So you are very interested in studying human behaviour; psychology is your obvious choice. Knowing the widening scope of this subject, you decide to pursue your interest and take up psychology in your undergraduate level. The options that lay in front include clinical psychologist, school counsellor, organisational psychologist, researcher, and so on. What if you don’t want to go with the obvious options?
If this dilemma sounds familiar, it’s time we explore some other jobs that would not allow your degree and your initial interest to go to waste. Here are a few alternative career options related to psychology:
Special agent/detective
Sounds too unreal? Considering the high rates of crimes in the country as well as around the world, this job is exactly the need of the hour. If crimes are a bit too overboard for you, there are other areas as well. Usually detectives are hired in case of a divorce battle to spy and collect evidence against a partner, or gather information about a prospective groom/bride in case of an arranged marriage (or maybe even a love marriage if the parents are a suspicious lot), and during property battles and will rights.
Human Resource Manager
A Human Resource Manager understands the employers’ needs, analyses the resumes and job applications of various candidates and helps choose a suitable candidate for the job through interviews and tests. They also help companies formulate polices for the employees and aims at increasing their productivity and performance and because it takes skills like understanding of mind and behaviour, problem solving skills, etc., psychology majors are well-equipped for this job.
Social Worker
Now this is one career that will take care of your superego. A highly challenging yet rewarding career, social workers help society to overcome their problems and improve their lives. After a Bachelors Degree in Psychology, one can go for Masters of Social Work (MSW), which will enable them to provide therapies to distressed people.
Market Research Analyst and Marketing Manager
Maybe your mind is a bit inclined towards business and the market. A Market Research Analyst helps the company or organisation to study consumer preferences. They study trends and use statistical tools to research and analyse them. A Marketing Manager, on the other hand, is responsible for developing the company’s marketing strategy. They decide the target audience and how the product should be sold. Since psychology majors have good problem solving, critical thinking, communication and interpersonal skills, these high paying jobs seem apt for them.
Art Therapist
Remember the times when colours and crafts used to give you joy? Creating something new led to ‘peak experiences’? Art like drawing, painting, sculpting, etc. can be a useful therapeutic technique to treat stress, anxiety, psychological disorders as well as learning disabilities (Remember, Taare Zameen Par?), behavioural and social problems in children, adults, and the elderly. To start a career in this, however, one must be a licensed councellor, social worker or clinical psychologist.
Public Relations Agent
Ever dreamt of working with (or for) actors like Hritik Roshan, Deepika Padukone? Or maybe politicians? Well! How about being their Public Relations Agent? PR Agents are required to maintain a certain strategic image of their clients in front of the public. The clients can be individuals or big corporates. Needless to say, psychology has a major role to play in analysing public choices and opinions.
Design/Environment Psychologist
Did you know that if windows in a room are too small or the ceiling too low, people may actually feel cramped up? This is a basic introduction to the work of an environment psychologist. Work of an environment psychologist may include creating suitable interiors or maybe soothing outdoor setups, making it more fun. They study human reaction to their environment, how different settings affect their behaviour and emotions and make changes to suit the people better.
International Relations
International relations is the study of relationship among countries, International Governemental Organistions, International Non-Governmental Organisations, Multinational Corporationss, etc. It is a multidisciplinary subject, with psychology as a major aspect. So after a Bachelors degree in Psychology, one can go for a degree in International Relations. Jobs? Well, not much. You get to be part of Foreign Services, Government Agencies or can even join United Nations!
Media Psychologists
It is a well known fact that media plays a key role in shaping people’s behaviour and attitudes. Hence, psychology and media simply go hand in hand. Media psychology studies the affect of media on human perceptions, emotions, etc. They use the modes of media to improve human psychology and communications. Moreover, if certain portrayals of media are false, media psychologist help to correct it by providing the correct versions.
Food Psychologist
Slurp! This branch of psychology is as interesting as food itself. Food psychologist deal with understanding the relationship of food with people. Their main concerns is the food consumption pattern of individuals and its impact on their biological pattern and self perception. It also studies the impact of environment, culture and society on food preferences. Dealing with eating disorders like anaeroxia nervosa, bulimia, binge eating, obesity and others are also a part of this branch.
So you see, taking up Psychology actually opens up more fields than you can imagine. Every aspect of life has some psychology involved. And hence, it is needed everywhere. Good Luck, Folks! May you pick up what’s best for you!
Mitakshara Medhi
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