10 Entry-Level Jobs for Psychology Majors
You're about to finish your psychology degree - but where do you go from here? Learn about the best entry-level psychology jobs for recent, inexperienced graduates.
As a soon-to-be graduate, your mind is split between finishing your final projects and finding a job for when you're out of school and in the real world.
It feels like a daunting task, but it's not as hard as you think to find a job related to your psychology major.
There are plenty of entry-level psychology jobs for graduates without experience. Check out the list below for the top beginner positions for psychology majors to get started in your career today.
The Best Beginner Jobs for Psychology Majors
Whether you want to work your way up in the psychology field or put your degree to good use working with the public in other ways, here are the 10 best entry-level psychology jobs for newly graduated psychology majors.
1. Daycare Attendant
If you're a psychology major with a passion for child development, working at a daycare or other childcare facility could be just right for you.
You'll get to apply teachings from your major in the care of children, observing and influencing their development for the better as they grow and learn.
This could also be a good experience for future higher-level positions that would normally require more education, such as becoming a daycare director or an educator.
A combination of childcare experience and your bachelor's degree in psychology could give you a leg up in your future career.
2. Market Researcher or Analyst
One of the best entry-level psychology jobs available after graduation is in marketing, because there's always a need for market researchers and analysts, no matter what industry you're in.
With your unique background in psychology, you can help companies understand how consumers tick and what strategies are best to attract and retain customers by conducting and analyzing marketing research regularly.
3. Teacher's Aide or Assistant
Psychology majors who want to get into education, whether as a child educator or as a professor specifically teaching psychology, can start by working as a teacher's aide.
Working as a teacher's aide doesn't require the same strict education and standards as a teaching position, but still lets you use your knowledge of the human mind to help in child growth or adult learning environments.
Combined with your education, experience as a teacher's assistant could also help you get higher-level positions in education later in your career.
4. Human Resources Assistant
What better way to utilize your knowledge of human behavior than to put it to use in managing people and relations within a company?
As a human resource assistant or specialist, you can bridge the gap between the needs of workers and the goals of the companies they work for, helping to improve the quality of life for employees while ensuring businesses thrive.
5. Writer
A big part of psychology is knowing how people think and feel and how to influence those thoughts or feelings toward positive outcomes.
Becoming a writer, whether you're a journalist, a white paper writer, or an advice columnist, can help you put information out in the world that creates a positive change in people's mindsets.
Because many types of writers don't require specific formal education, your psychology degree can help you specialize in your writing career without stopping you from trying other writing subjects or positions.
6. Patient Advocate
Even without being a psychologist, there are ways to work with and help patients in the healthcare system. One such way is by working as a patient advocate in a hospital.
Patient advocates help the ill understand hospital standards and medical procedures, assist with getting financial assistance for healthcare, lend a compassionate ear to struggling family members, and more.
As a graduate of a psychology program, you're well-equipped to provide the patience and encouragement a patient requires when dealing with difficult diagnosis and treatment in a healthcare setting.
7. Research Assistant
This entry-level psychology job leans into the more technical aspects of psychology, such as the ability to conduct, organize, analyze, and provide important insight into research.
By working as a research assistant, you can gain important experience in highly technical environments without having to have a graduate education.
You can expand upon the skills you learned in your bachelor's psychology program and increase your chances of getting promotions in the future even without a graduate degree.
8. Case Manager
An extension of a patient advocate position, a case manager is directly involved in creating and implementing a treatment plan for patients in hospital or clinic settings.
Not only will you use your understanding of human behavior to provide compassionate care to distressed patients, but you can also use your extensive knowledge of mental illness diagnosis and treatment to help create accurate, helpful treatment plans for individuals in need of care.
9. Counselor
While it takes graduate education to become a licensed therapist, certain types of counseling can be done with only a bachelor's degree.
From career counseling to working as a crisis counselor at a call center, you can use your people skills and psychology knowledge to help people in the middle of hardship.
Counselors help individuals find direction in their lives, whether in their relationships, education choices, or careers.
10. Public Relations Specialist
Public relations is all about making sure that a company's image stays positive in the eyes of the public, which means you need to know a lot about the thought process of a consumer in order to do well.
Much like when conducting marketing research, a psychology degree helps a public relations specialist know the mind and motivation of a customer, leading to better business strategies and more success for companies.
Get the Education You Need for a Career in Psychology Today
Now that you know about some of the top entry-level psychology jobs for graduates with bachelor's degrees, it's time to finish your degree and apply for positions today so you can start making headway in your chosen career tomorrow.