A career in phsychology maybe

[bakes0310]

Ive always had an interest in phsychology and it doesnt help with being a big fan of frasier
Im currently in 37 hour job at argos warehouse ive been there since october the 3rd on my bday as well....what a coincedance
Anyway im getting slightly bored of it and i was looking at my local colleges website and found this course:

AS & A2 Level Psychology
Psychology is the study of human behaviour. The course includes research methods and perspectives, the study of mental processes, social interaction, the biological basis of behaviour, development issues and normal/abnormal behaviour therapies. You will study the AS for the first 15 weeks and the A2 for the second 15 weeks.

What will I study for AS?

Module 1: Cognitive Psychology is the study of the mental processes or activities. We will be studying the nature and structure of human memory. Developmental Psychology looks at how people develop throughout their lives from infancy to old age. You will look at Attachments in Development.

Module 2: Physiological Psychology (or Biological Psychology) looks at how the brain and nervous system operate and how our experiences can be affected by these physiological processes and mechanisms. In this unit we look at Stress. Individual Differences considers the ways people are different from one another and how these differences are perceived and measured. The topic for this unit is Abnormality.

Module 3: Social Psychology studies how people interact with one another and they come to make sense of what is going on in their social world. The topic in this section is Social Influence.
Research Methods looks at the different types of research carried out in Psychology, the research design and implementation and data analysis. It is also concerned with the ethics of research.

What will I study for A2?

Module 4: will comprise of Pro and Anti-Social Behaviour, Biological rhythms, Sleep and Dreaming, and
Motivation and Emotion.

Module 5: will comprise of Treating Mental Disorders and Perspectives, Ethics and Approaches.

The course has already begun so ill wait till september when it starts again so what do you think is it worth doing could i get a job quite easily with just that qualification or will i need to go to uni, which i beleive im a little old to start at 20.

 

[reflex]

Im doing it now, im just ending my AS level in it, Human behaviour - Obedience & Conformity are the most intresting i find, Stress and Memory are really boring but not that difficult if you have effort to learn the studies. I think its a strong subject for me and one of my most enjoyable although im only at a C Grade (I struggle with exam technique & speed) And i do have tendancies now to look for things in Psychology that happens in real life. One of the reasons why i took this subject is becuase i have suffered from mental issues (Still do to a certain extent) and i thought by learning about the way humans function it would be easier to deal with my own issues. It has helped me a lot and i'm 90% Sure im going to try and take this at uni.

 

[powned]

My uncles doing the same, i've always had an interest in psychology but never really perused it

 

[cleanbluesky]

The course has already begun so ill wait till september when it starts again so what do you think is it worth doing could i get a job quite easily with just that qualification or will i need to go to uni, which i beleive im a little old to start at 20.

It depends. To be mot forms of professional psychologist you will likely have to persue it at least to masters. You can start with a 'psychologically themed' career after a degree or perhaps an A-Level might just nudge you in the door, perhaps with the promise that you are willing to take a degree part-time as a requirement of your job and you have experience with the particular type of individuals you are working with.

It is also dependent on what type of psychologist you would like to be. Check out this site
http://www.bps.org.uk/bps/roles/the-public.cfm
the above page will give you general information about psychology (I will check back and answer any specific questions you have after answering this).
And here
http://www.bps.org.uk/careers/becoming/becoming_home.cfm
whch will give you career advice and what you can expect to be open to at each level of qaulification.

One thing I will say is that psychology will switch between some of the most intersting stuff you could imagine and stuff that is cold and sterile. Your choice of career will depend on your existing attitude towards people, although you will not have to set a solid path for your career unless you get as far as post-graduate...

As far as getting a degree at your age, many who study psychology are a lot older than yourself and you are definately, definately NOT too old to start a degree.

Have a read through this stuff and think about it, and I'll answer any questions as much as I can - not that I am an authority, I have worked in psychology-style jobs before and about to finalise my education and become a Psychotherapist (with luck)

 

[cleanbluesky]

One of the reasons why i took this subject is becuase i have suffered from mental issues (Still do to a certain extent) and i thought by learning about the way humans function it would be easier to deal with my own issues. It has helped me a lot and i'm 90% Sure im going to try and take this at uni.

