Is Psychology a good degree?

[Bluerivermoon]

DD is thinking about doing a degree in either psychology or occupational therapy. Her A’levels are biology, psychology and chemistry but she loves psychology. Having my haircut today and the hairdresser said her friends dd is struggling to find employment even though she’s done an MSc on psychology. Any opinions?

From personal experience I will say no. The world is moving more and more towards STEM subjects and really they are the ones that serious employers want.
Good psychology jobs are very competitive with pay that isn't always great. With her choice of A levels she should really be encouraged to pick another subject.

Its a good degree but OT will lead straight to a really varied career/ professional quals. I wish I'd done OT but didnt know what it was. Mental health OTs can end up in a similar field to psychs and start their career much earlier.

I found it to be a very useful 1st degree - good balance of written work plus stats. It's a stepping stone degree -Went on to work in health care management.

I's not like physics or maths admittedly so you're not looking at City megabucks but it is a useful degree. I know people who have gone into the legal profession.

It really depends. I have a degree in psychology plus a Phd. I work in industry in a well paid role (user experience research, its paid at London city level), but its not a degree for the faint of heart.
The well paid jobs are stressful with big responsibilities- and we really struggle to recruit as most psychology graduates don’t want either.

I work in HE and OT out of those choices 100%.

It's most useful if she actually wants to be a psychologist (e.g. clinical, occupational and educational) and is prepared to do further study to achieve it. It's quite competitive and can be a long road - clinical and educational both require a good degree (2.1 or 1st) and a doctorate and as well as some relevant experience, for example.

It's a great stepping stone if she wants to work in a clinical role. Friend of mine did psychology degree (we met at uni) then went on to do the clinical qualification as a clinical psychologist. She's now very eminent in her field and has worked in amazing positions in various hospitals and NHS trusts. The clinical route is competitive though, and you're not guaranteed a placement - a bit like getting a law degree I guess, it's a first step but not a guarantee.

My nieces both did psychology and got very good jobs - HR and analyst for the police.

Yes it’s a great degree. I know several people with it - some are clinical psychologists, others work in well-paid jobs in industry and a few are lecturers.
Don’t put her off if that is what she wants to do

That’s given us a really good insight and lots to think about. Thanks so much x

What does she want to after uni? If she was to be a clinical psychologist (and there are many more routes available) then it is competitive but people get on to the course and they have recently had funding increases for the course making it slightly easier.

However post undergraduate (albeit hull/york are slightly different) you need to get a years experience (realistically you will need more though if she can work through uni as a bank hca for instance that will help). Most of this would be paid at band 3-4. After 3 years she will be in a position to get on the doctorate which is funded and you are paid at band 6 to do. This is three years and you will qualify on band 7 and after approximately two years you will go to band 8a. It’s a long route but from starting the doctorate the pay is good and if you decide psychology isn’t for you, there are lots of options out there for you. Hull and York do a joint doctorate which occurs straight from undergrad you need to be a undergrad there and I’ve heard mixed things about this so definitely worth looking at this pathway.

OT is also a great career option. Post undergrad you are immediately employed and the working salary is band 6 unless you go into management or specialist type roles. Ots work in lots of different settings with lots of different people and I’d say overall it’s more hands on.

So what is her career ambition and what would she like to do post degress as that is what is key?

They’re both good degrees, psychology doesn’t necessarily lead straight into a career, but would be very interesting. I know someone who had a psychology degree and a masters, but needed a years work experience in a clinical setting to be considered for an assistant physiologist post. It’s a much longer road by the sounds of it, but it would be rewarding once you’re there. It depends how much study your daughter wants to do.

OT (my choice) will lead straight into a career in many varied areas. It also has a psychology element, but obviously it’s not the main focus. It’s hands on and interesting and I love it.

Let your daughter follow her heart.

I would do OT simply because it opens doors to a range of options. It doesn't rule out psychology either. My friend is an OT and her career has been varied, interesting and flexible when required. She has never been unemployed and is still enthusiastic about her career 20 years in.

I have OT friends that work in diagnosing and supporting autism /learning disabilities/ CBT and IAPT. There really is a wide range of careers available and option to progress. If I could go back I'd choose OT over psych personally. (Maybe I'd think differently if I'd managed to qualify as a psych pre kids!)

OT also has lots of opportunity for part time working and more inbuilt awareness of work/life/mental health needs.

OT hands down. My friend is an OT in a women's mental health unit and enjoys it very much, its a good balance for her of psychology and practical services. There is a shortage of OTs so getting a job is a guarantee. Psychology is a gateway degree, you won't get a specific job with it by itself.

Psychology is a gateway degree, you won't get a specific job with it by itself.
this is only the case for clinical psychology. if you want to go into industry, it isn’t the case at all - degree plus motivation and the right attitude gets you into a fair number of jobs with often very good salaries

A psychology degree gives you a good range of skills as it includes essay/report writing as well as stats. Having said that OT is probably the better one if she wants to go into that line of work as it’s more of a direct route in as others have said.

I think it’s completely different from OT as I would see if more as a general degree rather than something leading to a career.

With OT she is pretty much guaranteed employment afterwards in the NHS or for a local council but the degree will be more full on with a practical element placements etc.

I did something not OT but very similar but was pleased I did this as a second degree/masters once I’d got some experience and knew what I wanted to do. I just did a subject I loved as a first degree at a good university and enjoyed it, it was learning for the sake of learning really but a fantastic experience

Also to add my friend from the same uni I did my degree at studied psychology and has gone on to a very successful career in HR

I have a psychology degree graduated in 2005 and have never really used it, I always say I wish I had done a degree that gave me an actual profession I would do OT rather than psychology if I could go back.

As others have said, a psychology degree alone won’t get her a job as a “psychologist” however it is the first step in training. She would need to do a further degree like CBT, psychotherapy or the clinical doctorate. All of which are competitive and will take a few years to qualify.

If she is interested in working in mental health I know a few OTs who specialised in MH during their training then qualified in a therapy further down the line. There is certainly a lot of crossover in roles the more specialised you become.

It really depends on what job she wants to do after uni. If her interests are more research based then go for psychology, if she wants to work in MH services then there are other options available to her.

As others have mentioned a Psychology undergraduate degree can be an excellent gateway into various sectors that offer a number of opportunities. I work at a well known UK University that has a Psychology degree and we are massively over subscribed for that programme and depending on the academic capabilities of your friends daughter, this could be an issue. We have put our entry requirements up recently and it's going to get more and more competitive to get onto the top programmes. Getting a degree is great, but as others have said there are going to be more and more Psychology graduates out there so more and more competition for roles or further training pathways afterwards.