Majoring in Psychology... other majors don't interest me. Did I make the right choice?

Question

I am currently going to UIC under Liberal Arts and Science (LAS).
Here's some info about the colleges and majors of UIC:
http://www.uic.edu/ucat/catalog/DPML.shtml

Im basically stuck in the LAS college and I seriously dont want to go to any other colleges.
Now in order to graduate, you MUST have a major so out of all of the LAS majors, PSYCH was the ONLY major I liked and wanted to learn more about. ALL of the other majors didnt interest me at all.

Right now I just want to graduate college ASAP with a degree in anything (psych), get a decent job (40k or 50k + per year sal), move away from my family,and live in my own apartment or house. That's my only goal in life right now.

I dont have a plan after college, not sure what good jobs are out there that i can get with a psych major, and I actually don't want to be a psychologist (as much as I like psych,strange huh).

I FEEL LIKE IM IN A MID-LIFE CRISIS NOW!

Is my future lookin bright at all? Did I make the right choices?

I already tried taking several courses req for med & business school. Taking those courses just made me realize how much I hate science and business.

Im not sure but I’m really not happy with the way my life turned out. I’m dealing with a lot of personal issues right now, I have no free time (even if I do, I got no friends to hang with cause they’re busy too), I don’t have the money to dorm, and I’m getting extremely stressed out doing college and work at the same time. I can't possibly image myself taking classes I dont have no interest for (which would also result in me staying in college even longer).

My back up plan is to work for the police department or have some kind of government job with good benefits.

Other then that... are there any other good jobs or paths out there that I can get with a BA in psych??

Answer 1

Keep your chin up. Its funny, but your story sounds strikingly similar to that of my girlfriend's. She greatly disliked school and only found the motivation to finish so that she'd have that important little piece of paper (she majored in communications and minored in anthropology). She was a little worried about finding work with her major once she got out, but didn't have any difficulty landing interviews. It wasn't surprising how many places weren't so much interested in what her degree was in, but more in the fact that she worked a fairly serious job at she same time as she was going to school. When job hunting she didn't allow what her diploma to completely represent who she was and what she was capable of doing...it was just a college diploma. Take a look at the transferable skills you'll be bringing to the table once you graduate...especially the ability to handle a job at the same time as school...many people I went to school with couldn't handle that amount of responsibility! I think that you'll be alright.

Oh, and for what its worth....my girlfriend was able to land a position as an agent for the federal government. Her starting pay is slightly lower than mine (I'm a civil engineer), but over the next nine to ten years she'll be matching my pay. Stick with the coursework, start looking at your marketable skills, and, like I said, I think you'll be alright.

Answer 2

There's not much demand for psych majors. Their average starting income is one of the lowest at 30k. The key to make more money with a psych degree is experience and a Masters in something. Most psych majors end up in other areas than psychology.

Answer 3

with substance abuse the way it is, theres a big demand for counselors, or any kind of counselor for that matter. you pretty much have to have a masters degree to get anywhere. you can usually get a job with a 4 year degree and go to school part time to finish, a lot of places will pay for your education as you work there. that was my major a long time ago, but i dropped out because i couldnt stand the thought of being a social worker, and back then, thats where you started. theres jobs in alcohol and drug abuse, law enforcement as probation officers, guidance councilors, and the gravy job would be human resources for a large corporation. hope this helps.

Answer 4

Have you considered going into the military as an officer?