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What have you done since graduating from Psychology?

What have you done since you graduated from your Psychology degree? What are your future career plans? I graduated last year and worked as a Health Care Assistant for six months and then went travelling for four months.
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Had a mental breakdown and became unemployed for a few years
Reply 2
Took time out. traveled. Quit working for the uni (disillusioned); became room cleaner for a resort.

Started online tutor biz for psych and stats students; kept cleaning --> community group incorporation redistributing and refurbishing recyclables.

Project managed work for dole programs that I designed, for two years. Enabled me to deliver pro bono community services in high needs areas in Cairns; inc. daily living supports, life skills, afterschool programs, other nfp delivery support, Council community service management, festival sponsorships and project management, attending area meetings and collaborating for events/activities.

Running a craft based gift store with free community workshops to encourage social circles across generations and ethnic groups. Enhanced community resiliency. Providing a presence for community advocacy events such as save our turtles, close the gap and water and landscape resilience.

Now well skilled and demonstrated ability to argue before Magistrates and represent oneself at Tribunals; prepare others for Tribunals.

In 2011 i completed a TESOL cert (half my students are international, predominantly Arabic), and a post grad cert in tertiary teaching.

Currently I work from home, re-igniting my online and offline psych and stats tutor services (plug!). The hiatus has created havoc with my domains~ sigh. such is life.

Basically, much Adventure. Best degree ever. Too bad about the high school approach to senior lecturing and running departments.

I love love love how my degree/cert/ongoing learning enables me to be sustainable (mostly lol), to choose my jobs and to be enthused to wake up in the morning, greet the day and contribute to my community. Soaking up paradise in FNQ.
Reply 3
Worked as an assistant psychologist in the NHS since I graduated (one year within health psychology, and coming up to one year in secure mental health). I'm starting my clinical psychology doctorate in the autumn.
Original post by memifer
Worked as an assistant psychologist in the NHS since I graduated (one year within health psychology, and coming up to one year in secure mental health). I'm starting my clinical psychology doctorate in the autumn.


sweet what uni did you goto?

whats working an assistant psychologist like?
Reply 5
Had a bit of an up and down time, to be honest.

My mum died the month after I graduated, so I had some time out to grieve and cope with that. Focused on sport mainly during that time, I competed a couple of times. That and the Olympics made me realise how happy sport and exercise makes me, so I applied for my MSc in Sport & Exercise Psychology.

Started that in 2013, had to intermit in April 2014 because I was too ill to be there. 6 days after I stopped uni I was admitted to hospital, and spent just over 5 months there. Returned to uni in September 2014 (the week after I was discharged from hospital!), and this summer I complete my Masters (dissertation is due in 1 month today!)

Had an interview with a police force (civilian role) last month, although recruitment has just been put on hold so who knows when I will find out. :frown: Ideally I would love to go into research or working with the police, so this would be perfect, but we shall see.
one page in, what has this thread taught us...
for god's sake don't do psychology
Reply 7
Original post by scrawlx101
sweet what uni did you goto?

whats working an assistant psychologist like?


I went to Liverpool John Moores.

The role of the AP really depends upon which service you work in. In my first role I did a lot of psychometric assessments, clinical interviews, group psychoeducation, one to one therapeutic work, research, audit, service development. In my current role I hold a small caseload so I do one to one therapeutic sessions, attend MDT meetings as 'psychology representative', take part in care planning meetings, undertake risk assessments, contribute to discharge planning (this involves multiagency work), audit, research, staff training, running reflective practice groups....its a busy job! All work is done under the supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist and I get weekly supervision.
:frown: does the lack of responses mean that ppl on here regret doing psychology because i want to do it at uni and ive already started doing a PS on it..
Original post by scrawlx101
:frown: does the lack of responses mean that ppl on here regret doing psychology because i want to do it at uni and ive already started doing a PS on it..


If you want a degree where you are highly likely to get employed in that field afterwards- stick to medicine, computer science or egineering (or something like that). There are a huge number of psychology graduates and a tiny proportion will end up as psychologists. However if your really committed and get good grades you can become a psychologist, whether its in research or something applied.

