Would love to hear about your career path

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone,
I'm an incoming sophomore at UMD- not a mom, I know. I was drawn here by the extensive coverage of the Kane Show drama .
I'm planning to double major in Psychology (B.S.) and Spanish Literature (B.A.).
Any parents out there who studied either of these subjects? Know someone who did?
I'd love to hear about your career path. Did you go for a graduate degree? What was your starting job? What do you do now? Is there a field/ career path that you wish you'd explored?
Thanks!

[Anonymous]

You need a masters

[Anonymous]

OP- I'm aware of that. I would like to hear about various jobs that I might not know about.

[Anonymous]

If you were my child, I would counsel you out of those majors and into something practical. You are a sophomore- it is not too late.
What kind of job do you think you will get with those majors?

[Anonymous]

Psych is fascinating, literature will complement your depth of empathy and thinking. I'd say go through clinical psychologist or counseling.

[Anonymous]

Please choose something other than Psychology. And I say this as a liberal arts major. What about the sciences, business, engineering?

If you stick with psychology you 100% need a graduate degree.

What is your career aspiration?

[Anonymous]

Psychology is a fascinating field but I know people who have PhDs in psychology and still struggle to find work. The ones who do a better are the people who enjoy the statistical aspect of it and are able to write computer algorithms to crunch the data. I know that doesn't sound very psychology-like but you will be required to understand statistics to finish your degree(s).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Psychology is a fascinating field but I know people who have PhDs in psychology and still struggle to find work. The ones who do a better are the people who enjoy the statistical aspect of it and are able to write computer algorithms to crunch the data. I know that doesn't sound very psychology-like but you will be required to understand statistics to finish your degree(s).

My cousin is a psychology major who went into data science for his PhD. He now works for a major insurance company making $$$. Data science/stats is where it's at!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Psychology is a fascinating field but I know people who have PhDs in psychology and still struggle to find work. The ones who do a better are the people who enjoy the statistical aspect of it and are able to write computer algorithms to crunch the data. I know that doesn't sound very psychology-like but you will be required to understand statistics to finish your degree(s).

My cousin is a psychology major who went into data science for his PhD. He now works for a major insurance company making $$$. Data science/stats is where it's at!

+1 I have a BS in Psychology and started work right out of college in marketing research and then got an MBA and continued in the same field. I hire interns for my firm and we often hire psychology students and our most recent new hire was a psychology/economics double major.

However, with a 2nd major in literature it might signal to me that you are less interested in the quant side of the field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Psychology is a fascinating field but I know people who have PhDs in psychology and still struggle to find work. The ones who do a better are the people who enjoy the statistical aspect of it and are able to write computer algorithms to crunch the data. I know that doesn't sound very psychology-like but you will be required to understand statistics to finish your degree(s).

My cousin is a psychology major who went into data science for his PhD. He now works for a major insurance company making $$$. Data science/stats is where it's at!

+1 I have a BS in Psychology and started work right out of college in marketing research and then got an MBA and continued in the same field. I hire interns for my firm and we often hire psychology students and our most recent new hire was a psychology/economics double major.

However, with a 2nd major in literature it might signal to me that you are less interested in the quant side of the field.

I didn't major in psychology, however I have a PhD in psychology now and work very happily as a psychologist. It isn't a quick path to get a PhD in psychology, however if you can get into grad school and make it through an accredited program you should have no trouble establishing a career.

[Anonymous]

I have an undergrad in Psychology and a Master's in I/O psychology. It's worked very well for me. There's lots of work in this area of you are interested in organizational development, workforce analytics, or human capital strategy. Again it's lots of research and statistical analysis. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

OP, if psych works for you as a major, go with it. But what you need to be doing in the meantime is informational interviews with people doing the kinds of things you're seriously interested in. You find people through the alumni association or through family and friend networks and you ask them to tell you about their work, what they like about it, and what they needed in order to get into that kind of work. Start doing this, say, junior year. Stay in touch with people. Get a LinkedIn page and connect up with them.

There are lots of things you can do with a psych degree but you need to get out of the classroom and talk to people who are doing them to see if those paths would work for you.

FWIW I majored in theology years ago but now I'm a senior researcher with a PhD in sociology. When I changed fields a couple of times I got jobs through the networks I established through informational interviewing. I highly recommend it. Because your major doesn't necessarily define you but your ability to network will make a huge difference. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

It depends on what you want to do. If you want to work as a psychologist treating patients, you're going to need a higher degree. If you want to use your degree less directly (work for a non-profit, etc.), you don't need to pursue a master's or PhD. You might choose to do so after working a few years, but you wouldn't need it to get a job.

There are many routes you could take that don't directly involve being a psychologist. If you are interested in Spanish, I'd recommend developing strong spoken language skills and getting experience using it in real-life situations -- volunteer at a non-profit that works with immigrants, for example. Definitely also study abroad and make the most of the experience -- living with a host family or local roommate if at all possible so you get the most language practice you can.

There are many non-profits that focus on social issues related to Spanish-speaking populations. This might be an interesting field to focus on.

My background isn't in Spanish, but I joined the Peace Corps after college and got two years of experience living abroad and improving my language skills (French). When it came time to get a job after this, my international experience and connections helped a lot, and my language skills were much improved. It also helped me solidify my interest in working in the field of health NGOs.

[Anonymous]

I would go into the field of clinical psych if I had to do it over again. Of course a PhD is needed for that but it is a very rewarding and flexible field! Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I'd recommend pairing either a psych major OR a Spanish lit major with a quantitative major. You need to show employers you have specific skills.