Considering Psychology as a career

I can't say which one is the best, but I'd always put state universities over private colleges if I had the choice. Can I suggest looking into whether this option is still available:

When I was doing my leaving (about a decade or so ago) you could choose BA in Psychology, which was in the 500s then as well, OR you could choose a BA in Arts, the points being in the 300s, and then afterwards choose all the psychology modules and then 2 other modules, usually from something related (like philosophy or sociology).

A good school guidance counsellor will have up to date information on every possible "in"



This may be my prejudice and i'd be delighted to be corrected. The DBS is 3 years, p̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶, and 6000 a year (
p̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶r̶s̶e̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶e̶l̶i̶g̶i̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶g̶r̶a̶n̶t̶). A state university will be 4 years, full time (20 to 30 hours a week) and 3000 a year (or completely free + grant). I think DBS is a great option but I think it's for people who don't have a lot of options and don't qualify to pay only the student contribution at a state university (a BA in psych would cost someone like me around 9,000 a year at a state university). (I'm not a psych grad, I quit after first year... ahem.. .not quit... restructured my life)

Talk therapy is just one of hundreds of roads leading out of psychology, is that the one he is interested in?

Gerry T wrote: »

Just had a look, points for 2019 about 400, it's PSI accredited and has modules on Applied psychology which they claim gives their students an edge over other universities. Thanks for that as it would be another option.

No worries the ex loved it there very chill campus and college but they do have a good rep.

Gerry T wrote: »

Thanks, yes I gather to get onto the next step of the ladder a 2.1 is necessary. My son picked Psychology or Physiotherapy as his two picks rather diverse choices, but I think a Psychology has a greater spread of opportunities in the workplace, even moving into general management with the skill set.

The one concern I have is the amount of work the student may have to do outside of lectures, reading/research etc.. is it much more that other post grad courses. I'm not convinced my son would be suited to that, but as you say their very young and hopefully they would mature during the yrs there.

Psychology is a widely applicable undergraduate qualification to have. It doesn't teach you to do anything in particular, but it does teach you to think about people and the world in a new way which can apply to many jobs. Also, you tend to need good writing skills to obtain a decent psychology degree so this would ideally be part of the package he'd emerge with.

I can't speak for how much extra work is required. What I've found is that if psychology is a field you're passionate for, you're more likely to put in the work needed to excel or achieve.

Gerry T wrote: »

I'm not sure what clicked and made him pick that. He had a career guidance meeting in school and he said he brought it up as a possible choice. I think sports psychology is an area he would be interested in, or it's what triggered his interest. To me his personality would suit the profession, he's very calm, a good listener and when he switches on does see things that others don't, he would be a good problem solver.
I'm from an engineering/computer background, he shows no interest in those areas, I'm trying to do a bit of research on the topic so I can talk with him about his choice.
Thanks for the reply and talk therapy sounds a very interesting field.

Sport and coaching psychology is a growing field. UCC offer a masters in this, for example.

Gerry T wrote: »

Just had a look, points for 2019 about 400, it's PSI accredited and has modules on Applied psychology which they claim gives their students an edge over other universities. Thanks for that as it would be another option.

It'd be no more or no less valued than any other undergraduate psychology course. Get him to enquire about the modules and he can decide whether they appeal to him.

Gerry T wrote: »

No he hasn't but thks for the suggestion, makes sense. Mix of both worlds. And yes the research I've done suggests a postgraduate masters is a minimum, doctorate if going clinical practice from what I can see, a long road. But I see that as progression along a career path. The issue I have with physiotherapy is there seems to be little options for progression and wagers are relatively poor. But i think if hes happy and relatively stress free that's far more important. Anyway his life not mine, need to back off at some point 😂 big decision though.

You're pretty much spot on with all the above. Clinical practice (which includes clinical, counselling and educational psychology) is a long, hard road. It is achievable, but it is hard earned. However, it pays well and is a very safe and solid career choice.

SuperRabbit wrote: »

I know the wages working for the HSE are very low (17 an hour) unless you are a senior physio, all the HSE wages are listed somewhere, but in private practice I imagine they can live very comfortably as each appointment is maybe 50 euro for the client. You're right, the most important thing is that he's happy and I'd say whatever path he takes he'll end up with a really fulfilling job.

Physio is also a real growth industry with our ageing population, I'd say the same for OT, I would bet they are recession proof jobs. And I can't seem them being replaced by computers either!

