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Psychologist

When most people think of psychologists, they think of clinical psychologists, who consult directly with patients to help them deal with life's challenges. Your basic "shrink." Certainly, that's an important field within psychology. But it's not the only one.

Organizations, such as schools and businesses, are starting to employ trained psychologists in greater numbers. They realize that psychologists are helpful in dealing with everyday life, not just emotional crises. Many schools and businesses now use psychologists' expertise to maintain good relations with students and employees. Since psychologists aren't solely concerned with the mentally ill anymore, this gives them a huge pool of potential clients as well as great employment opportunities.

What They Do:

Wherever people need help dealing with human beings as human beings, there's probably need for a psychologist.

Industrial and organizational psychologists work with businesses to improve personnel relations and training programs. A large number of psychologists are employed by schools to help deal with students' problems, both learning and behavioral. Academia employs a large number of psychologists as teachers and researchers.

Sometimes clinical psychologists develop a specialty which adds a new dimension to their job; for example, some specialize in helping medical patients deal with their illnesses or injuries. These psychologists may work for institutions such as hospitals or nursing homes, or they may have a private practice.

Why It's Cooler Than It Sounds:

This is the ultimate job for utilizing those ubiquitous "people skills." Traditional clinical psychologists, trite though it may sound, can do incredible things for people who are going through difficult times. Other sorts of psychologists can even help people deal with normal stresses, and head off problems before they become problems. So, the job can be emotionally as well as financially rewarding.

What they earn:

In 1991, psychologists with a doctoral degree earned on average: $48,000 in counseling psychology $50,000 in research positions $53,000 in clinical psychology $55,000 in school pscyhology $76,000 in industrial/organizational psychology

How to begin:

Positions as clinical psychologists require a doctoral degree, but work in related fields (counselor, psychologist's assistant, or high school teacher) can be obtained with a master's. Admissions to graduate programs in psychology, however, do not necessarily require an undergraduate degree in the field.