Is Psychology a Useless Major?

As you might be aware, psychology is a field of professional study and as such I will not label it as a useless major. I will tell you for a fact that people have it as their goal to study psychology in college.

While then must people be asking ” is psychology a useless major?”. This is not the only question that people like you and about having a degree in psychology. You can still see questions like;

• is psychology a respected degree
• is psychology easy or hard to study
• is psychology a good career for the future
• is psychology a good career in canada

These and other questions about studying psychology in Universities and the availability of jobs in related fields will be answered in this article, so I will advise you to sit tight as we dive into it properly. You can also grab a cup of water.

To begin, let’s have a well detailed knowledge of what psychology is and what psychologists do in society.

What is psychology

Psychology can be said to be the study of the human mind and behavior, according to the American Psychological Association. It is the study of the mind, how it works, and how it affects behavior of individuals.

You can also say that Psychology is the study of the human mind, behaviors, thoughts, feelings, mental health, personality, memory, reasoning, language, personality, and mental health.

The American Psychological Association also said that Psychology embraces all aspects of the human experience, from the functions of the brain to the actions of nations, from child development to care for the aged.

From the above definition of psychology you can see that his major is not worthless. To further proof that, let us see job descriptions of those who study psychology. But before that, keep this in mind

• Psychology is the study of behavior and the mind.
• There are different types of psychology, such as cognitive, forensic, social, and developmental psychology.
• A person with a condition that affects their mental health may benefit from assessment and treatment with a psychologist.
• A psychologist may offer treatment that focuses on behavioral adaptations.
• A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who is more likely to focus on medical management of mental health issues.

Who are psychologists and psychiatrists

A psychologist studies mental processes and human behavior by observing, interpreting, and recording how people relate to one another and the environment.

Psychologists try to understand and explain thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviors. Depending on the subject of the study, psychologists use techniques such as observation, evaluation, and experimentation to develop theories about the beliefs and emotions that influence one’s actions.

From the above you can see that a psychologist treats a patient through psychotherapy and helps relieve symptoms through behavioral change. The role of the psychiatrist, who is a physician, is more focused on prescribing drugs and other interventions to manage mental illness. 

What about a psychiatrist?

Psychiatry is the branch of medicine that specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders.

A psychiatrist is a physician (an M.D. or D.O.) who focuses on mental health, including substance use disorders. Psychiatrists are qualified to assess both the mental and physical aspects of mental health problems.

Do you have to still say that psychology is a useless major? There is enormous work that studying psychology as a major will help you solve today in your society. So go get a Psychology degree because it is worth it.

You can be seeing something new about psychologists and psychiatrists, are they the same or different.

Difference between psychologist and psychiatrists

Many people confuse psychiatrists and psychologists. 

Both psychiatrists and psychologists understand how the brain works, our emotions, feelings and thoughts. Both can treat mental illness with psychological treatments (talking therapies). 

However, psychiatrists go to medical school and become doctors before undergoing specialist training in mental health. 

Being doctors, psychiatrists understand the links between mental and physical problems. They may also prescribe medications.

Furthermore, keep this in mind about the difference between psychologist and psychiatrists

S/N	Psychiatrists	Psychologist
1	Psychiatrists are medical doctors.	Psychologists are not Medical Doctors
1	Psychiatrists prescribe medications	psychologists cannot prescribe medication
3	Psychiatrists diagnose illness, manage treatment and provide a range of therapies for complex and serious mental illness.	Psychologists on the other hand focus on providing psychotherapy (talk therapy) to help patients

Now that we have a detailed knowledge about having a Psychology degree and while a major in psychology is not useless, let us now look more closely at another aspect while it is worthwhile.

Is Psychology a useless Major?

A psychology degree is not useless. While a degree in psychology will teach you valuable skills and make you employable in a variety of fields; it won’t get you as many jobs and benefits as someone with a STEM degree. When it is compared with STEM degrees jobs, it might seem to be useless because of massive job opportunities available to STEM degree holders.

A major in psychology is not worthless. Psychology is a liberal arts degree that teaches you essential analytical and communication skills. It will also help you improve your interpersonal, leadership, and teamwork skills.

These skills you will acquire from psychology Major are extremely valuable and will help you become employable in a variety of fields. This is one of the reasons many psychology majors work in areas not directly related to their degree. 

Though this is not necessarily a good thing. Many psychology majors work in unrelated fields because there are not enough jobs in their own field. 

Even though a psychology degree can help you acquire various transferable skills; you lack the technical skills that employers are actively looking for. This is why some people call psychology a useless degree.

If you are someone who is interested in nature, then having a degree in psychology is worthwhile and will never be useless. The study of the human mind as psychology is, is an extremely interesting and boundless endeavor. 

