Monetising a psychology background

[seany25]

Hi guys,

 

I attempted a dropshipping business this year, which failed. I learned a lot but it just didn't work out.

 

I graduated with a degree in psychology last year, and I am quite confident deep down that I should be able to utilise it in a new business.

 

I was a volunteer telephone counsellor for 2 years, and have always been someone that others turn to for advice and guidance, having myself overcame substance abuse 9 years ago. I'm also super confident and positive pretty much all the time, to the point that colleagues have sometimes said I could be a motivational speaker.

 

This is where I start to think that perhaps some sort of advice business or life coaching type business would be a good idea.

 

Can anyone help me with some pointers as to where to start? Or how I begin to put all this together?

 

Thanks,

Seany

[alphamale]

well seany25 I would tell you to go back to school and get a PhD in psychology

[d0nnivain]

If you want to be self employed, first identify your passion. Then start learning about being an entrepreneur. Develop a business plan & a marketing plan

[hippychick3]

You will need to go to grad school to make use of a psychology degree. A bachelor’s degree in psych doesn’t help in the slightest careerwise.

[alphamale]

a bachelors degree in psych is almost useless. it'll hinder you more than help you. a bachelors in business or computers or finance would take you far. if you want to stay in the psychology field you'll need a doctorate

[hippychick3]

a bachelors degree in psych is almost useless. it'll hinder you more than help you. a bachelors in business or computers or finance would take you far. if you want to stay in the psychology field you'll need a doctorate

 

Or a masters and a license... if one wants to be a therapist.

[Mr. Lucky]

I'm also super confident and positive pretty much all the time, to the point that colleagues have sometimes said I could be a motivational speaker.

 

A huge percentage of high-earners are in sales, a field where your outgoing personality would be an asset. What are your hobbies and/or interests?

 

Mr. Lucky

[5x5]

I concur with everyone else that you ought to carry on your education to a Doctorate if you want to monetise a psychology background.

 

That said you might also consider looking into social work on some level.

 

Or alternatively (especially if you have talents that they can use) you could try to join 77 Brigade of the British Army, which is a unit that provides Psychological Operations support.

 

https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/formations-divisions-brigades/6th-united-kingdom-division/77-brigade/

[alphamale]

Or a masters and a license... if one wants to be a therapist.

 

a MA is a step up but the PhD is still the way to go as far as respect and earnings potential

[hippychick3]

a MA is a step up but the PhD is still the way to go as far as respect and earnings potential

 

I am in the field. There are many private practitioners with a masters and license making hundreds of thousands a year. It’s a matter of being well established, having rich clients, and great word of mouth. There is not much less earning potential once you have your license.

[alphamale]

I am in the field. There are many private practitioners with a masters and license making hundreds of thousands a year. It’s a matter of being well established, having rich clients, and great word of mouth. There is not much less earning potential once you have your license.

 

but don't they have to be supervised by a Dr./PhD??

[d0nnivain]

A degree in psychology presumably gives you insight into the human mind. It's probably not enough to enable you to clinically treat somebody without more education.

 

The undergraduate major presumably also thought you to think critically. That is the point of any liberal arts degree. Few are practical as work prep. Liberal arts degrees are not usually a means to an end.

 

However a degree in psychology should allow you to morph into sales, human resources or as you expressed an interest personal / life coaching. If that is your goal, I would look into something like Coach U or a competitor, they are schools that teach people to operate a coaching business

[hippychick3]

but don't they have to be supervised by a Dr./PhD??

 

No, they do not.

[seany25]

well seany25 I would tell you to go back to school and get a PhD in psychology

 

You will need to go to grad school to make use of a psychology degree. A bachelor’s degree in psych doesn’t help in the slightest careerwise.

 

I concur with everyone else that you ought to carry on your education to a Doctorate if you want to monetise a psychology background.

 

That said you might also consider looking into social work on some level.

 

Or alternatively (especially if you have talents that they can use) you could try to join 77 Brigade of the British Army, which is a unit that provides Psychological Operations support.

 

https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/formations-divisions-brigades/6th-united-kingdom-division/77-brigade/

 

a MA is a step up but the PhD is still the way to go as far as respect and earnings potential

 

I am in the field. There are many private practitioners with a masters and license making hundreds of thousands a year. It’s a matter of being well established, having rich clients, and great word of mouth. There is not much less earning potential once you have your license.

 

I've been heavily engrossed in Dr. Jordan Peterson's work for the last 2 months. As a result, I would absolutely LOVE to be a clinical psychologist, like he is. However, it is pretty much out of the question, having only graduated with a third class honours.

 

On that basis I don't believe it's possible to proceed into a masters or PhD when coming from my current academic position.

 

Having said that, one of the reasons it was a low class was because I only studied the degree as a hobby and general interest in the subject. So graduating at all was a bonus in itself.

[seany25]

If you want to be self employed, first identify your passion. Then start learning about being an entrepreneur. Develop a business plan & a marketing plan

 

I have business qualifications and lots of knowledge and self-education on entrepreneurship. What I'm most passionate about is continual personal development.

 

A huge percentage of high-earners are in sales, a field where your outgoing personality would be an asset. What are your hobbies and/or interests?

 

My current job is actually sales but I'm bored with it after 4 years. I know I'm worth more than my current status and that's why I wish to explore that.

 

As I said above, I'm super positive and motivating. My biggest hobby is continual learning and self-education, reading, lostening to podcasts, lectures etc (mostly psychology related). Although I am very much into the gym and working on my physical appearance too.

