is psychology worth doing??

Depending on why you are doing it, Psychology is a great degree to do and if you do a BSc with BPS accreditation is not at all a flimsy or easy degree. It is scientific and involves lots of statistical data analysis, practical research and report writing which looks good to employers in many fields. Likely careers you could go in to are the obvious (educational, counselling, forensic, clinical or occupational psychologist), also HR, Mental Health Workers, Information Analyst, Marketing, Research, the list goes on.
The neuroscience side of psychology is fascinating and is a big research area in a wide range of fields.

Reply 3

Egolessness

Original post by janmax

Depending on why you are doing it, Psychology is a great degree to do and if you do a BSc with BPS accreditation is not at all a flimsy or easy degree. It is scientific and involves lots of statistical data analysis, practical research and report writing which looks good to employers in many fields. Likely careers you could go in to are the obvious (educational, counselling, forensic, clinical or occupational psychologist), also HR, Mental Health Workers, Information Analyst, Marketing, Research, the list goes on.
The neuroscience side of psychology is fascinating and is a big research area in a wide range of fields.

I'm sorry but this is just optimistic nonsense along the lines of "do what you are passionate about and everything will work out!" This is not how the job market works. Psychology is a heavily oversubscribed degree and, frankly, there are too many people studying the subject and coming out with the same skills which employers do not value. It is a valuable degree in its own right, but let's be realistic here it isn't a gateway to these sorts of jobs for everyone - most clinical psychologists have a medical degree, for instance. Before you jump to conclusions that I am being arrogant or just up myself because I'm studying a more "practical" subject e.g. medicine, engineering, etc. I am actually going to study philosophy which is also very impractical even though it cultivates good verbal reasoning and abstract reasoning skills.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 4

lolly_lou

4

I'm doing psychology or hoping to anyway, as I want to work within the mental health services. Not as a nurse though but more of a counselling, psychologist role. I don't think it's impractical at all it can open doors for you, depends what you want to do in life really xx

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Reply 5

marada

I did a Psychology degree (in a distance past life!) and enjoyed it thoroughly, however as one poster has already said I would try and combine it with something a little more practical. Depending on what you want to go into why not consider doing a Social Work degree? Social Work consists of a direct career path and is even subsidised with an NHS bursary. A degree in Social Work is a lot more diverse and will open many of the same doors that a psychology degree would.

Reply 6

Leavemyarcelona

Original post by Egolessness

I'm sorry but this is just optimistic nonsense along the lines of "do what you are passionate about and everything will work out!" This is not how the job market works. Psychology is a heavily oversubscribed degree and, frankly, there are too many people studying the subject and coming out with the same skills which employers do not value. It is a valuable degree in its own right, but let's be realistic here it isn't a gateway to these sorts of jobs for everyone - most clinical psychologists have a medical degree, for instance. Before you jump to conclusions that I am being arrogant or just up myself because I'm studying a more "practical" subject e.g. medicine, engineering, etc. I am actually going to study philosophy which is also very impractical even though it cultivates good verbal reasoning and abstract reasoning skills.

Where are you getting that information from? Clinical psychologist positions require doctoral level education and training in psychology, which would mean the undergraduate degree, and a subsequent PhD or other doctoral level training. I'm sorry, but to say that 'most' clinical psychologists have gone through five years of a medical degree, and then just decided to subsequently revert back to further undergraduate study to then pursue psychology specifically and then do doctoral level training is simply not true. I work in mental health and I certainly haven't seen any evidence of this whatsoever. Have you perhaps confused consultant psychiatrists with clinical psychologists? Because otherwise, what you've just stated there is absolute nonsense. Even if you were interested in a career in psychology, why on earth would you pursue a career as a clinical psychologist, when, as a medical graduate as you seem to think, you are essentially already on the path of potentially becoming a psychiatrist?

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 7

scrotgrot

Really you have to do a Ph.D. and be exceptional to get anywhere in psychology but it is a very interesting field and one that will doubtless grow further in the near future

Reply 8

Adenosine

There are more psychology degrees out there then there are mental patients.

