what are the pros and cons to psychology as a career?

[thirtythree]

hmm? and is anyone here in a field related to psychology? what exactly is the difference between psychology and psychiatry? thanks.

 

[iwearnosox]

Why don't you tell us how you feel about it?

 

[thirtythree]

Originally posted by: iwearnosox
Why don't you tell us how you feel about it?

I'm the one asking the questions here.

 

[iwearnosox]

Originally posted by: Deslocke

Originally posted by: iwearnosox
Why don't you tell us how you feel about it?

I'm the one asking the questions here.

Interesting. Tell us about your parents, and your mother in particular.

 

[vegetation]

A clinical psychologist has a Ph.D in clinical psychology and passes a board exam. This usually involves about six years of graduate work, most of which is spend in classrooms, teaching experience, field work, and writing a dissertation (dissertation takes most of the time). You can also earn a Psy.D (4 years, much easier entrance, no dissertation) in some states but it's not a respected degree in the field. A psychiatrist, by contrast, earns an MD from an accredited institution (4 years) then spends an internship (2 years) in general practice and another 3-4 years as a resident (on the job training) in the field of psychiatry, usually specializing in child or adult. Both fields require exceptional undergraduate records, so don't bother applying if you have anything less than a 3.8 gpa.

 

[IGBT]

Kind a crazy isn't it??

 

[thirtythree]

vegetation: thanks for the info. I'm still in high school so I don't know what my undergraduate gpa is yet.

 

[screw3d]

Originally posted by: Deslocke
vegetation: thanks for the info. I'm still in high school so I don't know what my undergraduate gpa is yet.

Good for you to start thinking about this early. You DON'T want to find out that you are doing the wrong major with 1 semester left in your undergrad course!

 

[vegetation]

Originally posted by: Deslocke
vegetation: thanks for the info. I'm still in high school so I don't know what my undergraduate gpa is yet.

Great! A clean record is the best way to go.

 

[thirtythree]

yeah, I'm hoping to avoid that, marvie. I'm probably going to take ap psychology next year to see how I like it but in the meantime, what are some good psychology-related books I can read?

 

[vegetation]

Find topics that interests you in psych, whether it be mental health or other issues. Learn as much as you can by covering the basics, then start digging into journal articles. Get a pet, learn to train it using psychological learning methods. All that helps. If you can take a statistics class in high school then you should go for it too, as stats is something a lot of psych majors are terrible at but it's very very important if you want a research degree. Remember that psych isn't all just about mental health either, there's a lot of areas: education, social, developmental, industrial, learning, cognition, and a bunch of others. Intro textbooks will usually give you a decent sample at what you like in psych and what you don't find all that interesting.

 

[poopaskoopa]

I have nothing to contribute, but I know 2 people with a degree in psych and they're both in IT.

 

[thirtythree]

intro textbooks sound .. fun. I took ap stats last year.

 

[thirtythree]

Originally posted by: poopaskoopa
I have nothing to contribute, but I know 2 people with a degree in psych and they're both in IT.

I'm guessing they don't have doctoral degrees in psychology, do they?

 

[GtPrOjEcTX]

expect lots of school.

bachelor's degree in psych - definately won't find a job
master's degree in psych - somewhat of a chance to find a job, but expect hard times doing so
doctrine in psych - you've got a shot. this is where you want to be.

 

[poopaskoopa]

Originally posted by: Deslocke

Originally posted by: poopaskoopa
I have nothing to contribute, but I know 2 people with a degree in psych and they're both in IT.

I'm guessing they don't have doctoral degrees in psychology, do they?

No, they do not. One has a bachelor's and the other has a master's, I believe.

 

[thirtythree]

bump.

 

[PunDogg]

way too much schooling for me, i want 4 years grad with with a BS, get a good IT job, and i might go get an MBA later, thats a big if

Dogg

 

[brunswickite]

Pros: easy schooling

Cons: bachelor's degree in psych, you will be unemployed

 

[DrPizza]

the downside of a psych major is that if you quit before you finish your doctorate.. you're going to have a really really tough time finding a good paying job.

 

[tcsenter]

hmm? and is anyone here in a field related to psychology? what exactly is the difference between psychology and psychiatry? thanks.

Psychologist = people with emotional and psychological problems (victims of abuse, post traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse counseling)

Psychiatrist = people with mental illness or neurological disorders (OCD, schizophrenia)

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor with two~three years of psychology/psychiatry training. A psychiatrist can prescribe medications. A psychologist can not prescribe medications.

If you have a neurological disorder or mental illness, you want to see a psychiatrist.

If you have been traumatized by violence or abuse, were raised in a highly disfunctional/broken home such as where alcoholism or substance abuse were present, have trouble dealing with grief or loss, then a psychologist is probably your best bet.

One bad thing I hear is that both are at risk for internalizing the suffering they have to deal with. There are some very, very sick and disturbed people out there. There are people who have suffered things that can rip your heart out having to think about it. Its easy to internalize this stuff if you're not careful and do not find a positive way to deal with it all.

 

[LeeTJ]

If i were gonna be an MD, psychiatry would really interest me.

why??

because it is such a simple practice to organize and run (business end)

all you need is someone to answer the phone. i have psychiatry clients that run their office with 1 part time receptionist and that's IT.

 

[thirtythree]

thanks tcsenter. how does the amount of schooling and pay differ between psychologists and psychiatrists?

 

[Ime]

Pros: Get to work with some really crazy people.

Cons: Have to work with really crazy people.

 

[EXman]

you still cannot prescribe for yourself that is a bad thing.

One of my good friends is a Doctor and he teaches at a com. college has summers off makes an ok living but says private practice made him depressed go figure...