Lucrative Careers in Psychology: 7 Exciting Options
In the realm of psychology, the study of human behavior, a wide array of intriguing career paths await those with a passion for understanding and influencing human actions. From Art Therapy to Marketing Research, the field is brimming with opportunities that extend far beyond traditional therapy or counseling roles.
Art Therapy
For those with a love for creativity and a desire to think innovatively within psychology, Art Therapy could be the perfect fit. This rewarding career helps individuals overcome mental and behavioral obstacles, offering an average salary of around $65,000 per year.
Sherrie Hurd: A Mental Health Advocate
Sherrie Hurd, a professional writer and artist with over 20 years of experience, is a champion for mental health awareness. Having managed multiple mental illnesses, including anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, and PTSD, she strives to help others overcome trauma and cope with mental illness. Her articles, ranging from behaviors that make people lose respect to phrases narcissists use, serve as a valuable resource for those seeking to better understand and navigate the complexities of human behavior.
Laboratory Assistants in Psychology Research
A bachelor's degree is sufficient to become a Laboratory Assistant in psychology research. These essential team members help with interviewing subjects, details of studies, analyzing findings, and writing reports on research. The salary range for a Laboratory Assistant in this field is between $34,000 to $70,000 per year.
Unconventional Careers in Psychology
The diversity in how psychology can be applied is truly remarkable. Here are some unique careers requiring a psychology degree:
- Adoption Specialist – Working to match children with adoptive families, providing emotional support, and mediating between birth and adoptive parents, this role relies on skills in communication and understanding human emotions.
- Child Advocate – Acting as a social worker dedicated to supporting children’s welfare, child advocates assess their mental state and home environment, often noticing behaviors that children cannot verbalize.
- Behavior Analyst or Behavioral Consultant – Using behavioral psychology principles to develop treatment plans for changing negative behaviors to positive ones, these professionals may work in research, schools, or social agencies, focusing on observable behaviors and their modification.
- Market Research Analyst – Applying psychological principles to analyze consumer behavior and forecast market trends, market researchers offer a commercial perspective on human behavior different from clinical psychology.
- Human Resources Specialist – Utilizing psychology knowledge to improve hiring, training, and employee compliance, human resources specialists focus on organizational behavior and workplace dynamics.
- Health Psychologist – Exploring how psychological, social, and biological factors affect health and illness, health psychologists work in areas like pain management and community health, combining multiple factors influencing human behavior.
These career paths highlight the breadth in which psychology can be applied—from social advocacy and behavioral interventions to organizational and health contexts—each offering unique frameworks for understanding and influencing human behavior beyond traditional therapy or counseling roles.
Special Education Teacher
With a psychology degree, a Special Education Teacher works with students who have physical, mental, or emotional challenges, using their understanding of human behavior to help them learn. Yearly earnings in this career field average around $65,000.
Marketing Researcher
Marketing Researchers use psychology to understand audiences and guide them through the sales funnel. A career in marketing research averages around $80,000 annually.
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- The field of psychology, encompassing the study of human behavior, offers a variety of unconventional careers for those passionate about understanding and influencing human actions, such as Art Therapy, Adoption Specialist, Child Advocate, Behavior Analyst or Behavioral Consultant, Market Research Analyst, and Human Resources Specialist, among others.
- Sherrie Hurd, a mental health advocate, leverages her expertise in psychology, art, and writing to create insightful articles that aim to help individuals better understand and navigate complexities in human behavior. Her work includes understanding behaviors that make people lose respect and phrases narcissists use.
- Learning skills in communication and understanding human emotions can be valuable in unconventional psychology careers like adoption specialists, child advocates, and behavior analysts or behavioral consultants.
- In education and self-development or career-development sectors, a psychology degree can enable one to pursue careers like Special Education Teacher, helping students with physical, mental, or emotional challenges learn, or Marketing Researcher, using psychology to understand and guide audiences through the sales funnel, earning an average of around $80,000 per year.
