Full Careers
Career counseling - PhD in psychology not good enough?
I've been trying to figure out my career for a while now. I've visited MANY career counselors, academic advisers, career advising sites, etc... and feel I know a lot about all kinds of different careers, skill sets involved, types of tests to measure ability & interest, etc... After all of this I realized that even though I found myself losing interests in lots of careers after considering them for a time, I found that one thing I still enjoy after all of this time is the actual learning & researching about careers from an outsiders perspective. I like looking at career sites, for example, and learning about the careers inside & out, even if I have no interest in actually joining the career. I keep being told that a masters in education is the best way to go, but I was wondering if a PhD in psychology would be alright? I know it probably takes longer, and is more difficult, but I'd prefer it. I know at least one career counselor who has one, and I want to make sure it won't hurt.
Public Comments
- A PhD is a step above a Masters so it will take longer, as for harder, I guess that depends on your interists.
- I would imagine some degree in psych, PhD or not, would be helpful. Just about all aspects of psychology (social, cognitive, personality, research, etc.) have some applicability to career searching. Having a strong background in general psychology, and perhaps a thesis career counseling, should get you off to a good start.
- Hi, You express an interest in learning about careers, but readily admit that you have no interest in actually engaging in any of the careers you study. If I read your posting correctly, you're asking if it makes sense to to pursue a Ph.D. to become a career counselor. The short answer is: No. Unless you want to be a psychologist, you won't need that level and type of education. You might be better off with a masters degree in either organizational behavior, social work, or human resources. But here's the kicker, the Ph.D. might really satisfy your desire for research and deep learning because a Ph.D. is by definition, an expert in their field. A Ph.D. degree is not automatically awarded just because you complete the necessary coursework. You'd need to identify an area of investigation, and do the work to put together a dissertation that would satisfy your adviser and committee. Just in the little you wrote, I sense you might have what it takes. What I don't see, is any indication that you'd get a bang out of helping people with their careers (i.e. being a career counselor). And I do not mean that in a negative way, I'm just calling it as I see it. Bottom line: if you deeply desire to become a career counselor, the Ph.D. would be overkill and inappropriate to the job requirements. But if you want to continue treating the subject of career as a "bug in a jar" then you should look for a suitable Ph.D. program ASAP and start marching toward becoming a true expert in that field. Can you imagine if your ultimate job included regular appearances on CNN or other shows to pontificate about employment and career trends? Would be way cool, no?