The brain is arguably the most complex organ in the human body. Psychology will help you understand the interconnection between the human mind and body, make better decisions, and deal with stress more effectively.

A psychology degree is not totally useless as few suggest, as it helps educate professionals who can make a meaningful impact in our society. 

These professionals who specialize in therapy can help others overcome drug addiction, depression, stress, anger, sadness, fear and other negative emotions. 

Furthermore, they can help reduce crime and increase the general well-being of society.

Is psychology easy to study?

The fact is that there are no courses today that are simple or easy to study. All of them need your full attention and focus to perfect them. So it is the same with studying psychology. You might see psychology as easy to study when you put your best at it, you will get the best of results.

You can also ask if it is hard to study psychology? 

I will say no, it is not hard to study psychology but it totally depends on you. When you put effort into your studies, it will become easy.

There are some factors which might make it difficult or hard to study psychology today. 

From the experience of students studying psychology, you have to read quite a bit. Psychology is one of the more difficult degrees because many of your assignments will require you to cite your sources and back up many of the arguments you have. 

Also, much of your learning will be done in lectures which requires your presence at all times, but with a particular focus on different academic views and opinions on psychology 

The degree in psychology is difficult no matter the area of psychology you are studying, but it is not too difficult, and no major is Easy.

As it is structured, a psychology degree tends to focus mainly on coursework, exams and lectures, although there will be the occasional need for practical work too. But the rewards from a degree in psychology are far more rewarding. Just be prepared for a lot of work

How much does it cost to study psychology?

No one can say for certain the exact cost of a psychology bachelor’s degree as costs always vary depending on the university you want to study at and the year you want to start since there are increases in fees from time to time, but an estimated £8,500 – £12,000 undergraduate degree tuition is a reasonable estimate. 

Is psychology a good career for the future

Yes, psychology is a good career for the future. Though with a bachelor’s degree in psychology you might not get that high paying jobs in big clinics but with advanced studies and probably masters, you can get there.

The human mind is a mystery and we are a long way from getting to grips with its intricacies. I don’t see the field of psychology becoming obsolete any time soon. 

Since the success of a career depends on the principles of supply and demand, we can safely assume that psychology will continue to be in high demand as it is a highly customized service that must be tailored to each client. 

After all, no two brains are exactly the same. As long as people have mental problems that need to be solved or understood, careers in psychology will remain relevant.

From the above I can say that psychology is good for a future career. So you should not hesitate to go on to get a degree in psychology because it is worth it especially if you have the interest.

What are the top careers for a bachelor’s degree holder in psychology?

To many, the purpose of acquiring education is to be able to have a reasonable job that can provide the needs at the proper time. So the study of psychology as a major will also serve this purpose. There are many careers in psychology which can make you more though not easily available as those who graduated with STEM degrees.

When it comes to job opportunities, STEM degree holders are more positioned to have a job because of the wide area it covers in our society today. Below are some well paying jobs for bachelor’s degree holder in psychology.

• Admissions Evaluator
• Advertising Agent
• Career Counselor
• Child Care Worker
• Community Worker
• Fund Raiser
• Human Resource Advisor
• Labor Relations Manager
• Personal Recruiter
• Laboratory Assistant
• Market Researcher
• Psychiatric Technician
• Probation and Parole Officer
• Rehabilitation Specialist
• Sales Representative
• Social Service Specialist
• Teacher
• Writer

Is it Hard to get a Job with a Psychology Degree

With all sincerity, it is hard to get a well paying job with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. From experience, to get a job in good clinics or organizations to practice as a psychologist or psychiatrist, you need to have a masters degree or better, PhD in psychology.

As we have identified in the beginning of this article, Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior of humans and as such good experience is needed which I am not sure you will have with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

Also it will be difficult or hard to get a job with a bachelor’s degree in psychology since the job opportunity is low. There are few people who actually need the help of psychologists when compared to the total population of humans on Earth.

Onlike STEM degree jobs where a company requires thousands of workers each day, a clinic that takes care of mentally ill persons needs less than 10 persons to care for their patients.

As it is with other majors, being an expert in the field of psychology might make it easier for you to get a job. When you are well vast in knowledge and people can testify to your care, it adds to your success in getting a job.

Conclusion

As you must have come to understand from this article, a Psychology degree is not a useless major and worthless. In fact they serve a huge purpose in our society today as they help people with mental disabilities get themselves.

Also, psychology is a career for the future since we will always have people with health challenges in our midst and this is evident with the stress that many are facing today due to economic difficulties and political unrest Earth wide.

So if you have an interest in nature and are willing to help others with mental health issues, then I will advise you to go on to study psychology. Though there is no high demand for the major graduate, their help will never be underestimated.

As it is with other courses, it is a hard major because of its nature but when you are focused and interested in the course, it will be easy for you and you will become a respected professional.