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Ask a non-psychologist what psychology is all about and you may get some surprising answers. Some will say psychology teaches you to read minds; others that it is not truly a science; still others that it is simply common sense. While such misconceptions abound among those without a psychology background, surprisingly two misconceptions permeate the psychology community itself regarding psychology careers. The first one is that some think that a bachelor’s degree is enough to become a psychologist. The second is many think that most psychology students become psychologists (Lantz and Reddy, 2010). While some undergraduate ’ologies (e.g. meteorology) lead directly to careers in those fields, becoming a professional psychologist requires two or three years of additional postgraduate study and supervised experience. While many students go on to pursue this goal, some students decide they do not want to invest in the additional time it takes. Others who persist find that there can be significant competition to get on postgraduate courses (Lantz and Reddy, 2010). For example, in 2010 about one in five or 21% of applicants for clinical psychology courses were successful (Clearing House for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology, 2010). While competition varies by year and by the course, some do find it challenging to gain entry. Therefore, advanced preparation is important. If you are studying psychology because you truly want to become a psychologist, this guide is not to dissuade you from that goal but to provide realistic information that can help you in the process. With this aim it provides an overview of the traditional areas of psychology along with some emerging career paths you may not have thought about. It also provides tips regarding acquiring work experience and applying to postgraduate programmes as well as exercises and information which can help you to better articulate your career goals and sell yourself both on paper and during work experience or ad

Ask a non-psychologist what psychology is all about and you may get some surprising answers. Some will say psychology teaches you to read minds; others that it is not truly a science; still others that it is simply common sense. While such misconceptions abound among those without a psychology background, surprisingly two misconceptions permeate the psychology community itself regarding psychology careers. The first one is that some think that a bachelor’s degree is enough to become a psychologist. The second is many think that most psychology students become psychologists (Lantz and Reddy, 2010). While some undergraduate ’ologies (e.g. meteorology) lead directly to careers in those fields, becoming a professional psychologist requires two or three years of additional postgraduate study and supervised experience. While many students go on to pursue this goal, some students decide they do not want to invest in the additional time it takes. Others who persist find that there can be significant competition to get on postgraduate courses (Lantz and Reddy, 2010). For example, in 2010 about one in five or 21% of applicants for clinical psychology courses were successful (Clearing House for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology, 2010). While competition varies by year and by the course, some do find it challenging to gain entry. Therefore, advanced preparation is important. If you are studying psychology because you truly want to become a psychologist, this guide is not to dissuade you from that goal but to provide realistic information that can help you in the process. With this aim it provides an overview of the traditional areas of psychology along with some emerging career paths you may not have thought about. It also provides tips regarding acquiring work experience and applying to postgraduate programmes as well as exercises and information which can help you to better articulate your career goals and sell yourself both on paper and during work experience or ad