So many people take psychology for this, which is one of the reasons it attracted me perhaps - as someone who was psyuchologically ill disciplined and in poor control of their emotions. I also found that a lot of people had to seriously cnosider whether they had mental health problems while we were learning about the symptoms. I can remember once that a student went to a lecturer and said 'I think I have this'... although there was lots of talk amongst ourselves as to the possibility of having various conditions... glad I was not amongst that number

 

[Whappers]

If one of the reasons why you are studying it is because you see yourself putting your understanding of psychology into use in some form of job then I would suggest that you get yourself into a psychology degree. I never studied psychology before but am currently in second year of my 4 year psychology course. A degree looks so much better than an AS or A level in my own personal opinion.

 

[cleanbluesky]

If one of the reasons why you are studying it is because you see yourself putting your understanding of psychology into use in some form of job then I would suggest that you get yourself into a psychology degree. I never studied psychology before but am currently in second year of my 4 year psychology course. A degree looks so much better than an AS or A level in my own personal opinion.

definately. Another option for the OP is the idea of a introduction course which would then lead to a degree. A degree is much better, and allows more independence and investigation of methods employed...

 

[William]

I would suggest very strongly against an A-Level for any career prospect, I believe they are only good for learning more of what you enjoy, a mistake I have made in wanting to do medicene. A-Levels tend to be taught very badly, that is to say with little real application and enthusiasm and rely on your interest in the subject. I did Biology, Chemistry, Psychology and History. I hate all of them except history despite really wanting a medical career and I have since sworn that I will NEVER EVER go into a career involving any science or maths.

A better choice if you want to go into a career in Psychology is to do A-levels you enjoyed at GCSE, then do a degree imho. Degrees tend to be more interesting and applied.

 

[bakes0310]

wow cheers for the info ive just had a good read on the links provided. It seems very vast in what you need and there basically saying you need a degree and also should be signed up on there 3 year training course am i right

Im pretty sure i would want to be a clinical psychologists as thats the most interesting part of psychology, also i like the sound of the pay minimum £11k thats like a thousand more than im getting now.
The only worrys ive got about it are:

1.it sounds like it takes a lot of years to be a phsychologist i think about 1 year for the A+A2 level course also the uni degree will probably be about 2-4 years and then theres the nhs training of 3 years.

2.i think i may be a little dumb for uni and my attention span in college was very small but thats almost a year now and ive really grown up.

EDIT:
also whats this i keep hearing about 2.2 or 2.1 is that theuni grade mark cause the training course will not take anyone on whos got a 2.2??

 

[DaveyD]

I doubt you'd have trouble with you being a couple of years older if you did go to university and studied. You'd just have to make sure that you do the right things to get onto a degree for what you want to study, as just an A-Level in Psychology may not be enough.

You'd really have to visit a uni or talk to current students studying courses you're interested in, as you'll understand a lot more of what it will entail, and probably get a better idea of wether or not you'd be fine studying and if it really suits you.

....
EDIT:
also whats this i keep hearing about 2.2 or 2.1 is that theuni grade mark cause the training course will not take anyone on whos got a 2.2??

Uni grades usually go:

1st - "First Class" Highest band, (Usually 70%+)
2:1 - "Second Class / Upper Second" (Usually 60%+)
2:2 - "Lower Second" (Usually 50%+)
3rd - "Third Class" (Usually scraping a pass).

 

[cleanbluesky]

wow cheers for the info ive just had a good read on the links provided. It seems very vast in what you need and there basically saying you need a degree and also should be signed up on there 3 year training course am i right

Im pretty sure i would want to be a clinical psychologists as thats the most interesting part of psychology, also i like the sound of the pay minimum £11k thats like a thousand more than im getting now.
The only worrys ive got about it are:

1.it sounds like it takes a lot of years to be a phsychologist i think about 1 year for the A+A2 level course also the uni degree will probably be about 2-4 years and then theres the nhs training of 3 years.

