Psychologist

Psychologist

Duties and Responsibilities: Psychologists routinely use tests and assessment to aid in diagnosing a mental health condition for a patient. These tests help get a basic understanding of the connections between someone's thoughts and feelings and the subsequent behaviors causing problems. Depending on the reason a patient makes an appointment, tests may be used t evaluate intelligence, cognitive abilities, vocational qualities, personality and neuropsychological functioning.

Salary: According to the 2014-15 Occupational Outlook Handbook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median national annual salary for clinical psychologists is $67,650. Actual salaries may vary greatly based on specialization within the field, location, years of experience and a variety of other factors.

Education: Becoming a psychologist requires obtaining a master's or doctoral degree. During this process, students may perform research, work supervised clinical rotations and teach classes. They may work in a variety of specialties, such as counseling, school or clinical psychology.

Demand for this Profession: Employment of clinical, counseling, and school psychologists is projected to grow 20 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. Greater demand for psychological services in schools, hospitals, mental health centers, and social services agencies should drive employment growth.

Reflection: I wouldn’t like to be a psychologist. Although it does sound like an interesting job it’s not what I want to do in life.