So You Have Taken Psychology. Now What?
Hello! I’m a psychologist and currently doing my private practice with 2+ years of experience in the field and here are some things I genuinely wish people had told me earlier, so now I’m telling you🥹
One thing I’ve realised is that psychology is SUCH a broad field, but somehow people make it sound like therapy is the only option after psychology. It really isn’t.
I thought I’ll become a clinical psychologist, but fate had other plans 🥲 and honestly, that really disappointed me for a long time (had many MANY breakdowns over it lol). I think people don’t talk enough about how exhausting and confusing this field can feel sometimes. You put so much mental, emotional, and financial energy into a degree, only to later question whether this is even the path you want anymore. And if you’re feeling that way right now, that feeling is VERY normal.
During my bachelors and even during my masters, I had so many friends studying psychology with me, and now almost all of us are doing completely different things. Some are in therapy, some are working in schools, some shifted towards HR and marketing, some are into research, some are working in rehab settings, and some are still figuring things out by getting another degree which is also completely okay.
Like for example If therapy feels like your thing, amazing. You can go ahead with counselling, working in clinics, private practice, hospitals, etc. If one-on-one therapy emotionally drains you, maybe school counselling feels better because you enjoy working with children and adolescents in a more structured environment. If clinical settings don’t feel right for you, you can explore HR, recruitment, organisational behaviour, marketing, consumer psychology, social media strategy, etc. because understanding human behaviour is genuinely useful there. If rehabilitation work interests you, you can work in de addiction centres, psychiatric rehab centres, NGOs, child development centres, special education settings, and similar spaces.
Some people genuinely enjoy research and academics more than direct client work. Some people go into psychometric testing, career counselling, corporate wellness, EAPs, behavioural support roles, content creation, mental health startups, UX research, and so much more. And I think internships help A LOT in understanding what actually suits you.
A lot of us enter psychology with one idea of ourselves and leave with a completely different career path in mind 😭 and that’s normal. I always thought I’d become a clinical psychologist, but I couldn’t afford pursuing MPhil, so I started working after my masters instead. Initially I felt very lost, but over time I realised I genuinely enjoy working with children, adolescents, adults, taking workshops, doing career guidance assessments, school counselling, and slowly building my private practice.
You really do not need to have everything figured out immediately after your bachelors or masters. Most of us are honestly figuring it out as we go. If you have any questions, feel free to ask :)