Psychologists are basically the trained professionals who perform testing, conducts research, treat and evaluate the total range of psychological and emotional challenges. There are many types of psychologists which are specialized in different areas like counselling, social and clinical psychologists. They help the patients to deal with the behavioural and emotional issues. They also engage in the research endeavours and study the behaviour of the humans. Some psychologists work for the corporations and schools. Private practice psychologists work in the evening and sometimes on the weekends also to meet the scheduling needs of the clients. The question that is asked by the students is how to become a psychologist?
How To Become A Psychologist?
Education:
You need a psychology degree for this. Experience is everything in this field so try to gain as much experience as you can. You can do this by simply exploring your interest in the psychology and also by working on research studies with your professors and students. It totally depends on your likings, like if you want to work with children, choose that university which focuses on the children. Learn all the aspects of child psychology.
Select a college that will be inexpensive in nature as this course does not require a lot of money. If you want to do Ph.D. in this field, select that college which offers the same. If you want to gain some experience in clinical studies and emphasizes your hands on this, choose that program which offers the same. You can start gaining relevant experience from second year and continue till you finish your degree. By this, you will get the idea of psychology in practical terms and you will be able to work in a positive way after finishing your graduation.
Salary:
If we will talk about the salary then like other programs this also based on the experience. Still the research and clinical works make around 45,000 USD to 55,000 USD. Salary may vary according to the geographical location. To become a licensure, you need to complete the first year or two years depending on your state. There will be a little bump in your salary once you get the license.
After getting an experience of five to ten years in this field, your income may touch the mark of 65,000 USD to 90,000 USD. We all know that if the cost of living will be higher in your region the salary will be 10 to 15 percent more than any other place. Regions like New York, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago or Los Angeles. There are some speciality areas too which have higher salaries like forensic psychology and neuropsychology. You may get the salary into the six digits. If you are a proper clinical psychologist with a practice of around 10 to 20 years, you can get up to 90,000 USD to 1,50,000 USD.
Work Settings:
It varies according to the area of work and speciality. For universities and colleges generally research psychologists get the appointment. The course is designed in such a manner that each semester you are required to learn about the specific thing which will give you a thorough knowledge of the outer world. It makes you confident so that you can work in any kind of environment.
Most of the psychologists are also termed as industrial psychologists because they work in the corporations and companies. They help the companies and the employees to manage the firm in a better way. It requires human resources related work and it is a very stable field. The neuropsychologists and forensic psychologists work in private practices. Neuropsychologists work in the settings of the hospital and forensic testifies the court and their settings. Neuropsychologists work closely with the multidisciplinary team of the hospital including doctors.
Clinical psychologists work in many different settings. Generally in public mental health and private practice. You may also find them in some universities or colleges where they give clinical counselling to the students and the employees. They also help the students in finding the solution of the milder problems and help them in adjusting to the college life.
Some Positive Aspects Of This Job:
- You will get to see the results of your work soon.
- You will get rewarded directly from the people as you will be able to deal with their problems.
- It is a nice to five job with a kind of flexibility for some.
- For most of the profession, it is a white collar setting
- Networking and collaboration with the other professionals
- If you have established in the company once, it is a totally dependent work
- It is a diverse field which offers many opportunities
- It is basically required in large professional organizations
Negative Aspects Of The Job:
- Though it has a nice to five scenario but sometimes it takes long hours
- It is more challenging due to managed care
- You can feel as an isolated professional especially in the private practice.
- It can be emotionally tough for some
- There is no job security especially in the universities
- There is a wide range of competition in this field so it requires a lot of effort like direct marketing if you want to make a stand in the outer world.
- Sometimes the clients never come back after the first session so you will not get to know about the results.
- It is hard for any profession to make a name in the new community; the same thing applies on this too.
You must have understood that how to become a psychologist? And also that being a psychologist is a very interesting and challenging job. If you want to become one follow the above-mentioned tips and talk to a professional regarding the same as he/she will be able to tell you the actual or present position.
