Questions for people with masters/doc. degrees in psychology related fields.

[Cuda1447]

I am extremely seriously considering going back to school and pursuing a masters or psy.d degree. I have narrowed my interests down into three areas, but I don't want to make a decision without doing a lot of research.

I am looking at either I/O Psych. clinical psych (possibly emphasizing neuropsychology) or counseling (family/marriage perhaps?).

If any of you want to private message me, or simply respond here I'd be extremely grateful. I'm looking for some insight into the career market, working conditions, hours, stress etc...

 

[Dr. Zaus]

I post on another forum and help people get into academia in a field related to I/O Psych.

PM me if being a professor/researcher is something you're interested in. Here's a recent starting-salary self report:

 

[Cuda1447]

PM sent!

 

[Jeffg010]

My sister is going back to school to get her masters in PSY. She does counseling for some of the worst people you can imagine. She was working for Gateway foundation as a counselor. You are either are cut out for this or you are not. You better be 100% sure you can handle these types of people that will come through your office if you go the counselor route. The turn over rate is very high. At gateway you are there no matter what because these people need your help and you just can't decide that you are not going to work that day. It’s not like the movies or TV where you see some normal guy needing a shrink. You are going to see the DR. Drew shit where people who are so wacked out on drugs and are going to do some crazy ass shit. You better be ready when some of these people commit suicide. You might be thinking you were getting to someone and then they up and kill themselves. That is the life of a PSY counselor. My sister almost never talks about it but I heard enough to know I not cut out for it.

Here is the link to gateway.
http://recovergateway.org/

 

[unokitty]

If you are independently wealthy, I'd say go for it.

If you believe in education for its own sake, I'd say go for it.

However, if you are looking to improve your job prospects, I would be reluctant to encourage anyone to pursue a graduate degree in any of the Humanities. For example, see:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_...e-majors-with-the-highest-unemployment-rates/

See also:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/08/the-11-majors-with-the-hi_n_1081625.html

Its your decision.

Best of luck with it.
Uno

 

[Dr. Zaus]

However, if you are looking to improve your job prospects, I would be reluctant to encourage anyone to pursue a graduate degree in any of the Humanities. For example, see:

For the most part you will be paid 20-30K/y to do a Ph.D. in a business field; for this you will 'work' 20 hours a week (grading/teaching/researching). You will also have your tuition paid for and you will probably have free or very low-cost health insurance.

 

[Imp]

Don't you need the PhD to become a psychologist (i.e. actually work in the field)?

That's what Psychology Today taught me...

 

[Jeffg010]

Don't you need the PhD to become a psychologist (i.e. actually work in the field)?

That's what Psychology Today taught me...

I think so that is why my sister is going to go the whole way. She a is counselor working on her Masters then PhD. I think her goal is to open her own practice.

 

[Cuda1447]

If you are independently wealthy, I'd say go for it.

If you believe in education for its own sake, I'd say go for it.

However, if you are looking to improve your job prospects, I would be reluctant to encourage anyone to pursue a graduate degree in any of the Humanities. For example, see:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_...e-majors-with-the-highest-unemployment-rates/

See also:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/08/the-11-majors-with-the-hi_n_1081625.html

Its your decision.

Best of luck with it.
Uno

It's not entirely clear, but I suspect that these articles refer to undergraduate degrees. If that is the case, I'm not surprised. A bachelors in psychology is mostly worthless. I have one and I know its not going to help me gain any quality employment in a related field. I think graduate level work is a different story though.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

It's not entirely clear, but I suspect that these articles refer to undergraduate degrees. If that is the case, I'm not surprised. A bachelors in psychology is mostly worthless. I have one and I know its not going to help me gain any quality employment in a related field. I think graduate level work is a different story though.

Unless you get a degree from a top institution and have it paid for by an assistant-ship or stipend... the numbers just don't work out in favor of a humanities degree.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

I think so that is why my sister is going to go the whole way. She a is counselor working on her Masters then PhD. I think her goal is to open her own practice.

It's interesting... you can be a life-coach with a cool hat, glasses and a subscription to psychology today: that's about the same thing.

 

[Cuda1447]

bump for any more knowledge.

 

[OutHouse]

my neice is to graduate from university of Denver in 2 months with her masters in this field. she is going to work with troubled kids in bad schools.... she has already done 3 years internship at the most ghetto schools you can imagine. i have no idea what got her so passionate in this but its her dream. her program is pretty much a PhD program i think when she graduates she would have to publish a paper on her research and she gets to add Dr to her name.

her working conditions is a ghetto public school with lots of gangs and other shit. breaking up fights, working with 13 year old moms, family abuse issues... she has taken lots of self defense classes sponsored by Denver PD. i have no idea what her pay will be but since its a public school its nowhere the pay that dixicrat posted.

 

[KoolAidKid]

IMO...

If you are interested in IO Psych and want to stay in academics, you will make more money doing your IO Psych thing in a business or management department. Talk to Dixycrat in this case. An academic career will require a PhD, with a few exceptions.

If you want to go into industry then a Masters or a PhD in either IO Psych or business management should work for you.

Regarding clinical, you can go either the PhD or the PsyD route. PsyD is more focused on practice rather than research/theory. I would guess that there are more opportunities to do neuropsych in PhD programs, but that could be my bias against PsyD programs coming out.

With counseling I believe that a master's is sufficient. Not my area, but my understanding is that PsyD's & PhD's make more than those with counseling MA's.

Regarding the job market, I can only speak to the market for clinical and IO psych PhDs. All of my grad school friends in these areas are currently employed doing what they were trained to do. All of my IO friends are in industry, and my clinical friends are evenly split between academics and practice.

Hope that helps!

 

[Cuda1447]

Good info Koolaid, I appreciate it.

I think I'm leaning towards I/O Psych. Ive found what seems to be a good online program from a regionally accredited school. One of the focuses is on Organizational Behavior. I figure this route would give me a fair amount of career options. I wish I knew someone who worked on the business side of I/O Psych that could give some insight into the working environment/hours/stress etc...

 

[Dr. Zaus]

Good info Koolaid, I appreciate it.

I think I'm leaning towards I/O Psych. Ive found what seems to be a good online program from a regionally accredited school. One of the focuses is on Organizational Behavior. I figure this route would give me a fair amount of career options. I wish I knew someone who worked on the business side of I/O Psych that could give some insight into the working environment/hours/stress etc...

There are no properly accredited PH.D. programs (either from the APA in psych or AACSB in business) that are online.

 

[440sixpack]

I think so that is why my sister is going to go the whole way. She a is counselor working on her Masters then PhD. I think her goal is to open her own practice.

My wife is a school psychologist - she has a CAGS, but has told me more than once that all the extra time / work it would take her to get a PhD would not be worth the relatively small increase in compensation (for her anyway).