A psychology degree is a generally useful degree, and employers like the mix of skills you get from it. It's more like a humanities degree in the end where most people will apply for some general jobs with it.

I've done a masters and am going to be employed next year at a university to be a research assistant in psychology (essentially running studies / doing the leg work for the professors). Research and university must be one of the biggest employers of psychologists, although its a bit of a pryamid scheme where the number of jobs decreases as you move from phd-> lecturer -> professor , a lot of people move out of university work at various stages.
(edited 8 years ago)
My friends who did the same degree as me went on to quite a range of different things:
PhD
Teacher
HR
Psychology masters (occupational / business)
Various graduate schemes
Research Assistants
Assistant Psychologist
Doing a PhD now, having completed my Master's last year. Nevertheless, part of me wishes I'd studied more of a 'hard science' as an undergrad, as it would've put me in better stead for what I want to do now.
i know a girl who went into porn.
Original post by llacerta
Doing a PhD now, having completed my Master's last year. Nevertheless, part of me wishes I'd studied more of a 'hard science' as an undergrad, as it would've put me in better stead for what I want to do now.

What is it you want to do now?
Original post by lightbulbflash
My friends who did the same degree as me went on to quite a range of different things:
PhD
Teacher
HR
Psychology masters (occupational / business)
Various graduate schemes
Research Assistants
Assistant Psychologist


what did yo do?

is HR fun/ineterseting?

what type of grad schemes?
Original post by scrawlx101
what did yo do?

is HR fun/ineterseting?

what type of grad schemes?


I graduated last year and since then I worked as a health care assistant (HCA) for half a year and then travelled for the second half. I'm back doing my HCA job now but looking for assistant psychologist posts.

Grad schemes such as: Aldi, barclays, RBS, M&S etc.

My friend who works in HR is happy but she does find it boring. I think it pays alright. She said that she won't be doing it forever though!
Original post by Bill_Gates
i know a girl who went into porn.




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:eek:.
Original post by lightbulbflash
I graduated last year and since then I worked as a health care assistant (HCA) for half a year and then travelled for the second half. I'm back doing my HCA job now but looking for assistant psychologist posts.

Grad schemes such as: Aldi, barclays, RBS, M&S etc.

My friend who works in HR is happy but she does find it boring. I think it pays alright. She said that she won't be doing it forever though!


how hard was it for you to get a health care assistant role? is it fund.interesting? where did you goto uni? did you enjoy psychology?
Original post by iammichealjackson
If you want a degree where you are highly likely to get employed in that field afterwards- stick to medicine, computer science or egineering (or something like that). There are a huge number of psychology graduates and a tiny proportion will end up as psychologists. However if your really committed and get good grades you can become a psychologist, whether its in research or something applied.

A psychology degree is a generally useful degree, and employers like the mix of skills you get from it. It's more like a humanities degree in the end where most people will apply for some general jobs with it.

I've done a masters and am going to be employed next year at a university to be a research assistant in psychology (essentially running studies / doing the leg work for the professors). Research and university must be one of the biggest employers of psychologists, although its a bit of a pryamid scheme where the number of jobs decreases as you move from phd-> lecturer -> professor , a lot of people move out of university work at various stages.


And you get relevant psychology research experience (your disso does not count!).

Getting psych-research experience is one of the hardest things.

OP, if you are into clinical or educational, you MUST check this site regularly: http://www.clinpsy.org.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=32
Original post by lightbulbflash
My friends who did the same degree as me went on to quite a range of different things:
PhD
Teacher
HR
Psychology masters (occupational / business)
Various graduate schemes
Research Assistants
Assistant Psychologist


PhD*
Teacher*
HR*
Psychology masters (occupational / business)*
Various graduate schemes*

Research Assistants
Assistant Psychologist

---

The ones with single asterisks are relevant to any degree. Only RA and AP are relevant to psychology and they are ridiculously competitive to get into (maybe because most people doing it are after a place in a Clin Psy doctorate).

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