Thread: Need help with correct career to pursue in psychology?

I am fourteen years old and in the eighth grade. At the end of this year, we are required to choose some very basic high school classes that will help us with whatever career we are going to have. I am not sure what classes I should pick, because I'm not even sure what I want to go to college for yet! I would like to be a psychologist. But I don't want to be a counselor or anything like that. I want to be the kind of psychologist that studies how the human mind works, what makes people tick, why we have the favorite colors we do, and all that. I have heard and seen the term "Neuro-Psychologist" thrown around alot, and I have also seen and heard that they can make up to about 200,000 a year! That definitely sounds like the kind of job I'd like, getting paid that much, and studying and researching the human mind. However, I'm not sure what the correct term is for what I want to do, and I am not sure about the pay either. What I want to know is, what is the name for the kind of psychologist I want to be? How much, approximately, would I make? And what kind of education should I get, what degree and/or degrees should I am for? What kind of college should I go to, and are their any near or in Pennsylvania? What courses should I take in highschool, and what should my majors and minors be for college? Lastly, I would like to know your opinion on the matter. What do you think about my decision, and what I want to do? Do you think it is worth it? Thank you very much, I really hope this question gets answered, because I am very unsure about what I want to do, and, more importantly, how to get there.Thank you very much for your answers and encouragement, Jules. I wonder if you could also answer some of my other questions. Can I get all the degrees at Penn State? If not, where could I go? I was thinking of waiting a year after highschool before going to college, what do you think of that? Also, I read in a psychology-related magazine that I would need to get something called a Psy.D. What is that, how would I get it, do I need it and which college could I go to to get it? Again, thank you very much, and I hope you could answer my new questions.Thank you, pygonza. I am not looking for anything clinical, what I want is (I think) something with mostly research. I don't want to really go into any medical fields. Thank you for answering all my questions, and I wonder if you could find out what I could do besides anything clinical/medical.

I have a bachelor's degree in psychology. The field is extremely fascinating. If you'd like to study the more physical aspects of the brain i.e. neurons and how drugs effect them, then you could look into becoming a Psychiatrist. If you'd like to study why it is that people do the things they do, why they think certain ways, then look into becoming a Psychologist. Take psychology classes in high school if they are offered. Any major college (Penn State) will have degrees in these fields, but to become a neuropsychologist or neuropsychiatrist, you'll have to get a Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate degrees. This will take anywhere from 6 to 8 years after high school. Go for it! Plan on going to college... right after high school. You will love the classes. School is not boring when you're studying psychological disorders and other interesting aspects of the human brain.

I encourage you not to take a year off after high school. It would be better if you worked part time and went to school part time (or combined full time and part time).A Psy D is a practitioner degree and it sounds like you are not wanting that. It is like a PhD in counseling psych without the dissertation. You might look into a PhD in Clinical Psychology and specialize in neuropsych. These PhD programs are very competitive to get into and you will have to get good grades and score high on the GRE. But you are worrying about things way too early. Take as many science classes as you can and advanced Algebra as well. That might include chemistry. That will help you with college level chemistry and statistics. Get your Ba in psychology and then worry about what you want to focus on in grad school. There are many factors that can influence your decision. Cost and what programs accept you are just 2.