[Jamila]

Hi, is anyone in the field of psychology? If so, how was the experience of going through school and finding a job afterwards?
I'm thinking of going into this field..but I'm very unsure..I guess mainly because of the amount of time to get a PHD and the money involved. Basically I'm clueless lol. I talked to a clinical psychologist currently working at a state hospital for advice and she said that it was definitely difficult, but was worth it..and told me that I should go for it...but um...lol

Please post! Any advice and experience will be greatly appreciated.

[terrorist]

question is.. how diverse is your thinking.
so you think with good reasoning.
are you also understand and patient.
do you think a lot, with coherent thoughts.
and are you mostly disciplined and hardworking.
if yes to all.. i think it'd be perfect for you.

[Jamila]

Thanks alot for your input. I feel that I'd be good in the field, and in conversation people have also come out saying I should be in the field without knowing I'm already thinking about it. I guess in a way maybe I think too much. I don't want to look back and feel that I've made the wrong decision even though it currently interests me.

[dopa]

it is definitely a very rewarding experience if you can devote yourself to it. you need to have a lot of patience depending on what you are trying to do. if you are like me, planning to become a clinical psychologist... it takes 4 years to major in psychology for your undergrad, another 5-6 years on average to get your clinical psychology psyd or phd, another 2 years to do postdoctoral work, and getting the license.

of course that is just the route to become a clinical psychologist, the story is a bit different for other occupations. for instance a MFT (marriage & family therapist) would take considerably less time since that only requires a Masters. but you have to recognize the fact is... in order to be established in the field and have good opportunities, it takes a lot of dedication and time.

if you have that kind of determination, go for it. i definitely am =)
applying for my clinical psychology phd programs this fall.

[MoonChild]

Psychology is a rewarding field to go in given that you enjoy studying human behaviors and are passionate about helping people improve their quality of life. Many people don't know this, but psychology is a very diverse area of study. There are many sectors that fall under psychology not just clinical such as community, human factors, etc. However, if you're interested in the clinical sector you have to prepare yourself because this area of study is very competitive. Attending graduate school is necessary if you plan to obtain a Ph.D., and to do so you must be willing to dedicate at least 5-6 years of your life entirely to academic and be willing to live poor and overworked for this amount of time.

Overall, if you're really interested in taking the Ph.D. path then I highly recommend that you talk to a psychology professor in your school that's in the clinical field. S/he will give you a more up-to-date look of what life is like for a psychology doctoral student and what you need to obtain to get in the program.

[Jamila]

Thanks guys!
I think I need to look more into the different branches...I talked to my advisor a while back and she was kind of discouraging when I mentioned possibly going into psychology..she mentioned that there aren't many good paying jobs if one doesn't get a phd..and she said it as if I wouldn't be willing to go that route...I found it funny though because when I first started there she felt I should go into something challenging because she felt my grades were deff. good enough.

So in all..I went in her office ready to decide on my major and left her office discouraged and still in general studies...lol..I guess I'm just trying to get all of the info I can..I don't feel rushed, but I do think it would be best for me to decide somewhat..soon as I'm almost done with my core classes. I really don't have anything else in mind other than psychology..

[felinius]

..she mentioned that there aren't many good paying jobs if one doesn't get a phd..and she said it as if I wouldn't be willing to go that route...

That's the thing. You need at least a master's for a lot of majors nowadays in order to get a good paying job, or else you'll just end up with lower paying stuff.

If you want a challenge and like sciences more, you might want to look into psychiatry. I think that one pays more off the bat. =)

[Jamila]

That's the thing. You need at least a master's for a lot of majors nowadays in order to get a good paying job, or else you'll just end up with lower paying stuff.

If you want a challenge and like sciences more, you might want to look into psychiatry. I think that one pays more off the bat. =)

A friend of mine is actually going into psychiatry, I'm not very sure if I want to prescribe medication though lol..doesn't it take more time to finish also?

[yowzatheman]

well you have to have an MD to become one, so 4 years of med + 4 years of residency + however many years for a fellowship if you plan to do one = about a decade of 'schooling'

psychology is a great field imo. you pretty much major in 'people' hahah. in terms of money, ph.d programs actually pay for you to go to school (im not sure if all, but all of my friends that got in to ph.d programs are paid for). it's the masters programs that you have to pay for. but yes working on a dissertation is time consuming to say the least

im not sure what field of psychology you like, but if you do plan to do clinical and have your own private practice, you pretty much have to get your ph.d, because insurance companies don't recognize a master's degree, so you get less business and consequently less money (or so i'm told).

there are so many aspects of psychology other than the usual clinical and counseling side so you should look into other aspects too. like for example, i just started grad school in the human factors/ergonomics program, which deals with human-computer interactions and user efficiency.

good luck with whatever you choose!

[Jamila]

^ Thank you very much! Your post was indeed interesting to read. I'm very grateful for every post in my little thread. Everything helps

[joxxy]

According to sites found on Google, the median salary of a typical psychologist is $54,950 and the median salary of a typical psychiatrist is $179,433.
I think psychiatrists have to do 4 years of residency training after receiving their PhD and psychologists have to do 1 or 2 years of internship.
Being a psychiatrist will take even longer but your salary would definitely be better.
But regardless it's your choice - choose something you're interested in because you'll be doing it for a long time.

[Lady Violette]

I'm a psychology major (a junior now) and is also planning to go into Clinical Psychology program. If you want to go into a PhD program, don't let an advisor discourage you! Many PhD programs offer full tuition-paid scholarships and assistantships so definitely apply for those!

The psychologists that earn the most without going to medical school would be an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist. They make big bucks!

I know that this career will not bring me money like Pharmacy would but I chose this path because of my interest and I want to help people. I plan to do some investing on the side or just secure myself so I can have a family in the future. I think going into PhD for psychology is a very selfless act, well in my opinion at least lol.

Good Luck with your decision!!

[agnuque]

I'm taking up BA Psychology and honestly, I don't find myself pursuing a career related to my course, just cos Psychology doesn't make a lot of money here in the Philippines. Usually, psych majors are the ones in the Human and Resources department in companies and stuff, and I don't want to do that Plus, if I do take up clinical psychology here, it won't make a lot of money because psychology isn't really something a lot of Filipinos see as a profession. Like what my psych professor told me, "Things are different here. If they want to have somebody listen to them, they go to a friend and save P5,000 an hour and probably just end up spending that on beer & pulutan."

As much as I like learning about people's behaviors and helping them cope with stress and their problems, there's just something about it that doesn't attract me as much anymore. Maybe cos I've spent too much time dancing & am devoting myself to performing & to the arts already.

Whatever your decision might be, I wish you the best of luck!