Hi Mummas
I'm looking for advice from anyone who has, or is, studying Psychology. How do you find the course load? Any advice on studying at an online college vs online universities. What kind of employment opportunities has this led you into? Why should i choose psychology vs a counselling degree (i realise the obvious differences, i'm just curious about peoples choices). Is the money good? Studying part time vs full time?
I'm in my mid 30's & live in NSW. I'm a single mum, was a victim of dv & have court ordered full parental care of my beautiful kids. I've never studied at uni, i work part time, i'm worried about whether i can actually do this. I'm interested in working with children, perhaps as a school counsellor.
I'm sick of going to work & thinking "Is this as good as my life's going to get?". I know its not. I want more!
Thank you
3 Replies
I enjoyed psychology a lot basically because I’m a bit of a science nerd.
There is very little counselling in psychology. You cover child development, specific disorders, functions and the anatomy of the brain, statistics and research methods, you participate in lots of research and you have to do post grads to be able to work in a clinical setting. It’s very competitive to get a place at the post grad level.
If your interest is in counselling, do counselling. Much easier and more direct.
As the other poster has said psychology is a lot more to do with science. Social work could be another option for you. I’m currently studying it and chose it because I have a passion for helping people but also because the variance on job areas it leads to is huge.
I'm currently on my last 4 subjects of my undergrad psych degree. I love it!
I'm a purely online student. You can do up to 4 subjects a trimester (3 trimesters total) or one subject, so 3 a year. Whatever is best for you!
They ease you in pretty well with the first year subjects, and hold your hand really well. The online support is incredible, and everything is really flexible. However, there is a lot of weekly reading. It's very doable, and all books are available online/in library and can be posted to you free of charge.
To work as a counsellor you will probably need the Masters of Counselling, which you can apply for at the end of undergrad. It's less competitive than going into Psych Honours and Post Grad (minumum grades apply - generally 70 and above, depending on cohort overally grades). Masters as well as psych post-grad will also require doing placement, which may be tricky if kids aren't in school/have outside support.
Other posters are right, it is quite science based, knowing the areas of the brain, how they work, interact, and respond to stimuli, etc. There's also statistics involved, everyone hates stats, but all make it through with a lot of bitching :D
We go over a lot of mental illnesses, how they impact the brain, etiology, symptoms, treatments, etc.
Entry level jobs in CPS are generally around the 65+K mark, and can extend to 110K. Have a look on your local job sites and see what they're asking for in terms of qualifications and experience. A lot of places value lived experience as well, so can Universities, so it's always worth asking.
Good luck! We need more wonderful health professionals :)