Why did I choose Psychology as my major?

I first decided I wanted  to get a B.A. in Psychology about three years ago when I started working as a Group Leader at Washington Elementary. My job is very similar to the job of a teacher simply I only do it for three hours and a half for an after school program called Bright Futures. From Mon-Fri between the hours of 2:30-6:00 pm, I have a class of 20 first graders. I help them with homework, take them out to recess, and do extracurricular activities that enhance their learning. These children inspired me to want to become involved deeper with them. I felt like I wanted to provide more for them especially the children who had problems at home that affected their functioning at school. Most people who work with school-age children know that what happens to a child at home has a profound and lasting impact on how she or he will function at school. Two key studies published in the early 1990s demonstrate the relationship between maltreatment and academic performance: Kurtz  in Georgia, USA; and Eckenrode, whose study in New York State of 840 children (half of whom had been maltreated) found that the maltreated children performed significantly worse on standardized tests and grades. Therefore, I decided I wanted to become a Marriage Family Therapist (MFT), with my main focus being child counseling. My plan was to get a B.A. in Psychology and get my Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy, but now I am not too sure if that's the best choice for me. I don't feel like my passion is in it anymore. Maybe because I am tired of school and the thought of more school just grosses me out right now or it can be that I need to explore that path a bit more. I want to become more knowledgeable of my options as an MFT. I will go deeper into what exactly does it mean to be an MFT on my next blog... so keep posted!

10 Career ?'s For Psy Majors

I was doing some research for my next blog when I came across an article posted in the Psychology Today website called, Ten Career Questions for the Psychology majors. The article says that most psychology majors will not go on to become licensed psychologists. Psychology majors are found in virtually every career field so choosing a psychology major isn't as much of a career decision as it is a decision of what knowledge and skills you'd like to acquire, or what questions you'd like to answer. As a psychology student you will learn a lot about research, statistics, human and animal behavior, physiology, psychological conditions, how people learn and develop, and so on. All of this knowledge applies to a variety of settings. So, to get ready for the job market and to help me start thinking more broadly about my major, I took a few minutes and reviewed the following 10 questions about my psych major:

1. Why did you initially select psychology? What courses or knowledge first intrigued you?
2. Once you got into the major, how did your opinion of psychology evolve? Did you find your interests shifting?
3. What key aspects of psychology most interest you? Is there a field of research that interests or intrigues you? Is there a population you find interesting? What research studies have caught your eye? Why? Do you enjoy reading and research and conducting experiments? Do you like learning about personality traits or why people behave in a particular way? Do you enjoy learning about the interventions or therapeutic techniques that improve people's lives? Do you enjoy the biological or medical aspects of psychology?
4. What are the top five skills you have acquired through your psychology major? What traits/characteristics did it take to be a good psychology major?
5. What interesting courses have you taken outside of psychology? Can you connect the dots between what you learned in those courses and what you know about psychology? For instance, how do psychology and business courses intersect? What career fields could use the talents of a psych major with a minor in art?
6. Where have you excelled in your major? What has come naturally for you? Did you shine in the animal lab? Are you a master statistician? Did you connect with your subjects in human subjects research?
7. How far do you want to go academically? Are you interested in obtaining a master's or doctoral degree in psychology? Now or in the future? Are you interested in a related advanced degree like counseling or social work or organizational behavior?
8. What parts of your major have you not enjoyed? Have certain courses or areas of study bored you? What was lacking?
9. If you could design and teach your own psychology class, what would you teach? Would you combine your knowledge of psychology with another field? Or would you hone in on a specific area like positive psychology or the criminal mindset?
10. How do you plan to convey the value of your psychology major to future employers (particularly if you're not pursuing a career directly related to psychology)?

I went through the questions and they were a bit helpful in directing me more towards what I might be thinking of doing with my B.A. in Psych... but I still need to do more research

More Possible jobs??

