We graduated 2:1 from Bath 2 years ago and haven't gotten a single job offer since...

My hear sinks when I hear of all the people doing psychology degrees these days. I am a mother of 4 (youngest going to university in October) and all of them have had friends who did psychology. Few found related jobs. If you want to do clinical psychology, you need a 1st and be accepted on the highly competitive PhD programme. As an alternative, one can do mental health nursing and perhaps go for psychotherapy in the future. It is an interesting time to work in mental health.

It's actually not quite that bad; you need a 2,1 (about 83% of those on the doctorate course have that) and there are roughly one in five places available. Not great but certainly could be worse. It's getting the paid experience and AP posts which is the massive problem.

A degree that isn't seriously respected by who exactly? By you? By employers?

For psychology graduates, you'll find that their degree is seriously respected by employers in all of the areas in which they may choose to pursue a career. Whether that be in the prison service, police, probation, mental health services, the NHS, marketing and promotions, education and whatever else have you. This is because they, unlike you, know what a degree in psychology entails, what skills it presents, what areas of study are covered.

It goes without saying that this degree would not be respected in areas dealing with skills such as that provided only by physics or history.

Likewise, a degree in physics or history would be smirked at in many of these areas in which psychology is sought after, they simply wouldn't be useful.

The fact that you and other people on this forum don't respect a degree in psychology is simply a non-issue. We do not intend to convince you, we intend to convince employers who are already aware of what Psychology is.


The fact that the OP is in this position is due to his lack of post-grad. Psychologists require years of study and training over that which could possibly be offered in an undergraduate degree.

I don't doubt that they don't have problems getting jobs, however whilst they may find jobs, clearly people doing degrees that are traditionally regarded as worth less are finding jobs as well, otherwise the youth unemployment rate would be vastly above the 25% it currently is.

I'm being generous with my language, but the point standards. Psychology degree = job in psychology field.. which is very small and over subscribed. History degree = job in media, law, politics, business.... your options aren't anywhere near as restricted. The way I see it, if you know you don't want to go into scientific research of finance, history is the broadest degree that keeps a wide number of career options open to you. Law has better job prospects, but again limits you. Then we are left with arts and social sciences, of which I think history is the most employable.

Keep living in your dream world, the fact that OP and all her friends are in this position shows otherwise

Heheheheehehehehehehe...I can't wait till you graduate.
You think you're special. Got it all sorted. Know the answer to unemployment.

OP seems to have been applying to jobs where volunteers may be taken over a paid applicant (and many, many people will opt to volunteer as this helps to get onto a Clinical Doctorate, these applicants would be similarly or more highly qualified than the OP), and it's entirely possible that other applicants had masters degrees already.

It seems that it's the choices the OP has made, rather than the degree. Is the OP really applying for the right positions?

In any case this disproves nothing. Is the OP not loosing out to other Psychology graduates? We don't know.

Imperial
Bath is not a target uni for top employers.

Well if infinite is being generous... does that mean you think the real situation is that history has more than infinitely more job prospects?

Yes. I have worked in retail, cleaning, dishwashing, floor sweeping, serving (waitressing events). These were all small jobs to fill in the gaps whilst I tried to find something better.

True.....AP adverts don't stay up long. One at my trust was only on the NHS jobs website for a few hours. There's only one today and that's in Durham, so lots of Durham students may be chasing that!

www.jobs.nhs.uk/cgi-bin/vacdetails.cgi?selection=912862952

Fellow mom here. Really interesting. Thanks for posting the link. Are AP posts advertised trust by trust or is there a central place where you can find them all gathered together as well? Tough if the applicants have to go through every trust in the country and the ads are only up for a few hours!

Not sure whether they'd be advertised elsewhere too, but the NHS jobs website has them.

www.jobs.nhs.uk/index.html use the search box for 'assistant psychologist' and it will come up with any at any trust.

You certainly have to be on the ball. My eldest was after a lab assistant job when he first graduated and similarly, ads would disappear very quickly.

no it means I think it's generous to say that History has infinitely more job prospects. More prospects, yes, infinitely, perhaps not

Are any of you interested in mental health nursing? A PgDip takes 2 years and the fees are paid by the NHS. In the meantime, consider HCA work in mental health.

www.jobs.nhs.uk/index.html

The PgDip course would be incredibly competitive but is a very good career choice.

My heart sinks when I hear of all the people doing psychology degrees these days. I am a mother of 4 (youngest going to university in October) and all of them have had friends who did psychology. Few found related jobs. If you want to do clinical psychology, you need a 1st and be accepted on the highly competitive PhD programme. As an alternative, one can do mental health nursing and perhaps go for psychotherapy in the future. It is an interesting time to work in mental health.

Many will disagree with me, but I also have to say that the money is very good. In London, the starting salary for a newly qualified MHN is just under £25k!

Good advice but be careful when assuming that all psychology students want to be clinical psychologists, personally I know that myself along with about 75% of my course want nothing to do with the clinical, educational or forensic fields that you most think of when you think psychology. I agree with looking for health related jobs though; personally I want to be an occupational therapist when I graduate (will need to do a PG but hey!)