What can I do with a BA in Psychology? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

WhiteDevil · 02-08-2006, 10:03 PM

I'm going to be graduating (god willing) this May, at which time I need to get a job and move out of my parents' house. I plan on going to graduate school, but I need a job to live off of while I work on my Master's or Doctorate. What jobs can I get with my BA in Psych?

shakran · 02-08-2006, 10:26 PM

Not a whole helluva lot in your field. You need at minimum a masters to work in psychology, and most universities require a masters to teach it. You don't have a teaching certificate so you can't teach it at the high school level either. You'll probably end up working for a corporation while you earn that masters.

That said, as I'm sure you know from your major coursework, you can hang out a shingle as a "therapist" even if your degree is in basket weaving

Willravel · 02-08-2006, 10:30 PM

Aparently, you can be in upper managment at a .com. Whn I graudated, I simply posted on Monster.com and got several interviews (include your GPA if it's decent). I interviewed with several places (be wary of multi level marketing jobs, a.k.a. pyramid scams). A BA in anything can get you certian jobs. I applied to work at several psychology related jobs, only to find out that a BA doesn't mean much in the psychology world. Look for a job that fits your school schedule and that won'tfrustrate you daily. Look for somthing that will be financialy stable.

abaya · 02-08-2006, 10:41 PM

This thread might be of help:

http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=98967

I answered a lot of questions there about getting assistantships for a liberal arts degree. If you are planning to get a PhD in psychology, chances are that you will get funded for a significant portion of your degree simply by being a TA or RA. In other words, you should not need to "work" your way through graduate school.. it's not like undergrad, at least not in your field.

If you don't know how this system works, I highly recommend you get the book "Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student's Guide to Earning an MA or PhD" and familiarize yourself with academia. It's a whole other world compared to being an undergraduate.

Good luck, and let us know if you have more specific questions.

Rodney · 02-09-2006, 06:10 PM

BA in psych also might get you an aide or counselor's job at a group home for teens or similar in-the-trenches work with nonprofits that provide services for the homeless, mentally ill, mentally handicapped, traumatized, or addicted. Pay won't be high, and it's not for the timid. But it's experience with a capital E.

zfleebin · 02-09-2006, 08:29 PM

With a B.S. in Psychology I have worked at a psychiatric ward, residential treatment center, and autism center. The highest paying (and least rewarding) of the three was 16/hr for the psych ward. I would recommend working with different age groups and in clinical settings so that you have a better idea of where you want to work and which populations you enjoy working with the most. One more thing, START STUDYING FOR THE GRE.

dawnoffawn · 02-10-2006, 12:04 AM

I was thinking of the same question,lol.
I'm a recent Psychology graduate and I'm not planning on continuing for higher education and it's so hard finding a job!
Good luck!

clavus · 02-14-2006, 01:43 PM

You could be a corporate trainer.
You could be a teacher
You could be a social worker
You could get an advanced degree in HR and go into that field.
You could be a cop
You could go into the Army, Navy, AF, Marines, Coast Guard or Border Patrol
You could go into PR or advertising
You could get into sales

dawnoffawn · 05-04-2006, 10:25 PM

what's the difference between a BS in Psychology and a BA in Psychology?

skier · 05-04-2006, 10:37 PM

Well, i think the biggest thing is that you do actually have a degree compared to some guy that just has a high school education.

If you're looking for a temporary high paying job until you get into grad school, opportunities will probably be few and far between with just the BA. You'd have best luck by networking with professors and basically anyone that can throw some weight into your resume and maybe even toss you a good job.

amonkie · 05-05-2006, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hundove

what's the difference between a BS in Psychology and a BA in Psychology?

BS - Bachelor of Science

BA - Bachelor of Arts

The BS is supposedly more Science/math based, while a BA is more Liberal Arts based. I have a BS in Applied Psychology and and currently working on a MS in Experimental/Applied Psych.

dawnoffawn · 05-05-2006, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amonkie

I have a BS in Applied Psychology and and currently working on a MS in Experimental/Applied Psych.

