Not Sure What to Do with Your Psych Degree? Here Are Five Career Options

If you recently obtained a psychology degree, you may be at the bit of a crossroads in your life. Choosing a career after graduation isn’t always easy. If you want to work as a psychologist, you most likely will need to continue your career, pursuing a master’s degree. If you prefer, however, there are plenty of career paths available that only require a bachelor’s degree in psychology. If you want to learn more, visit Sten.

Here are five career options that you can consider pursuing with your psych degree:

1. A life coach.

Imagine how rewarding it would be to help people pursue their dreams and reach their full potential. As a life coach, that is exactly what your job would entail. Life coaches work with individuals to provide guidance, advice, and assistance as they make positive changes in their lives.

In some cases, people who hire life coaches are starting businesses or chasing new careers. In other cases, they are on a path of self-discovery or personal development. Either way, your job would be to support and guide them as they made their way through challenging life changes or other unique situations.

2. A marketing specialist.

A degree in psychology gives you unique insight into how the human mind works. Businesses are willing to pay a lot of money for this knowledge so that they can do a better job of advertising their products or services to the public.

Working in the field of marketing can not only be quite lucrative but it also can be rewarding. This is particularly true if you work for a business that you really believe in. When you help companies hone and refine their marketing message, you can make them much more successful. Nothing feels better than helping a fledgling business grow. Depending on the job that you take, you could be doing everything from writing advertising copy to planning television advertisements.

3. A childcare worker.

If you love children, working with kids is a great way to put your psychology degree to use. With this type of degree, you can take a variety of different jobs that involve working with children.

For instance, you could work at a daycare, caring for children while their parents were at work. Alternatively, you could manage an afterschool program, or you could help out in the classroom, providing assistance to teachers.

4. A teacher.

If you have a gift for helping other people learn, becoming a teacher could be an excellent career. Along with your psychology degree, you will also need to obtain a teaching certificate if you plan on pursuing a job in this field.

Without a master’s degree, you will typically be limited to teaching jobs at the elementary, middle school, or high school level. Depending on the path you choose, you can either teach psychology or you could teach another subject. Either way, your background in psychology will make it easier for you to connect with students and to help them succeed. Knowing that you are making a difference in the lives of young people is an amazing feeling.

5. A parole officer.

When prisoners are released on parole, they are extremely vulnerable. Reentering the real world after being in prison is a challenging transition. As a parole officer, you could help people reintegrate into society, giving them the best chance possible to stay out of jail.

In this field, your job is to keep tabs on prisoners after they are released to make sure that they are meeting the terms of their parole agreement. The support and encouragement that you provide to the people you are assisting can make a big difference in their chances of success.

Many people struggle to avoid getting into trouble again after they get out of prison. With your help, however, the odds of them getting arrested again could be far lower. More than that, you could also help them become valuable, contributing members of society, which is not only good for your local community but also for the people you are helping.

If you aren’t sure what to do with your psych degree, these are five popular options. Ideally, you should start thinking about a career path while you are still in school. This will give you a chance to take additional classes that are related to your chosen field.

If you aren’t sure what you want to do, meeting with a career counselor can also be beneficial. These professionals are specially trained to help people determine what path they want to take in their own lives. A career counselor can work with you to figure out exactly where your interests lie, helping to ensure that whatever career path you choose is a good fit for your interests and your personality. In the end, this can lead to a much more rewarding work life.