Entry-level Jobs By now, you probably know that to be a "psychologist," one must have a doctoral degree in psychology (PhD, PsyD, or, sometimes, an EdD). This is because the nature of the work that psychologists do requires much more extensive education and training than can be gained in four years of undergraduate course work. Nonetheless, there are numerous entry-level jobs that are open to those with a bachelor's degree in psychology. You won't find an entry-level job for a "psychologist." This fact means that you will need to do some detective work to search out job options for psychology majors. The types of entry-level jobs for which undergraduate psychology majors are typically prepared are those that use "people skills" (for example, communicating with and relating to individuals from diverse backgrounds as is required for case workers, counselor's aides, and in sales, marketing, personnel, and management positions), analytical skills (for example, figuring out why a certain problem occurs and how to minimize or eliminate it), writing skills (for example, writing a logically developed report), and research skills (for example, using statistics, tables, and graphs to analyze problems and communicate relevant findings). It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that these skills can be used in a wide variety of work settings. Human services (counseling, social work), business, criminal justice (probation officer, corrections officer), health and recreation, and education are areas that come readily to mind. Business Area (A minor in business would be helpful) possiblilities: advertising trainee administrative assistant advertising agent airline reservations clerk claims specialist customer relations employee counselor employment counselor insurance agent job analyst loan officer management trainee marketing representative marketing researcher media buyer occupational analyst personnel worker/administrator public information officer public relations sales representative small business owner store manager staff training and development warehouse manager Mental Health/Social Services Area (A minor in family and child studies, justice studies, health and aging studies, or sociology would be helpful) behavior analyst case worker child protection worker corrections officer counselor aide day care center supervisor director of volunteer services drug/substance abuse counselor employment counselor family service worker group home coordinator mental retardation unit manager probation/parole officer program manager rehabilitation advisor residential youth counselor social service director veterans' advisor Other Positions (Various other minors may be helpful when combined with psychology in these fields) affirmative action officer child care worker college admissions counselor college admissions recruiter community recreation worker community relations officer congressional aide director of alumni relations (college) director of fund raising (college) fast food restaurant manager hospital patient service representative newspaper reporter park and recreation director statistical assistant technical writer

Contents Introduction Psy Dept Opportunities psi chi upa research Succeeding in Psy Dept recommended books recommended journal articles recommendation letters approaching professors general academic tips study effectively managing test anxiety suggested timeline Non-Psy Dept Involvement opportunities sa career services Life After UB careers in psy graduate school options preparing for grad school masters degree vs ph.d General Psy Info psy links books on careers psy licenses & certificates different degrees psychological disciplines Related Psy Stories & Interesting Info humanistic psy & dalai lama skeptical thinking good arguments summary of world

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