Human Service Careers

Students often wonder what they can do with a bachelor's degree in psychology (or a related field). The answer is that there are quite a few possibilities. Some of these include entry level jobs in community mental health centers, social service agencies, personnel departments of businesses, government agencies, marketing and public relations firms, probation departments, research facilities and psychiatric hospitals. In many cases your ability to find job opportunities in these and other organizations will depend not only on your having a bachelor's degree in psychology or a related field but also on your being able to demonstrate specific experiences and competencies (for example, in public speaking, working with groups, working with troubled children, designing programs, writing reports or proposals, or using technical software). Therefore, it is a good idea to use any available opportunities you have to acquire skills and abilities that may be useful in your future.

Finding jobs in any of these careers can be difficult, of course, especially in periods of major economic uncertainty. Furthermore, it is always hard - even in good times - to predict what the future job outlook will be in any field because political, social and technological changes occur unexpectedly and often affect employment opportunities for better or worse. You should keep in mind, though, that human service occupations have generally continued to produce new openings.

While a bachelor's degree may enable you to do direct human service work, it will not allow you to do professional counseling or research. You will generally have to work in organized settings under the supervision of others, and the pay and opportunities for advancement will often be limited. Thus, if you are interested in counseling or other aspects of mental health treatment and/or psychological or social science research you will probably need to pursue further education that will qualify you to work at a professional level in a specific field or discipline. In the next section I will discuss some of the career tracks you may want to consider if you are interested in doing something related to psychotherapy or counseling.