Career Close-Up: Psychology and What You Can Do With It

Before you toss psychology into that pile of majors that allegedly have no real-world application, think about how many careers require some knowledge of how the human mind works. From education to law to marketing, a background in psych can offer a wealth of career opportunities. The study of the inner workings of the human mind, psychology can tell us about mental disorders, teaching strategies, family relationships, and even architecture and customer buying patterns. Today, let’s focus on some unusual careers that can result and benefit from the study of psychology.

Forensic Psychologist: This field is perfect for someone who loves the plethora of television shows and movies that focus on the forensics of crime-solving, and also possesses an understanding of and interest in the tenets of human behavior, mental illness, and criminal justice. Though perhaps not as glamorous as what is depicted on NCIS or Criminal Minds, this field can still offer rewarding and interesting work and can lead to diverse career paths including those in consulting, criminal courts, and government. If you are solution-oriented and interested in law and psychology, this is a potential field for you— and it all starts with a psych degree.

Engineering Psychologist: There is an assumption that if you study psychology, you can do counseling or that’s it. In reality, you can apply the subject to so many different disciplines, even math. An engineering psychologist is responsible for studying and analyzing how humans interact with machines, and how to make that interaction as smooth as possible. This began as a more experimental field necessitated by World Wars I and II, but it has now become essential to our everyday lives as more and more of what we do is automated. An engineering psychologist today might work on improving GPS technology, mobile phones, and aviation technology to enhance human-machine interaction. This field is a good reminder that one can pursue a Bachelor of Arts or Science in psychology, depending on what field one would like to enter, and that this major is much more than a one-way street leading only to sitting in a therapist’s chair.

Sports Psychologist: If you’ve heard of ex- Major League baseball catcher Mackey Sasser, you know how important the mental element can be in sports. Sasser was a successful player who suffered from a mental block that made it difficult, and often impossible, for him to throw the ball back to the pitcher, one of the most basic exchanges in the game. He required years of intense therapy in order to recover from the mental distress this caused, and it was sports psychology that helped him return to baseball as a minor-league manager. Mental health is vital to athletic performance, so a career in sports psychology is a great marriage of the two. Click here for a great video about Sasser and how sports psychology helped his unusual case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glo5MYLA7pY

School Psychologist: In this age of Individualized Education Programs and accommodations for students, school professionals who understand psychology and the mental states and struggles of students are more valuable than ever. Additionally, as we continue to see an unfortunate rise in problems like cyberbullying and self-injurious behaviors among young people, we also see the need for mental health professionals to have a prominent place in our schools. In fact, this has become one of the fastest-growing fields within the education world. If you are interested in education, young people, and mental health, this is a great career path for you.

Consumer Psychologist: Ever wonder who decides what to put near the register in the grocery store? Why that particular pack of gum or that magazine or that display? Did you know that there is a science to where to place a display, what color to make it, or what products to put at eye-level in a store? Indeed, many retailers and businesses consider the mental patterns of consumers very important to their store layouts and marketing strategies. This field is essentially business mixed with human behavior, and if you have an interest in both, you might be a natural consumer psychologist.

The demand for psychology majors is growing: in fact, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of psychologists is expected to grow at a rate of about 12 percent through the year 2018. What’s more, these career opportunities stretch well beyond the common counselor or therapist. Math, science, engineering, education and other disciplines can meld well with psychology to produce some very interesting career paths. If you are interested in the mind, keep this in mind as you begin thinking about your potential college path of study.

Written by Phil Lane

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