Psychology – one of the most underrated and not understood career pathways. A career pathway more people should consider going into. Although 80% of people surveyed said they knew at least one career a person can obtain with a psychology degree, 77% of those people recorded only knowing careers as a counselor, therapist, teacher, or psychologist. However, there are several other options a person can choose from with a psychology degree. Psychology is an important field for one to be able to understand how people think, act and feel.

Out of the people surveyed, 60% of them have never considered a career in psychology. Many people do not know or understand all the options they could have with a psychology degree. Furthermore, some people believe a person must work to achieve a Doctorate degree to make any money in a field of psychology. However, this is not the case. There are career options with everything from a Associate’s degree to a Doctorate degree.

Although it is a common option for psychology majors to go into counseling, therapy, or teaching, there are several additional options. Correctional Officer, Police Officer, Psychiatric Technician and Social Work Assistant – all of these are careers one can have an Associate’s degree in Psychology to pursue. Recently, the hiring criteria for jobs such as a police officer are becoming more intense, demanding and specific. Now, many people are looking for employees with some amount of college, and many are interested in people with a background in psychology. People with a background in psychology have an advantage of being able to understand the human brain and how people think and behave.

With a Bachelor’s degree, several careers are available. Some seem to be completely unrelated to psychology; however a background in psychology can put people ahead of those who do not.  A psychology degree can help one compete in the job market for a career as a Human Factors Specialist, Administrative Service Manager, Management Analyst and even a Computer Programmer. Although a psychology career does not seem necessary for jobs such as these, understanding the human mind and how a person makes decisions can be especially useful in careers such as these. Some of these careers can lead to a salary of 80,000 or more. Still think having a psychology degree is useless?

Ever heard of sport psychology? How about business psychology? Criminal psychology? With a Master’s degree in psychology, a person can find a career in any of these related fields.

Although many graduate students continue on to pursue a PhD in Psychology, several people stop at a Master’s degree to enter the world of psychology. Many of the ones who continue their education go on to be a clinical psychologist or work at a university. However, there are several other options for people with a Doctorate degree in psychology.

Neuropsychologist specialize in understanding the relationship between the physical brain and behavior. Want to take a different approach? Love old people? A degree in psychology can help you be a Gerontologist. These health care professionals specialize in the field of aging related dimensions of change over the lifespan. Don’t love old people? If you have ever been interested in criminal justice or crime shoes, a Forensic Psychologist could be the perfect career. A Forensic Psychologist specializes in applying psychological knowledge to legal matters. Other careers related to psychology that one can pursue are fields of Industrial Organization or Business Psychology. Other people who do have not chosen a direct career path may choose to conduct independent research on a psychology topic that interest them. Paul Valéry once said “The purpose of psychology is to give us a completely different idea of the things we know best.”