Psychology is one of the most advanced fields that is focused on mental health and well-being. In case you wish to take up Psychology as a career then you must explore how you can study it, its various specializations, and the job opportunities that the field is capable of offering.
When you enrol for a Psychology degree, you will be asked to study human behaviour and mental processes from a wide range of perspectives. It employs scientific methods for understanding human perception, learning, emotions, and reactions to everyday situations.
As an interdisciplinary field, Psychology shares its boundaries with many disciplines such as Social Sciences, Life Sciences, and Artificial Intelligence. It can be said easily that the scope of Psychology as a career is immense.
In this blog, we will see how can you create a successful career in Psychology:
How to Become a Psychologist?
There are some requirements that must be fulfilled for becoming a licensed Psychologist. They are mentioned below.
- Completing the senior secondary examination with Psychology as one of the main subjects.
- Completing a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a curriculum that is focused on personality development, stress management, neuropsychology, and psychotherapy.
- Specialization at the postgraduate level where one can get an MA or an MSc. Psychology.
- Further specialization at the doctoral level is available through Ph.D. or M.Phil.
The postgraduate and doctoral programs are more and more focused on research which is great for pursuing either a research or a teaching job. On the other hand, undergraduate programs are more focused on practices such as counselling.
Why Study Psychology?
There are many reasons why you should the field of Psychology at a formal level. Some of them are mentioned below.
- Interdisciplinary Science: Psychology is an interdisciplinary science and one of the shining disciplines that somehow shares its boundaries with many other disciplines. Therefore, the application of psychological principles is wide and also constitutes different interdisciplinary emerging fields.
- Studying Behaviour: The field of Psychology allows both the qualitative and quantitative approaches to study human behaviour. This can be studied by quantified measurements and with some practiced qualitative methods that involve subjective interpretations. Hence, many students from different backgrounds can choose a career in Psychology.
- Solving Mental Health Concerns: In the previous decades, awareness of common mental health problems has increased tremendously which further owes to the increasing complexity of the lifestyle of human beings. Most people in today’s world understand the need to acknowledge human behaviour in each aspect of life. All kinds of organizations require a Psychologist to ensure that the mental health of people is good.
- Well-Paid Jobs: A Psychologist with professional expertise in a specialized area is demanded highly in most organizations. The jobs are highly salaried and very well respected.
Read More: Best psychology colleges in India.
Career Opportunities in the Field of Psychology:
- Clinical Psychologist: A Clinical Psychologist is a professional who is responsible for assessing and treating people with common psychological problems and chronic psychiatric disorders. Some clinical psychologists are generalists who also work with a wide range of populations while many others work with specific groups including children, the elderly, or those with some specific disorders.
- Counselling Psychology: A counselling psychologist tends to be more focused on people who have adjustment problems rather than the ones suffering from serious psychological disorders. They are trained in Psychology departments or in education departments while being employed in academic settings, college counselling centres, community mental health centres, etc.
- Health Psychology: Health psychologists are professionals who are concerned with the promotion and maintenance of good health and the prevention of any illnesses. They design programs for helping individuals adopt healthy habits. They may be employed in hospitals, medical schools, public health agencies, academic settings, private practices, and rehabilitation centres.
- Teaching and Research: If you are interested in teaching undergraduate, postgraduate, or doctoral-level students, you will want to work in a university setting where you can also do some research. In case you are not interested in teaching and also wish to focus on research then you can continue working for some government agencies. For working as a Psychologist in different settings, you commonly need a Ph.D. in Psychology.
- Industrial Psychology: Industrial psychologists are commonly concerned with the relationships between people and their work environments. They can develop new ways to increase workplace productivity and be involved in personnel selection as well. They are commonly employed in the business sector, government agencies, industrial set-ups, corporate houses, academic establishments, etc.
- Sports Psychologist: Sports psychologists are responsible for dealing with psychological factors that can improve athletic performance. They can look at the effects of physical activities on psychological adjustment and health. They usually work in academic settings and sometimes can also be consultants for sports teams.
Conclusion:
Psychology is fundamental to how society functions and that day may not be far in the future when all fields of study will include Psychology. Almost all organizations need a Psychologist which means there will always be a high demand for professionals in this field.
Chitkara University offers a wide range of programs in the field of Psychology that can prepare you to create a successful career within the field. If you wish to work on becoming a prominent psychologist, enrol for a program of your choice today.
