Today's psychology careers encompass many fields, but most boil down to the $64,000 question: What makes people tick? For some, it's the day-to-day madness of juggling education with family, career and play. But hold the jitters; you can balance it all at little or no cost to your sanity. Online degrees are a convenient way for you to start or enhance your career of counseling on the velvet couch - from the convenience of your living room couch.
Ahead of the curve, inside minds
If addicted squirrel monkeys will hit a lever 600 times to get nicotine, how can humans quit smoking? Why are some school shootings linked to boys diagnosed with cynical shyness? Why are minuscule levels of lead in the blood linked to ADHD?
As the puzzles grow, so does demand for problem-solvers. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the psychology profession is expected to grow 18 to 26 percent through 2014. As a wireless student of psychology, you can make the Web your portable floodgate to jobs in schools, hospitals, social service agencies, mental health centers, substance abuse treatment clinics, consulting firms and private companies.
Psychotherapy is not the limit. There's also multivariate analysis, discrete variables, and yes, $14,000 Louis Vuitton handbags:
Industrial & Organizational Psychology
The rat race can be a disorienting maze. Can psychologists bring order out of chaos? They did in the 1920s, testing illumination's impact on productivity at the Hawthorne Works factory.
Flash forward to today. Offices are more complex, multicultural and at the mercy of buyouts and burnout alike. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, demand for I/O psychologists will increase 21 percent from now to 2016. With a master's in I/O psychology, learn assessment techniques, leadership and group development, conflict management and motivation and productivity enhancement.
Forensic Psychology
History is indebted to forensic psychology theory, which was used to determine the number of shots fired in the Kennedy assassination.
What happens when you marry psychology with criminal justice? You could end up on the expert witness stand to assess a suspect's cognitive abilities - in the past, present or future. With a degree in forensic psychology, your skills will be invaluable in corrections facilities, prisons, child advocacy centers and the courtroom.
Sports-Exercise Psychology
In the late 1800s, Norman Triplett had a Eureka moment: Cyclists are faster in pairs or a group, than solo. Confirming his findings in a lab, he became the father of sports psychology.
Athletes and non-athletes alike can dive into this fascinating field that has pioneered techniques for everything from five-set tennis matches and self-hypnosis for Olympic swimmers. A degree or certificate preps you for an ethical career in private practice, athletic departments, coaching, exercise/health and education.
School Psychology
A 21st century childhood is rough: Bullying, standardized testing, parental divorce, ADHD and fast-paced extracurricular lives are the norm. Academic report cards may not tell the whole story about social, emotional and behavioral impacts.
Aspiring school psychologists should explore instructional design, development science, testing, research methods, and data analysis. State or national board certification can clinch a career in this field that is expected to grow 16 percent through 2016.
Consumer Psychology
Hello handbag, goodbye logic? Or so it seems as the NPD Group reports that the number of luxury handbag purchases has doubled in the last five years. It's a modern riddle, and consumer psychology has answers.
Explore the why behind the buy with a Master's in industrial/organizational psychology with a specialization in consumer psychology: What attracts, motivates and retains consumers? And there's always a master's in addiction counseling, for a career expected to skyrocket in both the public and private sectors.
Gerontology
Aging gracefully: It's as mental as it is physical. The Census Bureau predicts that the elderly population will more than double by the year 2040, packing residential care facilities, hospitals, and private or public programs. Boomers are rolling into the 21st century with physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs that psychologists must address to shape truly "golden years" for our largest U.S. demographic.
Have degree, will counsel
The beauty is you can learn the craft at your pace - and set up shop just as independently.
According to the Department of Labor, about 40 percent of psychologists are self-employed, compared with less than 10 percent of professional workers. You can indeed have it all: Career, family and an education that moves you forward.
To search the Internet's top accredited online schools and find the Psychology degree program that is right for you, log on to www.earnmydegree.com.
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