People are really talking about mental health now so maybe the government will catch up and there will be more HSE jobs for clinical psychologists. I'd bet there's plenty of work in private practice? It would be cool to hear from someone in that field *fingers crossed*

You probably mean clinical/counselling psychologists? As the HSE (and many outside or private organisations) advertise jobs for both kinds of applicants, sometimes including educational psychologists.

Private practice is always an option for all three professions, but it doesn't have a number of the benefits of a larger employer such as pension, paid holidays, etc.

I have an MSc in Psychology and was pursuing the Clinical Psychology Doctorate but decided not to follow through with it after a few years pre doctorate roles as an Assistant Psychologist (AP) (generally you need at least two years experience in different mental health areas as an AP to be considered for an interview for the Clin Psych doctorate). After reading these posts I thought I might share some info I wish I knew before I took off on this long route!

I decided not to pursue clin psych in the end as I found working on my own so often very taxing, especially given the heavy nature of the work. I much prefer being part of a team in a busy environment and so considering what type of person you are and the environment you enjoy is a hugely overlooked but important factor in this type of work. I found working in an office without much contact with colleagues took a toll on me. There are some clin psych posts where you work in an office with other specialities but if you work in the community you are generally working on your own. This is an important consideration to look at when thinking about psychology - I absolutely love the subject area but the job structure just didn't suit me.

There is no doubt that clin psych is a rewarding and fulfilling job. If you are a people person and love problem solving then it is a satisfying job. Wages are good and you have a lot of opportunity to use your own personal attributes when working with people. The mix of research and clinical work makes it a varied and interesting job. A lot of the clin psychs I've spoken to find it quite enjoyable once they have secured their post-doctorate training job. It must be kept in mind though that there is a high rate of burnout in the profession.

Clin psych is a long road with an awful lot of uncertainty. Assistant Psychologist (AP) roles are quite difficult to secure and competition is fierce. Places on clin psych doctorates are limited, again with fierce competition. If it's something you absolutely want you keep pushing through however many of my previous classmates became overwhelmed and disheartened with the lack of a clearly defined (and paid!) pathway to secure a place on the doctorate. Some APs work for free to get experience, which in your mid 20's and after completing a masters is a hard pill to swallow. There is no guarantee you will ever get a place on the doctorate training. A lot of psychology students end up going back to study graduate entry medicine - two from my masters did. While that is an incredibly stressful job also, there is a clearly defined pathway, you know you'll have a job at the end of it, and you will be well rewarded financially. The lack of certainty regarding even securing training coupled with the intense study and competition causes psychology to lose out on some really strong future clinicians.

Funding for clin psych posts is an issue, with some coming out of the doctorate with no HSE posts available. Many newly qualified clin psychs have had to work with agencies.

I'm sitting the GAMSAT in September with a view to doing the MSc in Physiotherapy. In my opinion it encompasses a lot of aspects of psychology as you work directly with people, assessing their problems and formulating treatment plans. If you son is really interested in psycholgoy, a friend of mine who's a physio in private practice said a lot of people he sees have anxiety and depression which is contributing to back pain. You get to work with many diverse issues. Working in a hospital you build up a lot of experience and learn quite a bit. While the starting wages may not be exceptional and are less than that of a qualified clin psych, they are by no means awful (same starting salary as secondary school teachers) and there is always a sweet spot in terms of work/life balance and satisfaction. Private practice physio is quite lucrative also once you have built up enough experience.

Given my own experience and that of other psychology graduates I know I would highlight that it is important to really think about clin psych as a career choice at a young age. It's always something that one can take up later in life, and older trainees do seem to manage the stress of the training and career pathway better than younger trainees, mainly due to life experience. But it is big commitment with little certainty around securing doctorate training and a job.

I hope this helps, if you've any more questions I'd be happy to answer them.

Gerry T no problem! It's a very tough decision to make at a young age. It seems like he's interested in something to do with healthcare anyway so at least he has that narrowed down. There are always option for further study down the line too so if he chooses something now and after a few years working in it he wants to diversify, he can

I'm surprised nobody mentioned mental health nursing. There are a LOT of options having done the degree and a year or two of experience.
There are many specialities, including psychotherapy, forensic, children & adolescents, care of the elderly mental health, community, and there are ready made career paths such as management, clinical, or educational.

It also has a LOT of transferable skills.