2.i think i may be a little dumb for uni and my attention span in college was very small but thats almost a year now and ive really grown up.

Uni is a process with a test at the end. I would expect that you would think yourself a lot smarter by the end of the process...

EDIT:
also whats this i keep hearing about 2.2 or 2.1 is that theuni grade mark cause the training course will not take anyone on whos got a 2.2??

A 2.2 might restrict your career choice or it may not... but TBH I expect if you completed a degree your choice would be very different by the end of things.

Before my degree i imagined myself as a 'Cracker' type psychologist (Cracker was popular while I was studying A-Level) I am now choosing to go down the Psychotherapy route. One reason for this is that it involves working with individuals (and for quite a price too) rather than trying to put people into boxes...

 

[benjo plz.]

Don't bother with psychology A-level tbh, you're just parrot learning theories, models and evaluations tbh.

 

[Kreeeee]

So many people take psychology for this, which is one of the reasons it attracted me perhaps - as someone who was psyuchologically ill disciplined and in poor control of their emotions. I also found that a lot of people had to seriously cnosider whether they had mental health problems while we were learning about the symptoms. I can remember once that a student went to a lecturer and said 'I think I have this'... although there was lots of talk amongst ourselves as to the possibility of having various conditions... glad I was not amongst that number

No offense meant but you taking psychology explains a lot about your attitude on these boards. I've noticed that a lot of the psychology students at Bristol have a very similar attitude to you.

 

[Arcade Fire]

Before you leap into anything, you should probably realise that to work as a professional psychologist you will have to take:

2 years to study A Levels - you'll need at least three to get into a decent university.
3 years to do a psychology degree, during which time you'll need to be able to pay living costs whilst doing your degree full-time.
1 year to do a masters, which will be even more time-consuming than your degree.

And then possibly another 3 years to do a PhD, which you do get paid for, although it's not much. You'll be at least 26 by the time you graduate. I don't want to put you off too much, but you should seriously consider firstly whether you can afford to invest that much time, secondly whether you'll be able to support yourself while doing all this studying, and secondly whether you're smart enough in the first place. A professional psychologist would be someone of above-average intelligence - in most cases significantly above average. If the reason that you left school at 16 is because you thought A Levels would be too hard, then you won't be cut out for a career as a psychologist.

Like I said, I don't want to put a massive damper on your dreams, but you should definitely consider all of the points I've raised as honestly as you can.

 

[cleanbluesky]

Don't bother with psychology A-level tbh, you're just parrot learning theories, models and evaluations tbh.

As opposed to what at degree level exactly?

Psychology is a mine field of what you said above. But there are lots of good bits, as well as pathology and construction

 

[benjo plz.]

As opposed to what at degree level exactly?

I dunno, I only do it for A2 .

 

[cleanbluesky]

Before you leap into anything, you should probably realise that to work as a professional psychologist you will have to take:

You sound like you're talking with authority AF, before putting a damper on this young gentleman's aspiration - care to explain what a 'professional psychologist' is? The reason I ask is becasue working in psychology need not conform to the exaggerated timetable you have posted below...

2 years to study A Levels - you'll need at least three to get into a decent university.
3 years to do a psychology degree, during which time you'll need to be able to pay living costs whilst doing your degree full-time.
1 year to do a masters, which will be even more time-consuming than your degree.

All of this can be done part-time to lessen the blow, a person can start to work in the field of psychology after Degree on the promise that they will take a Masters (which will usually be part of work)... also, an access course for adults might be an appropriate way to achieve eligability for degree

 

[bakes0310]

After a good few months of thinking ive decided on going to college in 2007 next september (so a while yet) and do A- levels. Anyway i was wondering on what A- levels i should go for and how many as i have no idea on what to do and if there a lot harder than GCSE'S. I was talking to a mate and he recommends doing 4 A- levels and drop one after a year so its an AS level (is that what an AS is?).
I was thinking of doing:
Psychology A level
English A level
Sociology A level
History AS level

So what do you think is that enough to get into uni and what results am i expected to get if i do them?