Careers with a bachelor’s degree in psychology

Alma mater: Hood College

Wondering whether to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology? Meet 13 graduates who landed great jobs thanks to their psychology degrees.

Why psychology?

The human brain and behavior have always been an interest of mine. I remember when I was 12, I started reading Sigmund Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams, which was intriguing and pushed me towards wanting to learn more about subconscious drives and ultimately, psychology. I started researching more areas of psychology and humans, and then a light bulb went off where I thought, “This is exactly what I want to go to college for.”

What was your experience like at Hood College?

I have always had such a wonderful experience at Hood. I enjoyed the small classes where my professors got to know me a bit more personally and how supportive they were. We sat outside for a couple of classes on beautiful days, and we always had opportunities to engage in research experience and applying what we learned. I enjoyed being challenged—Hood has a challenging psychology curriculum—which I believe made me more competent in psychology as a foundation for what I needed in my career after I graduated. Specifically, the research methods classes are what tested me the most. The standards are set high for the entire program but having the chance to create your research from the bottom up was something very different than other programs. There was a variety of electives to take so I had a holistic experience that enhanced other areas of interest for me. I also had a minor in criminology and taking specialty classes such as Psychological Bases of Criminal Behavior: Mystery, Madness, and Murder was a fantastic experience.

Tell me about what you did during your time in school to start preparing for your career?

I did not use the career center or any other services to push myself further. I probably should have, which may have provided other career ideas, but I just took all the classes that offered a variety because I was not sure what I was going to do with my career postgraduation.

Tell me about your career and how you ended up there.

I am a student intervention specialist for Washington County Public Schools, where my degree provides a necessary foundation of knowledge to work with students. I work with youth who are at risk of dropping out of high school.

I fell into the job that I have now. I needed something part-time because I had one daughter when I graduated and another on the way. I live in Washington County, Maryland, and I decided to be a substitute teacher which I figured was the perfect part-time job, but I never imagined it would take me anywhere. I was offered a grant-funded position as an instructional assistant at a middle school which I accepted until the grant funds ran out. I went back to subbing, and I spent a lot of time at one middle school which gave me opportunities to create relationships with the staff which helped when I applied for my current position and interviewed for it.

How do you feel your degree in psychology has helped you with your job?

Psychology is an integral part of working with this population because of behaviors, functions of those behaviors, and how to handle students’ challenges. Psychology also provides the “people skills” necessary to make connections and collaborate with community resources, families, students, school staff, etc. Having taken a variety of courses such as drugs and behavior, positive psychology, behavior management, and research (among many others) has proven to be necessary for my work.

My first principal stated that because of my degree, I would be perfect for the position and put it to use. He was right! Education is evidenced-based and ensures accountability measures, so having the research classes is extremely helpful. Psychology of death was another extremely helpful course because it covered the dying process and how individuals may react to death. It is insane how many students lose loved ones, especially now with the increase in overdoses. Other classes that were not in the psychology department but have proven to be of use are criminology and human health mosaic. Not always, but much of the time, when students are not in school they are engaging in behaviors that will have long-lasting impacts, and so I spend a lot of time providing psychoeducation to students about decisions and consequences. If students are experiencing anxiety or depression or have some other reason as to why they are not in school, there are usually physical or somatic symptoms involved and knowing about behaviors and functions of the brain in addition to the bodily functions has been very useful in this career.

For psychology students who are still in school and thinking about their career path, what advice would you give them?

Take chances! People say you cannot do much, but you can do so much with a psychology degree. Use the career center and get out of your comfort zone. You never know where you might land.