What majoring in psychology can offer you?

In every field, there is a career path for psychology majors. So, if you're a psychology student don't fret because there are several opportunities that you can grab.

Disclaimer: I wrote this essay when I was in my third year of college (2020).

Human behavior is complex in nature and studying it through a scientific lens would make one discover that many questions will be left unanswered. That’s what I realized in my three years of studying psychology as an undergraduate. I ventured into this career path without a clear job in mind. I know that the field of psychology can be seen anywhere may it be in the business world, clinical setting, academic field, etc., however, the main reason I dwelled in this field is that I love learning human complexities. I am very curious as to the reasons why people do what they do. What are the influences that can greatly affect their thinking thereby impacting their actions, decisions, and behaviors? With the pressure from realizing that I will graduate next year if no complications arise (fingers crossed), I listed down possible psychological career pathways that I am interested in which are the following in no particular order: (1) teaching profession, (2) psychological research, (3) law field and (4) industrial/ organizational field.

The first pathway on my list, which is the teaching profession, was heavily inspired by my professors who really made an impact on my knowledge about psychology subjects such as theories of personality and cognitive psychology. Also, there is something in talking in front of a crowd that makes my heart skip and flatter; this interest in talking in front of people dates back to when I was in the ninth grade when I found reporting very exciting. The next pathway I have in mind is psychological research, this interest stems from my very own curiosity and passion for learning new information about human behavior. Growing up, my parents were always frustrated about my questions, particularly, on various topics related to the existing human norms which are now very beneficial in finding a research topic. Also, writing is not something I liked when I was a child but I’ve grown to love it as I braved through college; maybe because I now view writing as both an art and a skill.

Venturing into the law field, surprisingly, was my first concrete dream goal when I was a child because it is the field that my parents imposed on me and the one that I studied through researching online and watching Ted Talks cater to my curiosity about the field. Thus, it is important to me because it shaped the way I think when I was in junior high school. My parents reason that since I love debating about political matters and have a way with words, being a lawyer is the best-suited career for me. Actually, this field of law is what directed me to take up psychology thinking that it would be my pre-law degree in the future, however, upon knowing more about the degree program I began to love psychology as a field that confused me about the future career that I will want to build.

Lastly, is the industrial/organizational field, the newest added category in my list. I decided to consider this field because I find it fascinating how psychological concepts can be easily applied in the work setting with the goal of enhancing the dignity and performance of workers as well as the advancement of the science of human behavior. It warms my heart when I think about the possibility of creating a theory that can be applied to be able to improve motivation, and productivity and reduce the stress of employees in an organization.

Looking at it in a much more thorough view, I realized that fields such as positive psychology and social psychology are deeply related to the organizational approach while psychological assessment and personnel psychology are embedded in the industrial approach making the IO field the avenue for the application of the mentioned branches of psychology which I’ve never considered possible before taking up this subject.

Furthermore, another reason for my great interest in this field is Hugo Munsterberg, who is an important figure in applied psychology, particularly, clinical, forensic, and industrial psychology. He implied in his book entitled ‘Psychology and Industrial Efficiency’ that there is no bad job, just a bad placement of people into jobs with an emphasis on the identification of mental state suited for a job position, creation of conditions that can increase the level of productivity and the manner in which the employees’ effort can be employed. His studies and claims left me pondering on the key role of human resources in the industry, growing some fondness for the idea of being able to practice novel indigenous theoretical concepts in the field.

Additionally, since my parents constantly engage in opening businesses from restaurants to resorts with grave failures, I find the industrial/ organizational psychology field, specifically, consumer psychology as an essential key determinant of a successful business. Knowing the consumers’ heuristics in buying products, their motivation to pick a product over another, and being equipped with the right marketing that can efficiently reach out to customers, as well as proper management of employees, can greatly change the business game for my parents and me; if I ever thought of venturing to the business world in the future.

Another great opportunity that this field can offer is its role in the government as an employee manager or consultant which, I find very lacking in our country. One of my foresight is that an increase of IO consultants in the government can actually make a change in how government officials do their job effectively, especially, in this pandemic time where the battle against the coronavirus-19 comes down on the efficient response of the government administration. Maybe with proper guidance and psychological assessments of politicians, it would be easier to identify better-suited officials for such a heavy responsibility, and maybe the Philippines wouldn’t be in such a dire situation where the betterment of this crisis can still not be envisioned by the people.

Taking everything into consideration, I have realized that the industrial/organization field almost encompasses all my interests mentioned above because in the IO field, being a professor and a researcher is not far-flung from being an IO psychologist who is equipped with theoretical concepts along with practical application. Also, since IO psychologists can also be seen in the government maybe my early hopes of exploring the field of law would not be too distant.

With this, one can say that the industrial/organizational field caters to a vast scope of investigating, understanding, and predicting human behavior with both great theoretical and practical applications.

I may be still confused about what direction my career will fall into with anxiety if ever I can do it but I can confidently say that I don’t fret and don’t regret taking up psychology because as I look back on how it molded the person that I am today, I can say that it is a meaningful ride that offers wonderful future pathways ahead.