I’ve just graduated with a psychology degree…Now what?
Different areas of psychology : credit: https://careers.bps.org.uk/
Psychology is unlike most other healthcare degrees in that it doesn’t actually qualify you in a specific profession or lead to a specific job role afterwards. Rather than providing a ‘qualified’ status, it is more of a foundation and a building block to go onto do further training (if that’s what you want) or do something totally different all together. This can be seen as a big downside, but I think it’s a huge plus as it leaves you with so many options!
Lots of people do a psychology degree because they want to pursue a career in Clinical Psychology. However, an undergrad psych degree does NOT qualify you as a psychologist. To become a Chartered Psychologist of any kind, you will first need to gain Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) by completing an accredited undergrad degree or conversion course, which allows you to receive further training in the specific field of psychology that you want to work in. This means it’s at least 6 years of training (3 years of undergrad, and 3 years of doctorate level training) before you’re officially qualified, but it’s often longer than that as you need a few years of work experience to get onto a doctorate course. However, being a clinical psychologist isn’t the only route. There are tons of other type of psychology as well as other fields to explore going into.
Below I’ve researched and summarised some potential job roles which might be of interest, as well as questions to ask yourself if you’re unsure and things to remember before making decisions!
Psychology-related experience:
· Become a HCA or Support worker – soooo many places utilise support workers, the list is endless! It can range from working in inpatient wards, working with disabled children, victims of domestic violence or abuse, adults in the community with mental health difficulties, homeless, refugees, young carers etc. Jobs can easily be searched and applied for on major job websites such as Reed or Indeed.
· Become a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner – this involves a one-year funded training course, training you in low-intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (LI-CBT) and allowing you to work with people with mild to moderate mental health difficulties through structured 1-1 sessions. These roles are available in both adults and children’s IAPT services. They are very competitive so having prior clinical experience or experience working with people with mental health difficulties is essential.
· Become an Educational Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP) – this is very similar to a PWP’s role, but takes place in a school setting.
· Helpline Co-Ordinator’s – this involves working for charities like Samaritans or Childline and co-ordinating the volunteers over the course of a shift. These can be really challenging roles and previous experience volunteering for the charity would be essential.
· Teaching Assistant for children with Special Needs or in specialist Mental Health schools – this is ideal for people interested in Educational Psychology.
· Pastoral Support in schools – this could include being a learning mentor or pastoral assistant.
· Research: If you’ve enjoyed the research side of your degree, then a career in research might interest you. Most lecturers also carry out their own research, so they are the perfect people to speak too about next steps.
· Complete a Masters in what area of research interests you
· Become a Research Assistant on a project you’re interested in – these are usually based within a university (but you usually need to be a graduate, not a student, to undertake a research assistant position).
Other psychology-related jobs – the great thing about psychology is how to can be applied to anything and everything! Lots of psych grads decide to go into a totally different field to use their skills of understanding human behaviour, including:
· The Business industry – psychology is particularly relevant for Marketing, Human Resources or Customer Relations due to being able to better understand staff and customers.
· Campaigning and Advocacy roles – mental health charities nearly always have policy, campaigning and fundraising departments.
· Healthcare degree conversions – people with severe mental health difficulties often work with an MDT, including professions such as Occupational Therapists, Dieticians, Nurses, Speech and Language Therapists, all of which can be achieved through doing a graduate entry course (usually 2/3 years long, consisting of a mixture of uni and placements).
Alternatively, Grad schemes can be competitive, but psychology grads are very attractive to employers due to the course providing a mix of scientific and people skills. Some grad schemes which might be of interest include:
Social Work:
§ Think Ahead – a training scheme where you can become a mental health social worker
§ Frontline a training scheme where you can become a trainee child protection Social work
§ The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) Graduate Scheme – a role where you work with children and families going through the criminal justice system
Charity Sector:
§ Charity Works provides several graduate Scheme from various charities
§ Gradunique Combined graduate programme for Macmillan Cancer Support and the British Heart Foundation
§ Cancer Research UK Graduate Scheme – a variety of roles within Cancer Research UL
Education & Teaching:
§ Teach First – gives you a short burst of training over summer, then throws you straight into teaching your very own class. You could also puruse teaching by going to a university and studying for a PGCE.
§ Ambitious Futures Graduate Programme for University Leadership
Criminal Justice:
§ Unlocked a 2 year grad scheme training how to become a prison officer. Ideal for people who are interested in forensic psychology!
§ Police Graduate Leadership Programme – induction into working for the Police Force
Health, Government & Social Care:
§ NHS Management Training Scheme – training in how to manage different NHS teams.
§ Local Government Graduate Scheme
§ Skills for Care Graduate Management Programme
Still unsure? It can be super difficult to decide, but try asking yourself these questions:
· What do you enjoy doing?
· Who do you enjoy working with?
· What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses, or areas you want to avoid?
· What aspect of your degree did you enjoy most?
· Do you want to stay working in psychology, or pursue other areas?
· Do you have any other talents/hobbies/skills that you want to utilise in your career?
· What’s important to you when thinking about your job (eg salary, career progression, opportunities, in a specific location, office or not office based)?
· If you let go of everyone else’s opinions or expectations about what they want you to do (or think you ‘should’ be doing), what would you do?
· Career wise, where do you want to be in 5, 10, 15 year’s time? How can you get there?
· Think about the skills you’ve gained from your degree (eg critical reasoning, understanding human behaviour, communication, research skills etc), how could you apply these to something you care about?
· What would you do if there were no barriers surrounding what you could do? Then think in a solution-focused way about how you could overcome these barriers.
Remember:
· It’s ok to not know what to do – the number of options can seem so overwhelming. And if you are overwhelmed then:
· Ask for help! A lot of university careers services are available even after graduation, but if not, it’s ok to seek help of an external career’s advisor, people you know, or people online. Asking people in the field for advice about your next steps can be so useful and empowering. Instagram and Facebook have thriving communities for people interested in getting into psychology.
· Equally, you don’t have to rush into starting a career straight away. Getting a more casual job such as working in retail or as a server, is totally ok. There is no rush or race!
· Your next job doesn’t have to be your forever job. It’s ok to start something thinking you’ll love it, only to hate it and end up leaving. Nothing is set in stone, and you can always change your mind.
· It’s okay to take a break! If you want to go travelling or have a gap year or some time off, then allow yourself! The most important thing you can do is listen to what you want and need, and do what’s right for you.
· Taking unpaid roles or volunteering to get you extra experience, even though you’ve graduated, is still a great option.
· Rejection is NORMAL – everyone goes through it and it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. The job market for psych grads is ridiculously competitive, so expect a few knockbacks along the way. But keep going, keep seeking out new opportunities, ask for advice and feedback on your applications, and most importantly, don’t give up! You have so much to offer the world and employers and waiting for the right opportunity will be so worth it in the end.
Helpful websites:
https://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/whichcareer/health/optionspsych/
https://www.ucas.com/explore/subjects/psychology
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/psychology