Are you interested in pursuing a career in the field of psychology? When you told your family members did they give you a perplexed look as if to say why would you want to do that? Are you bound and determined to work within this industry so now you are working to do your homework about possible career options that will suit your goals and your interests? Doing research so that you can make informed decisions in regards to your future is definitely a great idea. Keep reading below so that you can identify a few options that you will want to add to your checklist of options.
First of all, it is important to understand that there are numerous areas of specialty that you can choose from within the industry of psychology. Ideally, you will want to choose an area that is directly aligned with your areas of strength, your interests, and the professional goals that you hope to achieve. For instance, you will likely want to consider the area of forensic psychology. Within this particular area you will be using what you know about psychology and coupling it with your knowledge of criminal investigation and the legal world to work with individuals in drug courts, criminal proceedings, family courts, or private consultant type positions. Or, perhaps a psychology degree in clinical psychology will be more appealing to you. In a position such as this you will work to assess a patient, accurately diagnose their situation, and treat their condition in the most effective manner possible. Within this particular specialty area you can also expect to have the choice to focus in an even more specialized area such as health psychology, substance abuse treatments, or child mental health.
Maybe working within a school system as a school psychologist would be more fitting for you. In a position such as this you would work with students to help them deal with academic issues, emotional difficulties, or social factors that are causing problems within the student's life. As a school psychologist you can expect to work with parents, teachers, and administrators to help adequately address the needs of students in the best way possible. Another area that you may want to consider is sports psychology. In a position like this you will be studying the factors that affect an athlete's performance and participation, such as physical activity, exercise, sportsmanship, attitude, or team collaboration.
Another area of psychology that you will want to consider is to become a cognitive psychologist. Within this area you will spend the majority of your time working with an individual's mental processes such as problem solving, attention, and memory. It is important to understand that many individuals who work in positions such as this find employment in educational type capacities at colleges or universities. However, it may also be possible for you to obtain employment in areas that are primarily research based.
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