I want to be a psychologist, but…

If psychology is interesting to you – it is wonderful. The world of psychology is big, diverse, and truly interesting.

Of course, it is not at all necessary to make this a profession – you can expand your psychological knowledge just for yourself, discover unknown facets, and learn new things.

But what if you are thinking of psychology as your potential profession, even if you are now a doctor (manager, teacher, etc.)? In this case, you need to build a plan to become a good specialist and make your dream come true.

The first thing we want to say is that you need to approach it seriously – psychology must be studied in the same way as any science, starting from the basics. The fact that psychology is science has been proven long ago.

Any study begins with education. If your decision to make psychology your profession is resolute and firm, it is time to look for an educational institution with a schedule that suits you. This is important because you are not a recent graduate, but an adult, and, most likely, you will need to look for an option that will allow you to continue working at your current job.

There is an opinion that studying the basics is boring and a pure waste of time. Why do you need all this – the history of psychology, general psychology, cognitive processes? So boring! I want to help people! There are courses – only three months. They will teach how to be a psychologist – and viola, you are all set. You can cause goodness to people.

Nowadays it is not hard to find courses. Some even will give you a certificate. But to become a good specialist over three months and without a proper foundation is impossible. Here you need to understand what is more important: to have a certificate or to have knowledge. You must remember that a bad psychologist may cause just as much harm as a bad doctor. Would you want the surgeon who performs your operation to only have a certificate from some courses? We didn’t think so…

Therefore, the proper way to start is to study. You may be taking evening classes or even remote classes, but they need to be from an accredited institution. To become a psychologist you need to get an advanced degree in psychology from an accredited program, complete an internship or practice, and get a license.

But having a license is not enough to be a good psychologist.

First, the profession must suit you. To become a good psychologist you need to like people, be interested in them, have well-developed empathy, not be judgmental, be able to find a common language with people, know how to build a holistic picture by systematizing the information that you received, and many other things. But this is not the topic of this article. We recommend that you investigate further whether this profession suits you.

Second, you need to continue learning all the time: taking extra training, webinars, reading psychology books will greatly help you in this regard.

Third, you need to truly want to become a good specialist.

Learning while working is never easy, but nowadays it is quite common. While you are studying, you will be able to figure out whether this path is really for you. And if yes – welcome to the new profession! It is very interesting! ?