You know the drill. You sit down for a meal at a family gathering when the conversation
inevitably turns to how you are doing in college. When you reveal that you are pursuing
a psychology major, you may encounter rolling eyeballs and one of three responses:
- “How will you ever get a job with a psychology major?”
- “Are you going to analyze me?”
- “Did you go into psychology to fix your problems?”
It is frustrating to experience so little enthusiasm from your loved ones about your
choice of major. However, as William Shakespeare said in “Henry V,” “All things are
ready, if our mind be so.” With a little preparation, you can provide a dazzling explanation
for your major and demystify the psychology major for those with limited background.
The Psychology Major as a Workforce Degree
About 40 percent of students who get a baccalaureate degree in psychology move into
graduate school or professional training of some kind. This statistic means the majority
of majors will be in the job market upon graduation. Although want ads may not specify
“only psychology majors need apply,” people who are savvy about how to address challenges
in human behavior should be able to find employment even in tight job markets.
The American Psychological Association recently revised its Guidelines for the Undergraduate
Psychology Major (hereafter referred to as Guidelines 2.0) in a manner that should
provide some assistance in your efforts to educate family and friends about the psychology
major. The document identified psychology as a premier choice for versatile career
preparation. Among other objectives, Guidelines 2.0 produced a succinct overview of
the skills an undergraduate major should foster, including:
- An expert background in scientific explanations of human behavior.Refined critical
thinking skills.
- Effective communication skills in speaking and writing.
- Ethical and social responsibility in a diverse world.
- Professional development.
- Assuming your program adheres to the guidelines advocated by APA, you should be getting
the right background that will
- make you competitive for the workforce.
Monetary concerns often underlie your relatives’ questions about job preparation in
the major. Unhappily, psychology majors who move into entry-level positions do tend
to garner some of the lowest salaries in the workforce. However, this fact should
not dissuade you from pursuing a major you love. Entry-level salaries merely open
the door on a career that may be rich in opportunities for promotion and substantial
pay increases over time. Although the average starting salary of a psychology major
is less than $40,000 (Rajecki & Borden, 2011), the capacity for earning a larger income
will improve with successful work performance.
Another strategy is to point out that the psychology degree provides other satisfactions
beyond generating income. Many students who elect to study psychology wish to do so
because it enhances the meaning of their lives by preparing for careers that will
be directly useful in helping others. Satisfaction can be derived in a helping career,
whether that help is rendered in direct service (e.g., mental health, sales, human
resources, education) or through the application of research skills to solve human
problems.
On Analyzing Others
Psychology students are often better-than-average observers of human behavior. They
can apply the theory of mind to decode motives and predict possible courses of action
that others might take. However, Guidelines 2.0 clearly states that undergraduate
psychology students will not be ready to take on the challenge of providing individual
therapy with only a baccalaureate degree. Graduate programs are happy to provide that
level of training. So for now, your relatives should be safe from any special analytic
powers your undergraduate degree might confer.
On Healing the Self
Although students may be able to develop insights into their own psychological make-up
as a function of the major, little in the undergraduate curriculum directly targets
that outcome. The primary focus of the undergraduate degree is the development of
understanding concepts, principles and theories from a scientific standpoint. A more
direct route for deep self-insight is therapy, not undergraduate education.
I encourage you to take a look at Guidelines 2.0 before your next family gathering
and to give some thought to your unique interests being served by your major. A more
enlightened response from you can not only take off the pressure, it can go a long
way toward demystifying the major.
References
Baldwin, D. A., & Baird, J. A. (2001). Discerning intentions in dynamic human interaction.
Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 5, 171-178.
Rajecki, D. W., & Borden, V. M. H. (2010). First-year employment outcomes of U.S.
psychology graduates revisited: Need for a degree, salary, and relatedness to the
major. Psychology Learning & Teaching, 8(2), 23–30.
