Does anyone here have a degree in Psychology?
 

If you have a degree in Psychology let me know! I have some questions regarding careers and your personal experiences.

A friend of mine has one from waterloo. He's now at BCIT taking the marketing program.

^ ouch. That doesn't sound too good.

yeah, he was telling me there's really nothing out there unless you plan on going for further education.

yup! a BA in psychology is basically useless, much like other degrees out there. Unless you go further into your masters, and continue onto being a psychologist or maybe become a counsellor.

Most of the people I know who got their bachelors in psychology are doing things that are completely irrelevant to the field.

I have a friend who got her BSc in Psyc who is now in nursing. Somewhat related in terms of human interaction, but also a different career path.

I'm currently in my last year at UBC and will be receiving my BA; major in Psychology and minor in Economics. Much like many other degrees out there, having a single BA degree will only take you so far (i.e. relatively synonymous with other BA degrees in terms of job considerations, limitation and eligibility to entry level jobs) but if you're dedicated and motivated, you could turn your interest in Psychology into a profession by earning your masters or Ph.D. in the various specialties within the science and domain of Psychology.

The majority of our provinces, governing, and regulating bodies accept the earning of a Ph.D. as the bare minimum and requirement (with the appropriate and relevant practicum experience of course) for practicing Psychology in Canada. With one exception, I do believe there is one province that allow a master’s degree (with a certain amount of hours engaged in practicum and shadowing from a qualified senior) to be the minimum standard for practicing Psychology. I have been biasing and tailoring this information based on the profession in Clinical Psychology as it my personal career path and choice of interest so I should mention that there are essentially three broad professional paths you can choose from. The first is academics, this is quite straight forward; as a specialist in Psychology in the academic arena, you will be lecturing in colleges or universities as well as conducting research. The second is more applicable to society where you can base your own or the available theories and methodologies towards business, industrial, or other similar real life decisions and plans. Thirdly, becoming a Clinical Psychologist you would be conducting assessments, interviews, and providing multiple and distinct therapies for clients (i.e. patients). It is important to stress the difference between a Psychologist and a Psychiatrist, remember that Psychiatry is medical and requires a whole different academic route.

If you are dedicated and motivated enough to earn your masters and Ph.D. which is typically 2 years and 3 years respectively (excluding the practicum), you will have many many options in terms of application and mobility within the profession. To give you an estimated average income of a psychologist in the different domains and opportunities in the workforce (estimates given to me by a Clinical Psychologist and professor at UBC): you could have the stability of working for a public organization (60-100k), the relatively less stable private sector (60-100k), the relatively even less stable academic arena (70-160k), and of course, the least stable but greatest salary range, private practice (0-400k). Many positions within Psychology are quite flexible as well as you can combine aspects of different professions into your liking. For instance, you can become a Forensic Court Psychologist and be involved in both the Psychological and legal domains (not to mention, if you become good at what you do, high level Forensic Court Psychologists can essentially charge any fee they want per hour).

My friend got one from SFU and has not done anything remotely related to the field except for sound smart in conversations. He is a waiter.