Thanks for clarifying

02-08-2006, 10:03 PM	#1 (permalink)
WhiteDevil Brave Corporate Logo Location: Undisclosed	What can I do with a BA in Psychology? I'm going to be graduating (god willing) this May, at which time I need to get a job and move out of my parents' house. I plan on going to graduate school, but I need a job to live off of while I work on my Master's or Doctorate. What jobs can I get with my BA in Psych? __________________ Join me or die! Can you do any less?

02-08-2006, 10:41 PM	#4 (permalink)
abaya Location: Iceland	This thread might be of help: http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=98967 I answered a lot of questions there about getting assistantships for a liberal arts degree. If you are planning to get a PhD in psychology, chances are that you will get funded for a significant portion of your degree simply by being a TA or RA. In other words, you should not need to "work" your way through graduate school.. it's not like undergrad, at least not in your field. If you don't know how this system works, I highly recommend you get the book "Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student's Guide to Earning an MA or PhD" and familiarize yourself with academia. It's a whole other world compared to being an undergraduate. Good luck, and let us know if you have more specific questions. __________________ And think not you can direct the course of Love; for Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. --Khalil Gibran

02-14-2006, 01:43 PM	#8 (permalink)
clavus pow! Location: NorCal	You could be a corporate trainer. You could be a teacher You could be a social worker You could get an advanced degree in HR and go into that field. You could be a cop You could go into the Army, Navy, AF, Marines, Coast Guard or Border Patrol You could go into PR or advertising You could get into sales __________________ Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.

05-04-2006, 10:37 PM	#10 (permalink)
skier Rawr! Location: Edmontania	Well, i think the biggest thing is that you do actually have a degree compared to some guy that just has a high school education. If you're looking for a temporary high paying job until you get into grad school, opportunities will probably be few and far between with just the BA. You'd have best luck by networking with professors and basically anyone that can throw some weight into your resume and maybe even toss you a good job. __________________ "Asking a bomb squad if an old bomb is still "real" is not the best thing to do if you want to save it." - denim

02-08-2006, 10:26 PM	#2 (permalink)
shakran Tone.	Not a whole helluva lot in your field. You need at minimum a masters to work in psychology, and most universities require a masters to teach it. You don't have a teaching certificate so you can't teach it at the high school level either. You'll probably end up working for a corporation while you earn that masters. That said, as I'm sure you know from your major coursework, you can hang out a shingle as a "therapist" even if your degree is in basket weaving

02-08-2006, 10:30 PM	#3 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	Aparently, you can be in upper managment at a .com. Whn I graudated, I simply posted on Monster.com and got several interviews (include your GPA if it's decent). I interviewed with several places (be wary of multi level marketing jobs, a.k.a. pyramid scams). A BA in anything can get you certian jobs. I applied to work at several psychology related jobs, only to find out that a BA doesn't mean much in the psychology world. Look for a job that fits your school schedule and that won'tfrustrate you daily. Look for somthing that will be financialy stable.

02-09-2006, 06:10 PM	#5 (permalink)
Rodney Observant Ruminant Location: Rich Wannabe Hippie Town	BA in psych also might get you an aide or counselor's job at a group home for teens or similar in-the-trenches work with nonprofits that provide services for the homeless, mentally ill, mentally handicapped, traumatized, or addicted. Pay won't be high, and it's not for the timid. But it's experience with a capital E.

02-09-2006, 08:29 PM	#6 (permalink)
zfleebin Addict	With a B.S. in Psychology I have worked at a psychiatric ward, residential treatment center, and autism center. The highest paying (and least rewarding) of the three was 16/hr for the psych ward. I would recommend working with different age groups and in clinical settings so that you have a better idea of where you want to work and which populations you enjoy working with the most. One more thing, START STUDYING FOR THE GRE.

02-10-2006, 12:04 AM	#7 (permalink)
dawnoffawn Crazy	I was thinking of the same question,lol. I'm a recent Psychology graduate and I'm not planning on continuing for higher education and it's so hard finding a job! Good luck!

05-04-2006, 10:25 PM	#9 (permalink)
dawnoffawn Crazy	what's the difference between a BS in Psychology and a BA in Psychology?