least 35K as a starting salary.



In terms of the 'gays and women' comment, which I have to say was a bit random, you'll generally find more women at the undergrad level and professional postgrad level; an equal mix doing research PhD; and considerably more men in senior academic positions in psychology.



Hope that helps...

I am a postdoctoral research psychologist (not gay, not a woman), and my ex girlfriend is a clinical psychologist (not gay but a woman). As other posters have mentioned, it is competitive, but there are hundreds of people that make it every year, so why not you?

In terms of money, clinical and applied psychologists get paid more than research psychologists (to give you some indication I started on a post doc salary in the mid 20k, whereas my ex started on over the 34k a year), but you do have to spend some time accruing low paid experience otherwise you wont stand out from the crowd. True, its not paid like investment banking, so if you are looking for £100k salaries look elsewhere.

Believe me it is a science. My papers get published in journals like The American Journal of Psychiatry and Biological Psychiatry, and I lecture on the Neuroscience course at my university. (Unless you are only counting Natural sciences like Chemistry and Physics, in which case you should probably exclude other things like Medicine, Maths, electrical engineering, as these are all applied sciences too).

Any questions, you know where to come.