much jobs for graduates??

j2u

hi im doing a diploma in psychology soon but i was wondering are ther much jobs for graduates,now i realise that i will realistically need a good degree and a postgraduate qualifaction,but even then how hrd is it to find work??because i search for psychologists on websites like monster and irishjobs.ie and although i found some jobs they all seemed to require at least 1 to 2 years work experiance.how can you get work experiance if to get a job to begin with you need experiance,so where do you go to look for jobs for psychology?also which kind of psychology would you work with in a hospital ?i kind of like the hospital enviroment.
and if you got a diploma,degree,and then masters,how much do you thnk leaving cert results would matter??

LilMrsDahamsta

j2u wrote:

i will realistically need a good degree and a postgraduate qualifaction,but even then how hrd is it to find work?? ... i found some jobs they all seemed to require at least 1 to 2 years work experiance.how can you get work experiance if to get a job to begin with you need experiance,so where do you go to look for jobs for psychology?

This is an ongoing problem in Ireland. In part, it's due to the under-developed state of virtually all psychological services here; there's also a lack of appreciation by employers outside of the mental health sector of what exactly psychology is and what psychology graduates can do.

With regard to work experience - both to get into post-grad courses and to progress career-wise - you need to be able to show that you applied psychological knowledge in your job, and that you have learned and developed as a result. Most Irish academics are well aware of the difficulties faced by students in getting relevant work experience and will make allowances for this (compared to the UK, for example, where having held a post with the title "assistant psychologist" is virtually a requirement for some courses). It is possible to work in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, nursing homes, residential units, schools, HR departments, and find ways of showing that you have learned from the experience. Until you've finished a professional qualification in some area (Clinical, Counselling, Occupational, etc) the above is pretty much par for the course for most people I know anyway.

You might find this useful at some point; I came across it the other day looking for stuff for students: Psychology Careers Workshop