Psychologist Essay, Research Paper

During the late 1800 s and early 1900 s, a well known scientist by the name of Dr. Sigmund Freud came up with ways of analyzing dreams, studying human behavior, their capacities, their traits as well as a way to explain their needs. He came up with what was soon to be highly respected profession of a Psychologist which derived from the studies of psychology. In Greek language, psychology means the science of the soul . Like the word psychology itself, being a psychologist means big business. The following well sought out information will try and give you a mere glimpse of what it would be like to be a psychologist. This would be in the sense of the job description, required education, as well as my own personal qualifications I would have that shall attribute in becoming a psychologist.

First of all, in order to become a psychologist you would have to understand who and what one is. Since the field of psychology is so large and vast, a psychologist usually focuses on one aspect of psychology, which interests him/her, the most. Among the abundant types of psychologists those who stand out from others consist of the following. Clinical psychologists – concerned mainly with people s mental and emotional disorders. Developmental psychologists study the development of people from birth through old age. Social psychologists concerned with how people interact with each other and how their environment affects them. Counseling psychologists work with average people who have problems they find difficult to face alone. These are just some of the psychologists which arise from a wide range of variety. Duties of these as well as other types of psychologists would vary from different things such as teaching, counseling, research work, administration, as well as numerous others. Psychologists belonging to colleges and universities usually work in offices or buildings on campus. Those who work for school districts may have their own office as well as the place provided by the school district. Customary of their choice, they can also visit schools on a regular schedule. Psychologists working in military services may serve either here or overseas. Finally those working for the federal government work in diverse agencies such as public health agencies. Those working with businesses or industries usually work under highly favorable conditions with decorated offices and large clerical or secretarial staffs. As you can see the working conditions for a psychologist vary drastically. Hours of work depend on what kind of psychologist you are. If you work for someone your hours will be given to you, however they tend to fit in with the psychologist s timetable. Being a self-employed psychologist would mean that you work upon your schedule having it just the way you would like for it to be. Based on information recorded a few years back, the average starting psychologist with a doctoral degree would earn about $40, 000 per year. Those working in businesses or industries obtain close to $50, 000 annually. Psychologists working for hospitals, clinics, and educational facilities made anywhere from $37, 000 to $40, 000 a year. Finally psychologists paid by the government as well as independent private psychologists made an easy earning of $47, 000 to $53, 000. Benefits acquired by psychologists during and after their working years are very worthy however we must keep in mind the year s they committed to society often help in such ways we must show our total gratitude towards them.

For students anticipating getting into the University of Toronto under the psychology program, marks in their OAC year are expected to range from mid 70 s to anything higher. To receive a Bachelor of Arts degree, it takes at least a very long and hard working 4 years with a basic tuition cost of $3, 835 for every year spent in the course. Those students wishing to go to the University of Waterloo must obtain marks from low 70 s and above in their OAC year. This comes as a surprise to myself because one would believe it would be extremely harder getting accepted into a university such as Waterloo rather than the University of Toronto considering how well its known for it s studies, however, its not. In spite of this, the time needed to complete the program for the two universities is the same; just that there is a slight change of tuition fee at the University of Waterloo with it being $3, 952. Prior to this, it is recommended students attend college for approximately 1-2 years in order to get some hands-on experience and a general understanding of the psychology field. In addition, for counseling psychology, the requirements for the Ph.D. or Psy.D. Degree usually includes one year of internship or supervised experience. Once again, that could very well come from the time spent at community college. Courses students are recommended to take during their years at high school are spread out amongst a wide range of subjects. Among these are English, Mathematics, and all Science courses capable of taking. In addition, one should pursue any modern foreign languages the high school might be offering, more specifically French or German. Some psychologists must make a great deal of speeches, write for publications, and be able to communicate easily and well with clients who come for help.

To numerous personals, I might not appear like an individual capable of actually achieving a Ph.D. in psychology. Others might think, hey, anything can happen! However, in my own eyes, I see myself doing virtually anything I challenge myself against. I m the one person on this God given Earth who will even come close to acknowledging a mere portion of what I m capable of as well as how much of a great potential I have hidden deep within. I often have a way of getting people to open up and express themselves freely with me and find it very easy to work with others. There s this one little part of me inside that s just so eager to spend life learning more and more as days go by. Just as psychologists do. They never stop studying or have time in their personal life. Well, I might not study all that much, but I certainly know what it s like to have a jam-packed day. I d enjoy having a high profession status such as a psychologist. My thoughts and opinions would be heard and sought on many matters, and furthermore, I like to be looked up to for leadership. That s what I see myself as, a leader in my society. Knowing I d be engaged in work that is of great benefit to humanity would be very meaningful. All in all, at one point or another, everybody hopes to resolve a problem between two individuals. I wish to notch it up a level and view the two as separate beings solving each problem they have with themselves first.

To me, being a psychologist would be like having the most well fit job I can find. The pay for a psychologist is extremely well and they often turn out to become wealthy people. Then again, money isn t everything. I would be a psychologist because its what I would want to do. I feel that psychologists are engaged in work that is of great benefit to humanity. They can see steady progress in the profession toward reaching important new understanding of behavior, and this is for many as well as for myself an exciting and deeply rewarding experience. One day, I hope to be the most successful psychologist ever, aside from the great Dr. Sigmund Freud.