March 11, 2021 Exploring Psychology Series: Q&A with Dr. Buma (formerly Wegenek) Psychology: The Major & Careers Does it matter what university you pick (like an international one?)
Not necessarily, if you have experience through interning or volunteering many employers are going to care about that more rather than where you came from. What matters more is what the university offers. Are their programs perhaps better suited to what you are looking for? When should you go straight into a PhD program rather than getting a Master’s degree first?
For research degrees - The only reasons you would want to get a master’s first before going straight into a PhD would be because you may be struggling in classes and want to demonstrate your abilities before getting a PhD program. You might find that you’ll need to retake classes if you didn’t do well in them while getting your Master’s. How does studying abroad differ from studying in the country? Or is it not wise to study abroad is psyc?
There isn’t anything wrong with that. In fact, it’s typically frowned upon to do your bachelor’s degree at the same place you are doing your graduate degree because it's encouraged that you explore and go to other universities/places throughout your education. Even after your PhD you may need to do more research (post doc) which you could do abroad. You are expected to do 2-3 years of post doc research before you will be considered by employers. How do you know if psychology is right for you?
Dr. Buma’s book “The Insider’s Guide to the Psychology Major: Everything You Need to Know about the Degree and Profession” provides a lot of information on this! Keep in mind psychology is not a traditional career and family members might not give you the emotional support or motivation you need, but don’t let that dissuade you! Seek out other people in the field and don’t be afraid to contact them for questions. Any advice for people who are still trying to figure out what kind of career they want in psychology?
Work on exploring those questions and get internships! Find out what kind of work you will be doing in the internship and make sure it is related to what you are interested in. You want to learn if the amount of work fits what you like (Too much paperwork? Not enough social interaction?) Note: Graduate students and general alumni panels are often very open to answering questions if you contact them! What are common early pitfalls of psychology majors?
Not minoring in something that is very practical as a fall back in case you end up not liking your career choice. Finding out that the kind of workload or type of work you are doing isn’t what you expected (this is also why volunteering prior to pursuing your career is a good idea!) What career areas/types in psychology would you say have the most demand for new people?
Industrial organizational psychology, there’s a general demand for mental health professionals. School psychologists had a lower demand pre-pandemic but this may change soon. It is constantly changing and varies based on geographical location. ABA is very big in states like Colorado and Nevada. They have a lot of job availability so that may be somewhere to look at. Occupational therapy is very good as well and there are many options in that field. What are some areas that seem to be oversaturated with people or that you think should be avoided for now?
Teaching/Education is a big one. Many people have to move out of state to get a job in this field. Certification becomes an issue you have to worry about if you do go out of state but this varies by state. What can you do in a hospital setting with a PsyD?
The clinical psychologist in PsyD do pretty much the same thing when it comes to applying their knowledge. Social workers will work in a hospital setting if someone has a child to make sure new mothers don’t feel isolated before leaving the hospital. Example story: One worker said she would do rounds with doctors and work with children with conditions like cancer and provide them and their parents emotional support and assistance. Marriage and family therapists don’t necessarily work only with people in relationships, there are niche subfields you can get into as well and may even involve working with patients/clients in hospitals! What can you do with a forensic psychology degree/Ph.D.?
You have to take care of yourself before you take care of others. You need to learn to prioritize yourself and realize that you can only help your clients when your mental health is in a good state. How has your personal growth and emotional evolution throughout the years affected your career mindset?
Dr. Buma’s growth has changed immensely over time. She worked in dorms and counseled with students (mostly interrelational situations between students). It taught her skills like how to deal with things privately (confidentiality) and understanding others better even if they differed a lot from herself. She started teaching and heard people say things like “I don’t care about my grades” and it showed her how not everyone has the same motivations as you do. School isn’t as important for her as it is everyone else. This helped her learn how to balance being on top of the field with other parts of her life (like the need to achieve something in her career). What sparked your interest in neuroscience?
Consciousness. I was very interested in it and how we have no idea how we are conscious. I used to study attention and go to events about this. The more you delve into it, the more interesting the brain and mind becomes. My professor made me really interested in the topic and motivated me to keep going. I learned you could use computers to simulate stimuli and learned that people see different things looking at the same thing! What is the meaning of human sleep dreams from the neuroscience perspective?
One theory is there is a lot of random extra brain activity going on. The brain is working to consolidate new memories with existing ones while getting rid of the others one. Some people do have subconscious processing when you are awake as well. The brain is just electrochemically sorting through it all and the byproduct are dreams. What are your opinions on being a grief counselor?
You have to have a certain personality type to work well in this job. Note that grief is not the same as depression and may be more difficult for you to deal with. You want to know that you can leave all of it behind after work and not be deeply affected by it afterwards. Hospice volunteers and nurses frequently work with dying patients and have to handle some of the difficulties grief counselors do. They can provide good insight into this! You may come to find that over time and with experience in this area you will be able to detach from the emotional weight of these situations better and learn how to balance the work with your personal life more easily. Can you go over possible careers for nurses that want to go into psychology?
There are many events coming up going over nursing career options. Hospice volunteers really help patients go through difficult issues like the death of a loved one or providing important emotional support. Internships can help you network and find resources to look into more options. They may be open to giving letters of recommendations that you can use to get hired. Career services can also provide volunteer services for you to apply and other useful info. These are beneficial in that they typically let you test out career types you are interested in before going further in your education. Faculty positions are more focused on research and there are many studies oriented in clinical areas. What can I do with a Master's in psychology?
Usually people with a master’s in clinical psychology don’t deal with very severe cases. When those cases do come up, a psychiatrist and psychologist would be working together to help the client. A Master’s in industry is a good option and typically involves consulting with businesses/companies and marketing.
0 Comments
7 October 2020 CSUF Psi Chi Honors Society Presents All About ABA Therapy: The Joys of Working with Kids With Theary Nov Brief Background of Speaker
All About Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
Words of Advice
Q&A
Brief Closing Interview Q: What would you stop worrying about in the past, if you could go back?
September 2, 2020 Career Day with Nikki Yamat Human Resources Manager
|