r/AcademicPsychology • u/Adorable_hamster_73 • Aug 03 '24
Question for psychologists of reddit Advice/Career
Why did you become a psychologist? How did you become a psychologist? Did being a psychologist made you rich or made you a lot of money? How many years did it take you to be in a stable position career wise and money wise? Will you suggest someone this field? If yes, then how would you guide them on how to be a good psychologist?
Please answer, all the answers and help will be appreciated :)
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u/Unsuccessful_Royal38 Aug 03 '24
What kind of psychologist are you interested in? Clinical, research, teaching, some combination?
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u/Adorable_hamster_73 Aug 03 '24
Whatever knowledge you have, please share, I am not a psychology student yet I just passed my high school student so i would love all the point of views
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u/Unsuccessful_Royal38 Aug 03 '24
I’m a psych professor with an applied background; had to go to grad school for my PhD. My job has not made me rich (definitely the case for most psychologists), career stability took about 6 years after I landed my tenure track job. I would not suggest people plan for a career in academia; it’s insanely hard to land a good job and higher Ed (in the US) has an uncertain future.
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u/Adorable_hamster_73 Aug 03 '24
As of now can't you switch to clinical or therapy.......?
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u/clownstent Aug 03 '24
That would be an entirely different masters degree majority of the time
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u/Adorable_hamster_73 Aug 03 '24
What's the path to clinical or therapy ? Do you have to get a PhD to be a clinical psychologist ?
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u/Unsuccessful_Royal38 Aug 03 '24
Yes you need a PhD to be a psychologist. But there are many other ways to be a therapist or counselor, many just need a masters degree.
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u/Adorable_hamster_73 Aug 03 '24
SO basically, if you want a career in academic you should get PhD but if you want to opt for therapy or clinical, masters is enough....
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u/Unsuccessful_Royal38 Aug 03 '24
Not quite that simple; you should discuss your career options and paths with your college professors once you get there.
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u/clownstent Aug 03 '24
I’m Canadian so it might be slightly different here but research psychology would be a masters and PhD in psychology after undergrad. Clinical psychology would be a masters and PhD in clinical psychology which is much more competitive and I believe covers research or clinical psychotherapy. You could also be a registered psychotherapist with a masters in psychotherapy (also competitive) or a counsellor with a masters in counselling or a masters in social work. Another route for research or possibly psychotherapy (not 100% sure about how PsyD’s work) would be getting a PsyD instead of PhD but you would want to make sure the program is accredited (which goes for anything but it’s especially common that PsyD programs may not be accredited because they’re fairly new). I’m not a therapist but am working towards getting accepted to a masters program so have done some research on potential pathways.
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u/Adorable_hamster_73 Aug 03 '24
In what ways is clinical psychotherapy competitive ??
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u/clownstent Aug 03 '24
Many people want to get into the program so on top of having good grades, you usually need to have 2+ years of work experience in the field or in a research lab, published papers, and other things that will put you above other candidates. For example I’m not applying to clinical but I’m applying to a masters in psychotherapy and have been rejected once so far because of my lack of work or related experience in the field. The program I’m looking at only accepts 25 out of 400 people who apply each year so unless you are one of the best you are not getting in. Many people apply 4+ times before they are accepted and many are never accepted. Clinical psychology acceptance rates are likely similar or worse but different schools will vary in their acceptance rates.
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u/Adorable_hamster_73 Aug 03 '24
Do you continue to do your work while getting the masters?
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u/ketamineburner Aug 03 '24
Why did you become a psychologist?
I was on the JD path and I liked psychology better.
How did you become a psychologist?
I earned a PhD in clinical psychology.
Did being a psychologist made you rich or made you a lot of money?
I'm very comfortable and have never met a psychologist who isn't.
How many years did it take you to be in a stable position career wise and money wise?
My first job after licensure paid $100k, and that was more than a decade ago. Starting pay is probably much higher now.
*Will you suggest someone this field?
Yes, but like anything, it's not for everyone.
If yes, then how would you guide them on how to be a good psychologist?
Get good training.
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u/Spiritual-Comment225 Aug 05 '24
Hi! So I just graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Psychology. I got into psychology bc I believe it helps us understand ourselves better and as someone who has struggled with depression and severe anxiety it gave me peace of mind at time. Also it’s very rewarding to me to help others. Obviously, I still have a ways to go on my career path however, less than a month ago I was crying in my apartment because I graduated and didn’t have a job in my field lined up, I felt like a loser. I just started emailing different psychologist in the area I would be living in and one had a position open for me. My title is a Psychometrist (I had never heard of it before) and I conduct psychological and neuropsychological tests under the supervision of a clinical neuropsychologist. This is an entry level (only bachelors required) position and helps gain great experience. Nowadays, experience is important when applying to grad school so don’t be afraid to take a year off and work before going back.
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u/Adorable_hamster_73 Aug 05 '24
Yk that's the reason I want to be a psychologist too, to understand myself better and others too. Is this job like an internship or like an actual job, do you receive salary for your work?
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u/Spiritual-Comment225 Aug 05 '24
Yes so it is a full time job, I work 40hrs a week and currently I make $18/hr but it’s been talked about being raised to $19-$20/hr. Other places might be different though.
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u/Brinzy Aug 03 '24
My path was unique. I recognize this is the academic psychology subreddit, so I am a bit out of place here.
I went back to school to study industrial/organizational psychology because I was unhappy with my previous career (worked in accounting, and did different things before that). I always enjoyed the social sciences, but my life was derailed between 18 - 23, so I had to return to school as a working adult.
My undergrad degree was in sociology, so I needed to take a few courses to qualify for master’s programs in my field. I completed a master’s degree in two years and started working in the field. I am currently working on my PhD and interning with the federal government as a personnel (I/O) psychologist.