I stumbled up an article by Shelly K. Schwartz called "Working Your Degree." It caught my attention because it was a  report on the top 10 occupations that employ students with only a bachelor's degree in psychology.  As a psych major, I’m constantly wondering what I’m going to with this degree, or if I should keep going and get a master degree. Sometimes I even wonder if I should be a psych major at all! Schwarz’ list discouraged me. She lists jobs like marketing, sales, accounting, human resources. I didn’t major in psychology to be an accountant! I became a psych major because… well it is all explained in my "Why did i choose this major" post. I guess all these jobs have *something* to do with human relationships, but accounting??! Shelly K. Schwartz, in an article called "Working Your Degree," reported that the top 10 occupations that employ students with only a bachelor's degree in psychology are:

• Top- or mid-level managers, executives and administrators
• Sales
• Social Work
• Management-related occupations
• Personnel, training and human resources or labor-relations
• Administrative jobs
• Insurance, real estate and business services
• Marketing
• Registered nurse, pharmacist, therapist and physician's assistant
• Accountant, auditor and other financial specialists

 As you review the list, you'll notice that most of these jobs involve dealing with people. Since psychology is the study of human behavior and organizational behavior, a 4-year degree in the field offers a good understanding of people, their motivations and why they act as they do. In addition, psychology teaches to think critically as well as creatively, so graduates generally have excellent communications skills :-)

Program Coordinator... possible job #1

Job Summary:
The After School  Program Coordinator  purpose/s are providing oversight and
guidance for the After School Programs and operating programs that raise literacy levels, improve academic performance, strengthen social relationships and provide meaningful opportunities for children participating in the programs. Also, you are responsible for daily observations of program staff (site leaders, program leaders,tutors, and other staff); plan and provide staff development and in-service training to program staff; conduct basic training on program components to staff; acquire appropriate and adequate materials and resources for each program site; and demonstrate classroom techniques and instructional strategies to program staff as needed in program activities.

Experience Required:
Job-related experience is required.

Education Required:
Bachelors degree in job-related area.

Now, my program coordinator told me she really had no experience but being a group leader, which is the position I hold right now and she has her B.A. in psychology too. The pay ranges, but typically you start around $50,000 annually. Not bad at all considering that I was thinking I didn't have much hope with just a B.A. there is more info on the pay at this following link http://www.wccusd.net/default.aspx under employment.

Finally... A positive!

So yesterday I was talking to the program coordinator of the program I work for, Bright Futures and she gave me some good news... She told me that the job position she has as a program coordinator only requires a B.A. in basically any subject. This might be a possible job that interests me so I am going to look deeper into it :)

How depressing!!

As I am doing more research in this whole "What can you do with a B.A. in Psychology" I am getting more and more disappointed! I really haven't read one thing that is positive about having a B.A. in Psychology, but it being a stepping stone for Grad school. But, it is very competitive to get into Grad school, you need a high GPA, volunteer service, great letter of recommendations and a high GRE score. Now I am starting to second guess myself! I don't even know if I'll be able to get into grad school :-(

After reading this article http://hubpages.com/hub/Top-Jobs-for-Bachelors-degree-in-Psychology 
I can say i became a bit depressed. It was really sad to read that pretty much my B.A. in Psychology is going to be useless unless I go to Grad school!

What can ou do with a B.A. in Psychology?

So I decided I need a backup plan just in case I decide I don't want to do neither the M.F.T. or pursue another career which requires more school. What if I decided that is it for me with school what are the options that are out there for me with just my B.A. in psychology? I did my research and I must say I am pretty disappointed! What they fail to mention while telling you to pursue your interests in college is that anything in the social sciences is essentially useless without graduate work. There are some careers out there that do just like seeing that you finished college, regardless of major, but that’s less and less common these days. You could become a cop, or anything law enforcement related; they like people with Psychology degrees. You could also become a teacher, a lot of school districts just have you take a couple supplementary exams that really aren’t very hard and get your certificate. I really Don't think i would like to work with anything regarding law enforcement or a teacher, but I am sure there are a bit more options out there for me with a B.A. in Psychology that seem more interesting than these 2. I will keep on looking and hopefully I can find a career I like as my backup plan with just my B.A.