Career Research Assignment : Career

There are many professional pathways within psychology that an individual may apply themselves to for their career. These include: clinical, forensic, health, and educational psychology. The professional career pathway within applied psychology which will be discussed in this essay is the field of clinical psychology. Clinical psychology aims to reduce the amount of psychological distress an individual experiences and enhance the promotion of psychological well-being. Clinical psychologists attend to both mental and physical health problems including addiction, anxiety, depression, learning difficulties and relationship issues in order to help individuals resolve their problems. Clinical psychologists predominantly work within hospitals, mental health groups and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Clinical | Careers, 2016).

When I was young I wanted to become a teacher; however, that all changed throughout the years. What had motivated me to become a teacher was all the supplies they had like the whiteboards, the markers, and the construction paper. It seemed fun and interesting to me to have all the supplies. I no longer wish to become a teacher. As I grew older I realized that I wanted to do something that has me going to places, seeing new things, speaking with diverse individuals, and for that reason I chose to be involved in Real estate.

Some of the most prevalent disadvantages to an occupation in this field are the hours necessary. As a CPA with a large accounting firm I would expect a typical work week of 40 to 50 hours. But, during the tax season, January through April, it could be as many as 70 hours per week (S. Westfield, personal interview, August 1, 2008). Since I have already been employed within the accounting industry for some time now, my family and I are used to the long hours and fluctuation during busy times.

Health psychology is a diverse career field; psychologists can be employed anywhere from hospitals to research to influencing health care. “Health psychologists… conduct clinical interviews and behavioral assessments. They may also participate in interventions with individuals or groups — for example, programs to help people reduce stress, quit smoking and avoid sedentary behaviors…They may study the causes of health problems and how to prevent them, or explore why certain groups don’t seek care when they need it. They may also help patients understand and come to terms with a diagnosis, or follow a treatment regimen in order to increase the probability of their full recovery (American Psychology Association). Health psychologists have a broad spectrum of people to treat as they treat people with mental disorders and create treatment plans for people; health psychologists need to understand all parts of psychology to provide effective care for their patients because health psychologists research, test people, and help their patients gain skills so they can better take care of themselves.

The career I chose to undertake as my profession is that of a mechanical engineer. Why do I want to become a mechanical engineer? Well, for starters, I would be able to design, build and possibly repair many various machines and other technologies that are complex. These technologies can range from being already in use on a global scale to new, futuristic designs that are highly technical. Also, this career includes being a sort of jack-of-all-trades, where I would possess knowledge in mathematics, physics, etc. Finally, this career offers me the chance to expand outside my immediate area since mechanical engineers are well desired around the globe as well.

“Few fields of study offer more career opportunities than does psychology” (Sternburg 3). There are a wide selection of specialties a person could go into with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. In graduate school, which is a must to attend, there is the option to explore the different specialities or to go into the desired specialty without any research of the others. There are also many options within a specific specialty. There is the option to be a teacher, to work for various organizations, be a speaker, to have your own practice, and many others. In the psychology field these options can all be combined. In fact it is expected of psychologists to do more activities involving their specialty than solely sit in an office and listen to patients. There are two specialities that I am interested in however, over the years, these specialties have become very similar. Clinical and counseling psychology have evolved to become one in the same. Someone who specializes in clinical psychology are more

Through my research I have found multiple jobs that interest me, but there are two that stick out the most: Psychosocial Rehabilitation Specialist and Psychiatric Technician. Before researching, I had no idea about these jobs, but now I know good deal about them. After researching, I found out in what settings people in these positions work, how much they make on average annually, what their job entitles, what the education requirements are, what the growth rates for these occupations are. The jobs’ settings are very similar, but their salaries and duties are very different. I was able to find that if one just looks at the average, annual wage for each occupation, Psychiatric Technicians make about $28,000 while Psychosocial Rehabilitation Specialists make about $34,000. The growth rate for Rehabilitation Counselors, in general, is faster than Psychiatric Technicians, but only by four percent. The overall tasks of each occupation, however, differ greatly from each other.

Prior to writing this essay, I sat down with my mom to come up with ideas on stories that have made me who I am today. That is when I realized I have made more personal growth in the past four years of my high school career that I have before this period of time. I am ending my high school career with more knowledge than I ever expected.

A man once said “The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future in life.” The California state university will send me on my path to my future. California State university, the Northridge society, one of the best technology schools and should allow me to have the best education.

What is the importance of goals? Do goals help you plan out your future? Or possibly give you something to work for? To me goals provide a map of what I want to do, how I’m going to do it, and why I want to do it. Goals also provide a sense of accomplishment when you finally get to finish whatever you’ve been working towards. The need for goals in life is clear, because without goals, we wouldn’t get much done. Simply because of the fact that there wouldn’t be anything to work towards, and no structure to our future. One of my most important goals is to graduate college, to get a career in psychology. This goal is extremely important to me because of the fact that not many people in my family have even finished high school.

I have been working on my academic career for many years now. I am currently in my third year of community college, and have come across multiple teachers who have helped and inspired me in many ways. A teacher not only teaches the content of their course, but life skills as well. They are kind, caring, considerate, and understanding of their students. A teacher who goes above and beyond for their students is one that will make a difference. One teacher who I believe has made all the difference to me, was my accounting professor.

A sit-down interview, in the interviewee’s classroom, on April 22, 2017, results in responses from Rachel, a female Elementary Education teacher at Deerfield Elementary School, in Deerfield, Wisconsin. Containing eight initial questions and two response follow-up inquiries, this interview represents a 4-year Kindergarten grade level perspective, and utilizes eleven years of teaching experience. As a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate, Rachel began her career in Milwaukee before accepting her current position of nine years. With extensive knowledge of the field, Rachel qualifies as an excellent resource, both when actively pursuing plans to become an Elementary Education

Typically, when someone hears ‘medical field’, automatically you think of people with white lab coats and a stethoscope around their neck ready to take your vitals. Obviously this comes to mind because these doctors and surgeons are the face of the medical field, but in reality there is so much more. There are actually about 300 different occupations one can have in the health care field. A large part of that is nurses. Nurses are the basis of the medical field; they are almost as important as the patients themselves. They have always been a major part of our lives. Nurses have been with us since we first opened our eyes, from birth to broken bones, nurses were there. They have very difficult and extensive careers, they dedicate their lives to their work and to their patients. Some nurses spend long nights away from their family and friends to help others, at times their shifts can last as long as 24 hours. In my opinion nurses are the real super heroes, for this reason I have decided to pursue a major in nursing. I still have a lot to learn and many years of schooling to go, but personally its worth the wait.

I was raised by my wonderful mother, and God family in Burton, Michigan along with my older brother and sister. My career goal of becoming a physical therapist stemmed from a growth defect I experienced during middle school that my primary doctors simply ignored. It was not until I went to a physical therapist that I was given a chance to get the medical care I needed that led to a corrective surgery. Once I was healed, I continued playing sports as my family instilled a love for athletics that will never go away. A drive that pushed me through my 14 year soccer career that was a large factor in who I am today. These experiences gave me a form of discipline that has carried into my college career which began at Adrian College, but an injury I suffered during my senior year in high school ended my time on the field, and my inability to play soccer at Adrian College.

“Health psychologists may focus their skills further in sub specialties including pain management,health care reform, behavioral study and/or intervention, and health care reform”(careers). Health psychologist usually work with others to encourage healthy lifestyles and choices or with lobbyists to change policy on psychology. If i were to work with others then i would be helping people overcome obesity,addictions,and other bad habits that contribute to bad health. If i were to work with lobbyists i could do research to contribute to influence what policy are put in