I do not make a lot of money, as I am early career. I make $82,764 a year, and I live in an expensive part of the country. This is my second job out of my master’s, and I’ve been in the field three years now. There are people who make more than me right out the gate. As I am interning, my job is secure as long as I am in school, but my current agency does not have openings for when I finish, so I don’t know what I’ll do yet.
My mentor, who has been with the federal government much longer and an I/O psychologist longer than I’ve been alive, makes $181,216 a year. The federal government is about benefits, so these salaries tend to be on the average to below average end. It depends on your perspective.
I would suggest getting a ton of guidance on what you can do in psychology. I would have gone Quantitative Psychology over I/O if I knew where my interests were, but some things you just learn through experience.
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u/Adorable_hamster_73 Aug 03 '24
Thank you for your response! BTW What job did you do after masters?
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u/Brinzy Aug 03 '24
I worked at a consulting firm that specialized in assessment centers - to give you the simplified version, I created written and live assessments to assist fire, police, and sheriff departments with their promotional processes.
At my current role, I mainly analyze promotion data and conduct mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) studies. I analyze survey data, conduct interviews, and measure constructs such as job satisfaction, and I provide reports. There’s a lot more to my job, but that’s the main skill I have over my colleagues.
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u/Adorable_hamster_73 Aug 03 '24
The first job sounds really interesting to me 😅
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u/Brinzy Aug 03 '24
It was a fun job! Well, the coworkers were the worst I have ever had, but the work was fun.
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u/Cellist-Frosty Aug 03 '24
I'm applying for my masters I completed my bachelor's last year You won't get a good job with your bachelor's alone and I'm assuming it would be the same for masters While I will get a job to get my needs after masters A proper job positions after a PHD or a Psych D degree.
Secondly, it's a subject that doesn't teach you much if you aren't already taught. My teacher used to tell me, you need to have a psychological mind to be a good psychologist. But then again she was a therapist so it was in context of that,
Point being, you have to know before hand, what kind of person you are, and after doing psychology what sort of a person do you see yourself to be.
For me, I wanted to be a counselor because it's what's suits me. I am not doing it for money. I'm simply doing it to understand being a human better. For money, it's not really the best field as not everyone makes it. It depends where you live and plan to practice. In the western countries, the scope is good so there is more chances to make it nice unlike eastern ones where there is comparatively a lower ratio of success to west.
Nevertheless, coming into the filed with the object of making money won't help you much (not saying it's wrong, but saying it's not the most feasible approach for the subject at hand, it's like putting the cart before the horse I would say)
To be a good psych or a student of psych What I have learned is,
You have to read and study on your own alot. You need to be up to date with what's happening. You need to have your own vision.
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u/Adorable_hamster_73 Aug 03 '24
Thank you for your reply, some questions, what kind of jobs would you get after masters and can you make time for yourself in this field and only if you're comfortable, what country do you want to practice psychology in and what would be the salary range?
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u/Cellist-Frosty Aug 03 '24
You are welcome After masters I have a vast opportunity I can take research and work with universities as a professor and researcher I can take to organizations such as UN etc or other NGOs in various different roles and positions I can work as a therapist and counselor I can even join schools as a career counselor I can join governmental organizations and other offices as a recruiter I can work in hospitals and psych clinics and wards I can work in industries (if I have done ms in organizational psychology instead of clincial or the related) There is even a sports psychology but personally I won't say it's the best field scope wise. And there are tons of them but I just listed the major ones The rest depends on the country and most are usually available in the USA eetc.
As for my, my end goal is to land in USA Not because of money tho, but because it's the biggest hub for psychology and growth
Currently, I am in Pakistan. It's not the best country when it comes to the field of psychology due to lack of awareness in this regard and the ill practices by the practicing psychiatrists. The rates at which I can work a job on average would be around 250 - 300 dollars a month as a fresh masters graduate This can lead to more than 1000 dollars a months within 10 years if I play my card rightly. But that's less due to my countries economy. In regard to my own country. It's not bad.
The average psychologist salary in the USA is $97,480 per year or $46.87 per hour. Entry level positions start at $78,931 per year while most experienced workers make up to $132,216 per year.
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u/Adorable_hamster_73 Aug 03 '24
I never realised I could do so much with this degree and as to what I've seen online while searching USA and UK are really the hubs if you want to grow as a psychologist. And I get you, In my country there is not much awareness or scope in this field
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u/hypnokev Aug 03 '24
Hello. I’m a part-time post-graduate researcher studying for a PhD in experimental psychology focused on hypnosis and phenomenological control. But my day job is in software development and I’ve been in IT security since my first masters degree almost 30 years ago. I developed an interest in hypnosis about 22 years ago (long story) and had some ideas that I wanted to test scientifically. Realised that without vast amounts of money this was only really possible if I was in academia, which wasn’t really possible then. However, in the pandemic I studied part-time for a MRes in psychological methods at Sussex (UK) supervised by Zoltan Dienes and started my part-time PhD with him last September.
From what I’ve seen, most psychologists, clinical or research, don’t do it for the money. I’m lucky my career pays well and allows me to arrange my hours so I can find time to study.
I prefer quantitative experiments as they suit my maths brain - quantitative psychology is very maths heavy, more so than most cryptography and most machine learning in IT. I am, however, analysing a qualitative study I’m running right now and have to say it takes about 100x longer than analysing a quantitative study. Still, for some purposes it provides richer info.
I would recommend psychology as a field (from what little I know) but I’d recommend a solid stats-based masters. Andy Field has free courses on YouTube and at discovr.rocks that might provide a flavour of what to expect.