Good luck finding a job when you qualify. Even at a top university the chances are very slim. English is another worthless degree at university and any other Micky mouse degrees people take nowadays like film studies, sports science or ambulance. phahahahaha. You'll end up with a massive debt. TRUST ME.

I know like more than 9 people whom all went to top universities qualifying with a psychology degree from Oxford, Cambrdige, Mancheter, UCL etc. None of them I repeat, None of them can get a job. To even get noticed in that field you will need a phD.

The University is what makes you successful. Those that don't go to the top universities are simply wasting their time. Especially, in this climate when the chances of getting a job are very slim. (Jobs with moderate to high salaries)

Most people on here don't know what they're talking about because they're all students. They will soon see after receiving their BA in psychology that they'll end up doing a job that's not even related to psychology. Happens all the time. Most go into teaching where at the same time they study for their masters and then later a phD. Trust me do more traditional subjects like History, Medicine. In Medicine there is a 100% employment rate. But the competition is tough! One of my mates got 4 A* and got rejected.

_____
Honesty is the best policy.

Reply 9

Kc4324

I am very excited at the prospect of doing a psychology degree. For all those of you that have said it is a pointless degree, I strongly disagree. This country is currently trying to work on the stigma that is attached to people suffering with mental health illnesses. It is a statistic that 1 in 4 people will suffer with their mental health in any given year of their life. Society needs educating in this area and more services need to be provided for those who do suffer with mental health. I just hope that those that do pursue a psychology degree are doing it because it interests them and not because they have heard it is an easy degree.

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Reply 10

Confusedanddazed

Original post by djgno1

Hi guys, I'm 25 stuck in a dead end job considering returning to education. The last couple of years I have become really interested in psychology. I've been looking into going to plymouth uni, I need to do a year access course and am currently waiting to hear back if they will accept a OU access course. My worries are, a few people I have noticed online sayin psychology is a pointless degree. I would like to hear other peoples opinions and from anyone who has done the degree and what careers they have managed to enter. Any info would be much appreciated as I really want to get my life going in a good direction! Also one more thing I have been worrying about is whether a degree is even worth the 9 grand a year now?! Thanks

I say do what you interests you as you will regret it later if you don't

I'm in exactly the same boat as you career wise and age wise (26) and I am not really sure what I want to do with my life career wise. I have looked at various degree courses and have also found myself drawn to psychology based courses.

From and employer point of view I would see Psychology as a good degree to have on your CV and you will have access to a wide range of jobs once you graduate a lot more than people who study things like Art (which I did at college when I was 18) and more specialised subjects. I think the most important thing about jobs in this day and age is to show versatility and having a degree in Psychology shows you can think outside the box. It also shows you have in interest in people, you can work to targets and deadline with your work.

I personally know somebody who studied Psychology at Bradford University the didn't intend to use his degree as by the end of it he was ready to quit due to personal reasons but stuck with it. He then went to work for a call centre dealing with car insurance and then applied for a job higher in the company which was given to him because of his degree. They even pointed out that he was the youngest person to be given the job in this branch and that it would normally go to somebody with years more experience but his PSYCHOLOGY degree put him ahead of the rest.

what you choose to study is your choice at the end of the day don't let anybody sway you because they don't think its a proper degree who can say what a proper degree is today.

If it makes you happy do it and think about the jobs later after 3 years you might not even want to work in psychology but you will have studied something that interested you and you wont have any regrets later.

I personally know if you can have ANY degree in my line of work (Retail Management) and the people with degrees are on more than the ones without and they also have the better jobs.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 11

carlaraptor

9

Original post by Adenosine

There are more psychology degrees out there then there are mental patients.

Good luck finding a job when you qualify. Even at a top university the chances are very slim. English is another worthless degree at university and any other Micky mouse degrees people take nowadays like film studies, sports science or ambulance. phahahahaha. You'll end up with a massive debt. TRUST ME.

