What I Did with My College Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

One of the better decisions I made at the age of 18 was to go to college. After considering my career interests, I chose a liberal arts college away from my hometown. Fredonia State College is part of the New York State SUNY system of colleges and universities. It was a good choice for my major of Psychology, and an excellent choice for rounding out my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree with a minor and concentration. Since graduates with bachelor's degrees in psychology are almost always going to have to choose a career path in a specialty area down the line, choosing a wide variety of electives, as well as extra areas to focus on was a wise idea.

During my study at Fredonia State College, I chose English as a minor, which allowed me to enjoy creative writing courses and read novels. These courses fit perfectly with my interests and took the edge off of semester course loads by giving me classes to look forward to. I ended up with a concentration in law after I realized I had nearly enough law electives to qualify. The concentration also gave me the option of going to law school if I decided to pursue that path after graduation.

In psychology, I did two important things; I took a 40 hour training program which allowed me to work for two years as a hotline crisis counselor, and I did a major research project my senior year. Both of these extra learning experiences gave me hands-on experience.

The Benefits of Studying Psychology

The core courses for most four-year degrees in psychology offer students the chance to learn about a range of psychology topics and areas of concentration. The basics I learned at my first college have stayed with me well past my master's degree and near the end of my current doctoral study. Students in my field could go on to a number of areas in psychology after graduation. Many of the options, such as becoming a psychologist, require additional education, but not all.

Life after the Bachelor's Degree

It's funny how helpful my B.A. in Psychology has been in the world of work. After graduating, I learned, like many before me, that a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology may only get you so far in the field. I waitressed, I sold perfume, and then went back to school again. This time I had to choose a specialty area. A Master of Science Education in Counseling seemed the perfect fit. The program provided the advanced study needed to get licensure as a school counselor. This took three more years, mainly due to the internships requirements and combining part-time and full-time study.

After graduation, instead of working in a school, I was able to use the combined bachelor's degree in psychology and my master's degree to work at a counseling agency. The hotline training I received at Fredonia suddenly became very useful. My concentration in law was invaluable for working with cases involving law guardians and the courts. Even my minor in English was useful for writing articles for the agency in the local newspaper and writing grants. The bottom line is that you never really know where the skills you learned at 20 will come in handy.

More Education

One of the best choices I made after finishing my degree was to enter the world of work to gain some experience in the field. During my time at the agency, I moved from part-time supervised visitation supervisor, to counselor, and then director of the entire counseling department. All of this in the course of one year. When I served as director for just over 4 years, it was time to go back to school. My choice this time was a doctoral program in Counselor Education. All the experiences and training from college and work had prepared me to take the next step.

It All Started with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology

I had options. After I earned my B.A. in Psychology I could have chosen other paths. One of my peers went on to apply for civil service jobs and is now a juvenile probation officer. Another started an entry level job at an agency and eventually moved up with additional trainings. My choice led me to use so many of the fundamentals I learned back at Fredonia State. Crisis counseling, theories of psychology, applied research methods, statistics, and counseling basics are all helpful to me today. My minor in English keeps me writing freelance articles to escape the monotony of writing my dissertation. In the end I always remember that it all started with a bachelor's degree in psychology.