Hello
Covid has seen me become unemployed .. i am considering a career change.
I am considering wanting to become a child and adolescent psychologist.
I am fearful of not being academic enough.
I do have a diploma in Early Childhood Services and associate degree in arts buisness and science. ( I have no idea what the benefit was in that 🤷‍♀️ it was part of a Deakin at your doorstep program at the time)
I live Rural , Vic . About 4.5 hours from our closest city.
Who and how do you work out what pathways to take, prior learing if it is relevant etc.
I am 30years with 3 children and have always felt a bit uninspired and lost as to my career.
5 Replies
The pathway to be an actual registered psychologist is massive, masters, observation etc. These days its nearly as hard as becoming a doctor. If you are looking more into getting your bachelor psyche degree only to open doors for other career opportunities, I would say that that is more realistic.
As the other respondents said, it’s almost as hard as becoming a doctor and most people who have psych degrees don’t make it to being a clinical psychologist.
There is also loads of statistics and research (conducting experiments/studies) and very little counselling involved in psychology (in the first 3 years at least).
To get an honours place it’s highly competitive.
Thank you checking in regularly for responses. Maybe a little daft but would this feedback be the same or is there a difference between a counsellor and a psychologist vs psychiatrist?
To be a psychiatrist you have to go to medical school. My BIL and sister both had to do psychiatric rotations as part of there medical studies. Both went into different specialties. Psychiatrists prescribe medications and have to have a good understanding of the brain and how certain medications interact with the body etc. In medical school you’d have to do rotations on every area of medicine not just psychiatry.
Plus the dissecting of bodies etc.
Counselling is pretty much a short course. You can’t diagnose conditions but you may identify that someone probably needs a diagnosis and suggest they see the appropriate professional.
Have you thought about a Bachelor of Social Work? It’s what I started studying last year. I just had my fourth baby and live rurally and am studying part time externally. There is however certain subjects that require attendance at workshops as well as 2 lots of placement. I was drawn to it due to the wide variety of career pathways it opens