I know like more than 9 people whom all went to top universities qualifying with a psychology degree from Oxford, Cambrdige, Mancheter, UCL etc. None of them I repeat, None of them can get a job. To even get noticed in that field you will need a phD.

The University is what makes you successful. Those that don't go to the top universities are simply wasting their time. Especially, in this climate when the chances of getting a job are very slim. (Jobs with moderate to high salaries)

Most people on here don't know what they're talking about because they're all students. They will soon see after receiving their BA in psychology that they'll end up doing a job that's not even related to psychology. Happens all the time. Most go into teaching where at the same time they study for their masters and then later a phD. Trust me do more traditional subjects like History, Medicine. In Medicine there is a 100% employment rate. But the competition is tough! One of my mates got 4 A* and got rejected.

_____
Honesty is the best policy.

"There are more psychology degrees out there then there are mental patients." Are you kidding? I'm pretty sure that's wildly inaccurate.

Also, 'worthless' is quite a subjective term to use when talking about degrees. I'm hopefully going to be doing an English degree in 2014, and I really don't see how that is a useless degree.

Reply 12

Adenosine

Original post by carlaraptor

"There are more psychology degrees out there then there are mental patients." Are you kidding? I'm pretty sure that's wildly inaccurate.

Also, 'worthless' is quite a subjective term to use when talking about degrees. I'm hopefully going to be doing an English degree in 2014, and I really don't see how that is a useless degree.

I obviously did not mean that literally. It's just a saying that there are a load of people with psychology degrees out there whom cannot get a job in psychology.

'Worthless', is not subjective at all. Well good luck with that. When you can't get a job after your graduation don't say I didn't warn you. You know i'm not going to waste my time and your time advising you why you should not do English as a degree. You will suffer the consequences after you try and find a job in it.

If you're doing English at a top 10 university then I guess it will boost your future employment prospects. But I guarantee you will not be doing a high end job with an English degree in a university that is not top 10.

Reply 13

Nitrogen

Original post by Kc4324

I am very excited at the prospect of doing a psychology degree. For all those of you that have said it is a pointless degree, I strongly disagree. This country is currently trying to work on the stigma that is attached to people suffering with mental health illnesses. It is a statistic that 1 in 4 people will suffer with their mental health in any given year of their life. Society needs educating in this area and more services need to be provided for those who do suffer with mental health. I just hope that those that do pursue a psychology degree are doing it because it interests them and not because they have heard it is an easy degree.

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Its not worthless, but its not going to get you a job. Don't believe everything you see on the internet. Well okay lets assume 1 in 4 people may suffer from mental illness, but how many of them actually consults a psychologist. Whether society needs educating or not, it does not suddenly make a psychology degree valuable. Put it in simple economic terms, supply is greater than demand. Like many other has said, without a phd, getting a job in the field is near impossible. I would like to say that you're a prospective psychology student, so obviously your opinion would be biased.

Reply 14

Nitrogen

Original post by carlaraptor

"There are more psychology degrees out there then there are mental patients." Are you kidding? I'm pretty sure that's wildly inaccurate.

Also, 'worthless' is quite a subjective term to use when talking about degrees. I'm hopefully going to be doing an English degree in 2014, and I really don't see how that is a useless degree.

Original post by Adenosine

I obviously did not mean that literally. It's just a saying that there are a load of people with psychology degrees out there whom cannot get a job in psychology.

'Worthless', is not subjective at all. Well good luck with that. When you can't get a job after your graduation don't say I didn't warn you. You know i'm not going to waste my time and your time advising you why you should not do English as a degree. You will suffer the consequences after you try and find a job in it.

If you're doing English at a top 10 university then I guess it will boost your future employment prospects. But I guarantee you will not be doing a high end job with an English degree in a university that is not top 10.

Adenosine is actually right. Im sorry to burst your bubble, but even english graduates at oxford receive an average salary of £19,500. Just imagine what its like at other unis.