 

A degree in psychology presumably gives you insight into the human mind. It's probably not enough to enable you to clinically treat somebody without more education.

 

The undergraduate major presumably also taught you to think critically. That is the point of any liberal arts degree. Few are practical as work prep. Liberal arts degrees are not usually a means to an end.

 

The degree in psychology was pretty much studied as a hobby. I didn't really do it with any specific career aims. Although it doesn't exactly mean that it counts for nothing.

 

However a degree in psychology should allow you to morph into sales, human resources or as you expressed an interest personal / life coaching. If that is your goal, I would look into something like Coach U or a competitor, they are schools that teach people to operate a coaching business

 

I am quite confident I could be quite good as a personal development coach of some sort. Thanks for making me aware of the Coach U source!

[alphamale]

I am quite confident I could be quite good as a personal development coach of some sort.

 

I could be wrong but I don't think they make a lot of money

[d0nnivain]

I could be wrong but I don't think they make a lot of money

 

Have you ever heard of Tony Robbins? It depends on the coach.

 

Seany25 -- just realize that your young age is working against you here. A middle aged person is unlikely to take advice from one so young without evidence that you can do something they can't. I met a guy about 1/2 my age who was a coach. At first I blew him off. Then he started to speak. He opened a business in my industry with $10,000 he charged on credit cards. About 5 years later he sold it for several million dollars so he could pursue his real passion: being a coach. He was somebody I then paid attention to because he had done the very things he was asking me to pay him to teach me.

[alphamale]

Have you ever heard of Tony Robbins?

 

Tony Robins is a self-serving fraud.

[seany25]

Have you ever heard of Tony Robbins? It depends on the coach.

 

Seany25 -- just realize that your young age is working against you here. A middle aged person is unlikely to take advice from one so young without evidence that you can do something they can't. I met a guy about 1/2 my age who was a coach. At first I blew him off. Then he started to speak. He opened a business in my industry with $10,000 he charged on credit cards. About 5 years later he sold it for several million dollars so he could pursue his real passion: being a coach. He was somebody I then paid attention to because he had done the very things he was asking me to pay him to teach me.

 

Hi,

 

What is it that gives you the idea that I'm of a "young age"? I'm assuming that it's because I declared myself as a recent graduate.

 

But I'm 34 years old. I didn't begin getting educated until I was 25 and have continually progressed with more and more significant qualifications right up to my highest achievement which is the psychology degree. Some of my other achievements include business qualifications.

 

In a nutshell, I've lived quite an experiential life with many of my own ups and downs and ins and outs. After all the things I've been through and the experiences I've had, I'm actually now at the peak of my own life, having built it from rock-bottom, and I mean drug-addicted, jobless, worthless, friendless, miserable, insufferably sad and hopeless rock-bottom.

 

I believe this puts me in a strong position regarding the idea of being a life/personal development coach or something along the lines. Because I've done it all myself, and therefore not attempting to "teach" people something I've read from a book or learned on a course, if you know what I mean.

[seany25]

I could be wrong but I don't think they make a lot of money

 

If I made double my current salary I'd be happy to start there.

[LuckyM]

I agree that a Masters or higher is needed for a well paying psych job if you are going to stay in that field, depending where you live. A Ph.D will take many years and a load of money.

 

The most important thing for therapists, above all, is empathy, the ability to have compassion for others who are very different from you, and also the ability to analyze in some depth their problems.

 

Most people who do counseling or therapy, that I know of, lack this, sometimes totally. They have no empathy, no true understanding., no sensitivity.They have good jobs, nonetheless. This cannot be taught in class.

 

If you possess these qualities, you will succeed and make a difference.

[d0nnivain]

Tony Robins is a self-serving fraud.

 

Perhaps but he makes a lot of money.

 

the OP's question was about making money.

 

What is it that gives you the idea that I'm of a "young age"? I'm assuming that it's because I declared myself as a recent graduate.

 

Yes, your recent grad status was the basis for my incorrect assumption about your age. Sorry.

 

Anyway, as long as you can explain why you bring value you should be able to monetize your degree by being a coach.

[seany25]

I applied for a new job that popped up this week, as a Junior Psychologist.

 

Not clinical though. I'll post the first line of the job description..

 

"To carry out comprehensive psychological research literature reviews, pertaining to the competencies and psychological variables included in the psychometric assessments. Production of robustly designed project plans to trial and develop tests."

 

There's a bunch of other variations of similar sounding stuff. The criteria itself for the candidate are simple, which I have all of..

 

-BSc Hons in Psychology

-Great communication

-Ability to work in a team and independently

-Analytical thinking

 

It sounds fun and way more stimulating than my current job, which I'm bored stupid with. I sent my application on Tuesday and received an online assessment the next day.

 

I had to do a bunch of online psychometric and personality assessments. Which was quite fun but appropriately ironic, given that it seems the company themselves specialise in these tests.

 

It sounds like a more fulfilling and suitable job for me, someone who's an eager student of psychology.

 

I'd really love to get this job.

Edited November 15, 2019 by seany25

[alphamale]

I'd really love to get this job.

 

i'm sure you'll do ok sean25

[seany25]

i'm sure you'll do ok sean25

 

Thank you

 

I'm quite confident that if given the offer of an interview or assessment day, I'll present myself, and all relevant skills and attributes, in the best possible way I can.