Career in Psychology

In recent times, people have become more and more aware about the importance of mental health. With various ted talks, professionals and educational institutions promoting and educating people about the importance of one’s mental health, the field of psychology is on the rise. People are interested in studying this field and more and more students are taking it up as a career path.

Moreover, in today’s society we thrive on performance, competition and perfection. As a consequence we naturally deal with a great amount of stress every single day. This leads to an insidious increase in the stress levels. But most people are ignorant to that or turn a blind eye to it which later can lead to negative consequences. With time, their mental health keeps on deteriorating. Therefore, these individuals need the help of professionals so that their mental health can be closely examined and evaluated.

There is a growing demand for professional psychologists and  health institutions for people looking to seek help. There is also a huge demand among students for educational institutions especially schools, vocational, and industrial institutions which provide degrees in psychology.

Reasons to pursue a career in psychology:

1. Growing demand for mental health professionals: 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment for psychologists overall will grow by 19 percent between 2014 and 2024, which is much faster than the 7 percent average growth predicted for all occupations. At this growth rate, there would be an influx of a huge number of career opportunities. 

1. Improves the temperament of an individual: 

Psychology is an art based on scientific method. Psychology uses scientific methods and knowledge about the human mind and behavior to help individuals deal with their problems and issues.

1. Lots of room for specialization and development: 

Psychology offers a plethora of subfields which can be chosen by students for specialization based on their interest. Some of those are listed further below(under career options).

1. Personality development: 

Psychology helps an individual to become more self aware and have an increased self-understanding. It helps them develop their interpersonal relationships in all facets of their lives, be it personal or professional.

1. Improve employability in other fields: 

Graduates of psychology programs may pursue a career in any of the following fields: Advertising and marketing, education, business, human resources, medical and health services, management, social work and community outreach.

Career options:

•        Forensic Psychology - If you particularly interested in psychology in the field of criminal investigation and the law, then forensic psychology is your cup of tea

•       Educational Psychology - Educational psychologists study how people learn, including teaching methods, instructional processes, and individual differences in learning.

•      Sports Psychology - Psychology has a lot of demand in sports too. These professionals study how psychological factors influence sports, athletic performance, exercise, and physical activity. They also help athletes utilize psychology to improve their sports performance and mental and physical well-being.

•       Counseling Psychology - This is rather the most traditional form of psychology where professionals assist people with emotional and mental health issues to improve and get rid of feelings of distress.

•        Clinical Psychology - Clinical psychologists study psychopathology and help assess and treat mental, emotional and behavioral disorders.

•       Organizational Psychology - These professionals focus on the behavior of employees in a workplace. They study the structure of an organization and ways in which the people in it interact, in order to improve the organization.

•         Developmental Psychology - Developmental psychologists study how people grow and adapt at different life stages. In school and college levels, they mainly focus on teaching and research.

•        Media Psychology - Media psychologists focus on the interaction of human behavior with media and technology. They are able to perform activities that include consulting, design, and production in various media like television, films, and news broadcasting.

•       Community and Health Psychology - This branch of psychology focuses on community health. They are mostly  concerned with the theory and method of working with communities to combat disease and to promote health.

•         Geriatric Psychology - Geriatric psychologists focus on the theory and method of working with communities to combat disease and to promote health. They help this older section of our society with memory illness, coordination and learning capabilities.

•        Behavior Therapy - This branch focuses on the study and analysis of observable behavior. They also help people identify and limit negative behaviors.

Courses and Institutions:

1.        University of Delhi: Universities of Delhi (DU) offers both bachelors and masters degree for psychology. Some top colleges for psychology are Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Gargi College, Jesus and Mary College.

2.        AIIMS Delhi: AIIMS is the number one institute in India for medical science. It also offers courses on Clinical Psychology.

3.      Christ University, Bangalore : Christ University, Bangalore offers an honours course on psychology which is highly reputed in foreign universities. 

Other top universities in India are:

1. St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai

2. Fergusson College, Pune

3. Bethune college, Kolkata

4. Symbiosis College of arts and commerce, Pune

5. KJ Somaiya College of Arts and Commerce, Mumbai