Reply 15

Kc4324

Original post by Nitrogen

Its not worthless, but its not going to get you a job. Don't believe everything you see on the internet. Well okay lets assume 1 in 4 people may suffer from mental illness, but how many of them actually consults a psychologist. Whether society needs educating or not, it does not suddenly make a psychology degree valuable. Put it in simple economic terms, supply is greater than demand. Like many other has said, without a phd, getting a job in the field is near impossible. I would like to say that you're a prospective psychology student, so obviously your opinion would be biased.

I'm sorry what do you mean "don't believe everything you see on the Internet" where exactly did I say I'd taken my information from the Internet? Also bearing in mind I have already worked within the field without having a degree in psychology kind of flattens your theory anyway. Could it possibly be that many of these graduates just don't have the life experience that employers are looking for or maybe even not performing at interviews well which is why they aren't getting jobs? I'm nearly 30 and my highest qualifications until now were just GSCE's. I've had many different jobs and also been successful at every interview I've had. I didn't need a degree for that.

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Reply 16

SarahGummer

6

I considered study psychology myself because it is a very interesting subject. I've since reconsidered and will be studying medicine in September, mostly because of the poor job prospects a psychology degree brings (that is related to clinical psychology). I'm a registered nurse at the moment and have worked or the nhs for 7 years. There are very very few jobs for clinical psychologists as it isn't well funded. It is true that to work as a psychologist you need to complete a phd and competition for places is tough. Many psychology graduates tend to work in marketing or other people related professions rather than in mental health.

If you want to work in mental health consider mental health nursing, you can go on to do counselling courses but at least you will definitely get a decent paid job upon graduation. Much of the mental health service is ran by mental health nurses, unless you fancy doing a medicine degree and becoming a psychiatrist. It's not to say its impossible to become a clinical psychologist but its ridiculously competitive

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 17

Adenosine

Most people do a subject they like doing at university. Without actually taking into consideration what the degree's actually worth and where it will actually get you.

One of my friend's had a 1st from Oxford for Physics, no job. Then did a masters, no job. Then did a PhD, job. I **** you not. Physics is one of those degrees where the chances of finding a job is so small but the rewards are great.

Graduates always think. 'Oh just finished from uni, gonna get a job, gonna do that, get my house, earn over 50k a year' 1 year later they're living with mummy or renting. Happens all the time.

If you want a degree which is going to guarantee you 100% employment then I would suggest: Medicine, Law, History, Sciences, Maths (ONLY IF YOU GET 2.1 and above, IF YOU GET A 2.2 IN SCIENCE YOU MAY AS WELL just use your certificate as toilet paper).

Employment in the high end: this is what they do. They have an automated system of everyone that applied to their job. They then only view the ones that achieved firsts, they then select the top 10 universities in the data. They all then issue them interviews. From which the chances of getting a job are something ridiculous like 1 in 3000 - That's what it was for investment banking.

Employers, they always in the end make sure they achieve those who represent the 5%. By a series of tests.

Those that went to average universities will obviously have a much lower intellect than the 5%. You don't pass the test, you don't get in. To even put your foot through the door at a high end job, you need a 2.1 and above. 80% of students at kings achieve 2.1. With 12% achieving firsts. So the last 8% - They're absolutely screwed.

Thus, 2 tier degrees like Politics, International Relations. You're not going to get high amounts of money. Majority convert later to Law or history.

Which makes me wonder how other people survive with their silly degrees. Or even good degrees but at rubbish universities.

Those people that say: 'It is the degree that counts, not the university'. Sorry, that is utter bull crap. My answer to that is: why even do a levels then? Everyone may as well go to London Metropolitan. LOL

_____
Honesty is the best policy. 100% realist. If you can't take the heat get out the kitchen.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 18

TheRealJT

6

Is a degree from the Open University deemed worthless? if I was to do a degree involving construction.... Regardless of the uni would it be worthless?

for example...

BSc (hons) construction management

Would that be useless if the uni wasn't the greatest? Bear in mind most top universities won't offer construction degrees.

Reply 19

oldie_2013