As an introductory psychology instructor, I am often approached by students who are interested in psychology but unsure whether they should pursue it. They want to know—what can they do with a psychology degree? My response is almost inevitably “anything you want!” After all, psychology is the study of the mind, brain, and behavior; can you think of a career that does not involve any of these things?
Unfortunately, my enthusiastic response is also entirely unhelpful. Although psychological knowledge and skills are broadly applicable, it can be notoriously difficult for students to recognize how their psychology degree applies to careers that don’t have the word “psychologist” in the title. And as faculty, we often fall short when it comes to bolstering the connections between our courses and the workforce; for example, by failing to be explicit about the skills our assignments are reinforcing and how these skills apply to specific careers (e.g., Martini et al., 2015).
In my own department, a recent survey of graduates revealed that a majority wished their degree had done better in terms of preparing them for employment. Many students wished they had received more guidance and information on career paths related to psychology, including entering the workforce after graduation, as well as graduate and professional school options. These results are not surprising considering that the majority of students enroll in higher education to increase their chances of obtaining meaningful and lucrative employment upon graduation (e.g., Gallup, 2014; Reed et al., 2015).
While a psychology degree provides value far beyond job prospects, we also owe it to our students to address their employment concerns. Fortunately, we do not have to start from scratch; numerous resources are available to aid in instructors in this task. For example, students and faculty alike can benefit from existing psychology-related career databases. Drew Appleby (2019) has spent years developing an Online Career Exploration Resource for Psychology Majors which is available on the Society for the Teaching of Psychology websiteopens in new window. For Canadian instructors, Meghan Norris and Tyson Baker (2019) from Queen’s University have created a similar resource that utilizes Canadian statistics and employment information. These career resources allow students to scroll through hundreds of job titles and provide (either directly or indirectly via links) a description of the career, salary ranges and employment outlooks, and detailed information on the skills and educational requirements.
Other resources focus not on specific careers but on the general skills—often referred to as “employable” or “transferable” skills—that serve as vital bridges between psychology courses and careers. A working group commissioned by the APA’s Committee on Associate and Baccalaureate Education (CABE) recently published a resource, The Skillful Psychology Student (PDF, 56KB)opens in new window, that identifies 17 skills across five skill domains that are central to most undergraduate psychology programs and also pivotal to career preparation (Naufel et al., 2018). By familiarizing themselves with these employer-valued skills, both students and faculty can work to emphasize and nurture these skills. In a similar vein, the employable skills self-efficacy survey (Ciarocco and Strohmetz, 2017) also allows students to assess their skills and track their development over time.
Rather than simply sharing these resources with students, instructors can harness their value by incorporating them into classroom assignments and activities. A psychology-related careers infographic assignment (available on APA’s Project Assessment) is one example of how to do this. In this assignment, students use the previously mentioned career databases to search for a career of interest and then engage in a comprehensive examination of this career. In particular, students must make explicit connections between this career, the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for it, and the courses in their program (as well as extra- and cocurricular activities) that are likely to aid in the development of these skills. This information is then presented in the form of an infographic—allowing students to communicate critical information about this career (e.g., job prospects, earnings potential, degree(s) needed) and its connections to psychology in an effective and engaging way.
As a bonus, selected infographics can then be shared with the wider student community. Rather than doling out vague and unhelpful advice, I may one day be able to send my introductory psychology students to a department webpage filled with student-generated infographics on psychology-related careers and how they connect to our curriculum (perhaps even with links to alumni who now work in these jobs). This is a future that I look forward to.
For those who are interested, detailed assignment instructions and corresponding rubrics can be found on APA’s Project Assessment.
Ashley Waggoner Denton, PhD, is an associate professor, teaching stream in the department of psychology at the University of Toronto. Ashley began teaching psychology as a graduate student at Indiana University, where she graduated with her PhD in social psychology in 2012. Ashley teaches a range of courses including introductory psychology, social psychology, and the social psychology laboratory. She is currently developing a new course focused on psychology careers and applications. In collaboration with undergraduate students, Ashley conducts research on topics that lie at the intersection of social psychology and pedagogy and she has published in outlets including Social Psychology of Education and Psychology Learning and Teaching. She is the author of the introductory psychology textbook Discovering Psychology, 1st Canadian Edition. Ashley has received numerous teaching grants and presented her research at regional and national conferences. In 2019, she received the Jane S. Halonen Teaching Excellence award given by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (APA Div. 2).
