• Question: if i was wanting to go down the psychology path how would I? Is there a certain field that you would recommend? Is it a good job? Is it hard to get in to?

    Asked by anon-215904 to Laura, Kathryn, Ian, Chris, Bogdana, Alex on 14 Jun 2019.
    • Photo: Ian Cookson

      Ian Cookson answered on 14 Jun 2019:

      Initially you’d start with a general psychology degree. You could study psychology at a-level but it’s not necessary. Your degree will cover a number of different psychological perspectives such as social, cognitive, etc applied in different ways. Once you’re on your undergraduate path you will become more aware of what aspects interest you, and you’d then decide on further qualifications. It’s a great job, very rewarding and interesting, but because the work almost always involves people you need to be properly trained, which can take a number of years.

    • Photo: Bogdana Huma

      Bogdana Huma answered on 14 Jun 2019:

      The most direct path to becoming a psychologist in the UK is through completing an undergraduate psychology degree that is accredited by the BPS (the British Psychological Society). There are (according to the BPS) broadly nine specialist areas of psychology that you can work in:
      – Clinical Psychology
      – Health Psychology
      – Counselling Psychology
      – Neuropsychology
      – Educational Psychology
      – Sports and Exercise Psychology
      – Occupational Psychology
      – Forensic Psychology
      – Academic, Research, and Teaching

      For some of them you’ll need further specialist training at postgraduate level such as a Masters or a Doctorate degree.

      I would not recommend a field without knowing what you are passionate about. The good thing is that you’ll be able discover that yourself during your undergraduate studies, when you’ll get a taster of all the different fields.

      Like every professions, it can be hard at times. But also, it is immensely rewarding.

    • Photo: Alex Lloyd

      Alex Lloyd answered on 14 Jun 2019:

      The best way to get into psychology is through a degree at university level. This takes 3 years if you do the degree full time at a British university (Scottish universities have 4 year degrees). I would recommend going into the field that interests you most! The wonderful thing about psychology is that there are so many different areas within the field that you will almost definitely find something that relates to your passions. Even in this zone for example, I look at adolescence, but we have people who research digital technology, transport, clinical conditions and more!

      I think being a psychologist is a great job. It can be hard to get into, but as long as the effort in then anybody could become one 🙂

    • Photo: Chris Fullwood

      Chris Fullwood answered on 14 Jun 2019:

      I’d obviously recommend cyberpsychology because it’s a really new and exciting area to research and can make such a valuable contribution because we are completely surrounded by technology these days so understanding how they affect us is really important. It depends on which type of psychologist you want to become. If you wanted to become an academic psychologist like me, you would need to do a degree in psychology and then a PhD. This would normally take you between 6-8 years

    • Photo: Laura Fisk

      Laura Fisk answered on 14 Jun 2019:

      I’m guessing that, f really pressed, most psychologists would recommend their own personal psychology preference 🙂 Like Ian says, a psychology undergraduate degree covers loads of topics – some of which will inevitably interest you more than others. And then, in terms of specialties for psychology careers as Bogdana says there are loads of options. That’s the beauty of psychology – it’s so varied! There’s aaaaaaalllllll the options
                 ‎‏‪‫‬‭‮ 
      I chose Clinical Psychology because of wanting to work with people who are struggling emotionally, in a career structure within the NHS. Neuropsychology, health psychology and counselling psychology definitely overlap with these (counselling psychology has a bit of a different way of understanding what causes people’s distress compared with Clinical Psychology, and neuropsychology is the study of the brain – you actually get lots of clinical psychologists training as neuropsychologists also, and same with health psychologists. Forensic psychology is often all of these combined, but in forensic (prison or hospital settings). Educational psychology is again similar, but in schools (so with young people).

    • Photo: Kathryn Atherton

      Kathryn Atherton answered on 14 Jun 2019:

      I think the others have answered pretty comprehensively!

      ‘Psychology’ covers a diverse range of careers, so it is difficult to say whether it’s a good job or how hard it is to get into when speaking generally rather than specifically.

      You need to be led by your own interests. If you’re fascinated by psychology, then you could study it as an undergraduate degree and then follow where your specific interests take you from there.

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