Career

Dear Counselling,

I am finishing up my 3rd year of a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Psychology and I am worried about my future.

I don’t know what career paths there are in psychology. My dream is to become some sort of psychologist. It wasn't til last year that I figured out I wanted to do Honours and then a Masters in some field of psychology. However, I might not get into Honours and am thinking I should apply for a Post Graduate Diploma in Psychology. I'm still worried I may not get into that either. If that was the case, I would be unsure what I would do with my career, which scares me.

I've been thinking I should apply for some work experience involving psychology but I feel overwhelmed and don't know where to look or start looking. I looked on the UWS career hub but the jobs didn't fit me. I’m applying for some things without much response.

I feel life is getting to the "make or break" point. I feel overwhelmed and worried that I may not get into a 4th year of Psychology. That would leave me stranded and I wouldn’t know what to do. Can you give me some advice to deal with this? Do you have any suggestions or ideas about looking for work in the field of psychology? - Anonymous

It sounds like you have been doing a lot of thinking about what you want for the future and how your hard work is going to get you there. That’s a good thing. But if this is starting to create worry for you it’s a good idea to get some support, so I'm glad that you dropped us an email.

It's normal to feel some pressure when thinking about what type of career you want. The decision can feel overwhelming - especially when you don’t know if you'll get into postgraduate studies next year. It's hard to feel confident when there's so much uncertainty. Talking to your course advisor could get you some answers about your options for 4th year studies.

You could make an appointment with the UWS careers service to talk about career paths and getting work experience. You can book a careers appointment online. Another useful place for finding out about psychology careers is the myfuture website (opens in a new window).

Have you thought about talking to a psychologist to improve your knowledge of the job? Some services are open to having students visit their agency – you can call and ask to organise a visit.

You could also book an appointment with the Counselling Service to develop a plan and talk about managing the stress the situation is causing.

(This question and answer is a part of eCounselling. If you have a question please submit it online. Please note this is not a good way to deal with crisis situations. If we are concerned about your safety we may call you to check on your welfare. If you need to make an appointment, please call (02) 9852 5199 or visit the Counselling Service on your campus. Lifeline is also available 24 hours a day on 13 11 14)