Career opportunities for psychologists – Online Psychologists

When a person begins to study psychology, they do so for many reasons:

But what is clear is that, in one way or another, most psychology students intend to end up working «in their field», taking advantage of the knowledge acquired during their years of study to make a financial profit and be able to live off it.

Working as a psychologist, as we stereotypically understand psychology, is not easy. Most students enter the course thinking of working as clinical psychologists, that is, having their office, with their diploma proudly displayed and their patients coming and going.

As they progress in their studies, each one makes their own decisions and begins to see that psychology goes beyond the «classical psychologist»; in addition to direct patient care, they can also dedicate themselves to business, education, research or teaching.

Little by little, each person chooses the path that interests them the most. But this is not something that they are in charge of explaining to us at the university; each person must discover it little by little, getting rid of their initial expectations and learning the small details of each option.

Good question. The answer is “anywhere.” Yes, you read that right. A psychologist can find work anywhere if he or she knows how and where to look and, above all, if he or she is willing to work for it, if you will pardon the redundancy.

Today the labour market is not bad, it is almost at a standstill. There is no movement, people who are working are holding on to their jobs, which is why internal mobility within companies is reduced. Companies are closing, people have less and less purchasing power and spend less money on «nonsense» or non-essential goods. Nothing you don't know.

But the motivated psychologist can look for work, of course. Not only can he «can» but he «must». Of course, we must start thinking about moving away from the traditional conception of work:

The outlook, seen like this, is not very hopeful, is it?

On the contrary! It is a panorama of effort, yes, but a panorama of freedom, of making your own decisions, of escaping the monotony of a job where everything is the same every day.

I'm not talking about starting a business. Forget about businesses, they are a pain and only a few are really profitable.

I'm talking about finding your niche in the job market. I know it's not an easy task, nobody teaches us how to do it throughout our schooling. This is something we should think about.

I am talking about a series of steps to follow to start being your own employer, your own coach, your own boss and everything you want to be.

It may seem obvious, but if you don't know what you want, you'll hardly be able to go out and find it. Find out what you like, look for your motivations with psychology, ask the people around you what they would see you working on, what you're good at and what you convey.

You already have a degree. Yes. But unfortunately, as in many other degrees, in psychology what is taught is the basics. You will surely lack theoretical and practical knowledge to carry out what you want. Take courses, courses, masters, postgraduate courses, training from the Official College… you have a lot of options around you to train yourself and guide you towards what you really want.

Where do people who do what you would like to do work? What kind of companies hire them? They probably don't just work for one company. How did they do it?

There is someone who can answer all these questions. They themselves. Nowadays there are a lot of possibilities to contact almost everyone. Look for that person on social networks and send them an email. Don't be afraid, that's what published emails are for, right?

Using online tools, we can really create an important professional profile. Of course, I'm not talking about lying (another phrase I love: «a liar is caught sooner than a cripple»), I'm talking about having a presence, about not waiting to be a renowned professional to have your online space.

Create your own website. It's super easy these days and you're sure to have someone around you who can help you. It doesn't have to be something very elaborate, just something simple that describes who you are and what you do. The important thing is that if someone searches for you online, your professional profile comes up before your Facebook profile where you post compromising photos.

Don't wait for people to contact you asking you to work for them. Let's do it the other way around. What can you do? What are you good at? Where could you do it?

Go ahead and contact all those people or companies that you think could benefit from your services, either as a clinical psychologist or as a human resources coach. Have you found a website that needs a clinical psychologist to serve its users? Introduce yourself and make your proposal. Maybe they hadn't thought about it and you'll give them a good idea.

Do you want to be a clinical psychologist? Do it. All you need to do is register, find an office to rent by the hour, advertise well online and among your friends and acquaintances, and start getting clients/patients. Don't be afraid, you'll do well, you've been studying for it.

Ask your family and friends to let them know that you are in the business and that they can recommend you as a trusted psychologist.

Initially, you will probably only have one patient a month, of course this will not feed you, but it will give you something very important: experience and self-confidence. Little by little you will detect how to do your job better, you will have success with patients and this will result in a better self-concept as a psychologist, and your patients will recommend you.

Show the world that they need you. That you can give their company that differential value. That you are the best worker, the person they need to make their company move forward. Believe in yourself!

And you, have you already decided?