Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Career Center - by Get Degrees Staff
Simply being good at giving advice won’t get you into a psychology degree program, but it’s a good reason to start considering entering the profession. The best psychologists display just the sort of empathy and problem solving skills that come along with being able to give sound advice–and they make impressive salaries doing it.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the employment outlook is good for psychologists. Between 2006 and 2016 the market is expected to add 25,000 psychologists, bringing the total to 191,000. The education and training requirements are demanding, though. To become a licensed psychologist, you must earn an advanced degree in psychology, preferably a Ph.D. or Psy.D.; there are fewer opportunities for those with master’s degrees in psychology, and fewer yet for those with bachelor’s degrees. Additionally, supervised field work is usually required, not just by the degree granting institution, but by the state in which you reside. Required field work may range from several hundred hours to several thousand hours, depending on the psychology degree and the program. And many states have a licensing test which you must pass in order to practice. Because you may be in school for five to seven years, it pays to shop for the degree program that best fits your situation and career goals.
Psychology Salaries: Now That You’ve Got That Degree…
According to the 2008 BLS reports, the mean annual wage for psychologists is $70,190, while the median is $64,140 (half of all psychologists earn more, half less). Approximately 34 percent of psychologists are self-employed, which is far above the 8 percent for all workers. Not all of those who are self-employed have private practices (some consult for business, science, and education–which sometimes requires courses in that topic, in addtion to a typical psychology degree program).
Traditionally, private practice has been more lucrative per hour than working for an employer, but in the past few years, the cost of insurance that psychologists must carry has risen dramatically while the amount paid by insurance companies to psychologists for client care has dropped for both amount per visit and the number of visits allowed per coverage year. Nevertheless, some of the best paid therapists are still those with private practices in major metropolitan areas.
Of the 166,000 psychologists, there are approximately 152,000 clinical, counseling and school psychologists. Of these, 27 percent work in elementary and secondary schools where the the mean annual wage is $68,340, slightly below the national mean. The next largest employer of psychologists are healthcare providers including offices of other health practitioners (not physicians’ offices), family services, and outpatient clinics. Taken together, this segment employs approximately 11 percent of the 152,000 with annual mean wages just at the national mean.
Where Are the Best Paying Psychology Careers?
Psychologists in New Jersey, Colorado, California, Ohio and Rhode Island all make mean annual wages in the low to high $80,000s, according to the BLS. Industrial-organizational psychologists’ mean annual wages exceed those of clinical, counseling and school psychologists, but there are far fewer employment opportunities (only 2,400 projected by 2016). Otherwise, look to employment services, higher education, physicians, and offices of other health practitioners for the best paying jobs.
Lorraine Watkins
Lorraine Watkins is a business writer and a regular contributor to business and education websites. She is a graduate of California State University, East Bay with an MA in English.
Career Center - by Get Degrees Staff
Do you dream of being the next Nigel Barker, Robert Capra, Galen Rowell, Annie Leibovitz, Ansel Adams, or Andy Warhol? Whether your interest is in aerial or fashion photography, celebrity, sports, advertising, or industrial photography or photojournalism, there is a niche for your interest.Learn about photography salaries and the degree you need.
If you love looking through the lens of camera, chances are you already have some informal training from working on the high school newspaper,…
Career Center - by Get Degrees Staff
Are you interested in working in the judicial system, but don’t have the grades, time or money for a full on law degree? Maybe a career as a paralegal is right for you. Paralegals are in demand in both the government and the private sector. Learn more about paralegal salaries, and start working towards your paralegal degree today.
The employment outlook for paralegals is better than for many other types of jobs with an expected growth rate…
Career Center - by Get Degrees Staff
With an interior design degree, you can combine your unique artistic vision with formal training to qualify for one of today’s most sought-after careers.Learn more about this industry and how to qualify for the top salaries.
Lucky for artistically-inclined individuals, there exist a few areas of employment whose mission it is to reconcile the form-versus-function argument, among them interior design. If you want to put your strong communicative and artistic skills to work, consider learning the…
Career Center - by Get Degrees Staff
Want to share your unique artistic talents with the rest of the world? Earn a graphic design degree and land yourself a great career in this creative industry. Find out more about what it takes to earn the top salaries in this field.
Industries such as entertainment and advertising rely upon artistically gifted individuals for visual solutions, and new computer technology has made art more marketable than ever before. If you have the talent, communication skills, and…
Career Center - by Get Degrees Staff
Do you want to make a living by creating beautiful clothing designs? Earn a fashion design degree, and make your dream job a reality! In this diverse and cretive field, you can find jobs that emphasize your strengths, while letting you bring home a nice salary.
Fashion Design Salaries
Few occupations are as artistic, and yet practical, as fashion design. Successful design blends cultural awareness, aesthetic talent, and practical know-how to create apparel that consumers want to…
Career Center - by Get Degrees Staff
Do you want to help solve some of the world’s most challenging technical problems while being handsomely compensated? Get started on your way to high salaries with a degree in engineering.
Engineering Salaries
We live in an imperfect world, one where all manner of problems, from global warming to war, threaten our quality of life. Certain issues may be insoluble, but many groups of people work to change what they can. Our elected officials strive to enact…
Career Center - by Get Degrees Staff
Whether you’re an aspiring chef or everyone’s favorite dinner party host, a culinary arts degree can help turn your passion for food into a rewarding career. Learn more about the kind of salaries you can expect in culinary arts, and find out if chefs really are rolling in the dough.
Culinary Salaries
Flip through a television program lineup these days and you’ll see not only an explosion of celebrities and sitcoms but also something much more basic, something…
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Career Center - by Get Degrees Staff
Computer science, information technology, and telecommunication degree programs and careers have exploded in recent years thanks to major advances in hardware, software, and connectivity. Accompanying this increased demand are salary ranges that were unimaginable just ten years ago. Find out how you can take advantage of this explosive growth by completing a computer degree program.
Computer Salaries
Computers have become such a staple of modern business, science, and education that it’s become impossible to say things like,…
Career Center - by Get Degrees Staff
There are many ways to a start pulling down a big salary in the business world, but earning a formal business degree is one of the most popular, safest bets. In a business degree program, you can master the essential tools of economics, marketing, and accounting that non-degree holders must learn through more costly trial and error.
Business Salaries
Overall demand for business degree holders could continue to increase in spite of the recent economic downturn because companies…
Career Center - by Get Degrees Staff
It is possible to enter advertising with little or no formal training, but having a degree in the field can potentially open more doors. In addition, the insights you receive from advertising degree programs can often help you move up the career ladder faster.
Advertising Salary
Advertisers play a crucial role in business; they invent, discover, and develop vital communication lines between companies and end users. The best product in the world has little chance of success unless…
Career Center - by Get Degrees Staff
With an accounting degree it is possible to enjoy high demand, lucrative salaries, and strong employment prospects. The skills and training you receive help make you an invaluable asset for companies, governments, families, and individuals alike.
Accounting Salaries
Accounting is one of those rare fields that flourishes both in times of economic growth and in times of economic decline. When profits are high, accountants are needed to position firms for future growth and opportunities. When profits are…
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Editor: Sasha Orman is a graduate of UCSD with a degree in writing and years of experience with various online and print publications.
Melissa Steele is a professional writer and content developer with over 8 years experience working for online publications.
