Learning psychology never goes astray when you live in a world full of people, who are all different. We all need to interact with other people, sometimes on a superficial level, but sometimes on a deeper level.  Whether family, friends, colleagues, customers or even enemies; our daily living involves navigating relationships and that's where a deeper understanding of human psychology can help. 

Learning about psychology can help you forge a better career path in so many jobs you probable haven't even considered.  You don't need a university degree to be using psychology at work, and most people who study psychology at university, don't actually end up being a psychologist.

Many of our short courses and certificates can give you an understanding and awareness of psychology that can lead on to all sorts of career paths.

When we think of careers in psychology, we may initially think of clinical psychology or counselling, but studying psychology opens up so many other unusual and interesting careers that you might never have thought of.

Customer Service - Many jobs that are geared toward servicing clients or customers are built around a knowledge of psychology, including salesperson, receptionist, complaints manager, tour guide, etc.

Personnel Management - People who manage people must understand people, A knowledge of psychology can be critical to jobs such as managers, supervisor, leading hand, organiser, etc.

Environmental Consultants use psychology to understand the impact human behaviour has on environmental factors, and vice versa. This understanding can help to improve the environment and sustainability. For example, researching motivation to encourage sustainable practices, such as recycling, diet change, energy conservation etc.

Animal Psychologists study animal behaviour and thinking. They can use their understanding to help with conservation, animal welfare, animal behaviour and training. For example, creating enrichment activities and environment for animals in zoos or studying how animals can use tools.

Parapsychologists study paranormal or psychic phenomenon. For example, telekinesis, telepathy and how people react if they see a ghost.The field of parapsychology has grown exponentially in recent years, with more and more people becoming interested in the field. This opens up a lot of options, such as writing, blogging, vlogging, developing training courses etc. But also, mainstream psychologists have found that earlier studies in parapsychology have revealed useful information today. For example, early research on seances influenced later research on how eye witness testimonies – what we see when we observe a crime.

Forensic Psychologist use psychology in investigations, such as working with victims of crime, developing offender or victim profiles, assessing and rehabilitating offenders, criminal investigations. An understanding of forensic and criminal psychology is useful in a range of careers, such as law enforcement, law, security, the prison service and probation service.

Violent Crime Resource Specialists use their psychological knowledge to provide insight into violent crimes to organisations, such as the FBI. For example, looking at violent crimes, such as murder, abduction etc.

Threat Assessors will use psychological principles to advise agencies and organisations on threat levels, such as terrorism, school shootings, riots etc. The aim is to develop tools to predict when events like this can occur, then find ways to prevent them.

Writer – There are numerous opportunities for developing a career in writing using psychology. Some examples - Write articles/blogs/vlogs about psychology. Write textbooks or educational materials. Write novels about crime or relationships or other areas of human existence. Marketing materials. Social media posts.

Teaching and educational professionals – Understanding how adults and children learn is useful for teachers and anyone involved in the educational industry, such as course writers and developers.

Mental Health Services – People can be employed by organisations to offer mental health services to their staff. In particular, they may work in high stress organisations, such as the army, the police, medical services etc. But more and more organisations are recognising the importance of supporting staff with their mental health needs.

Mental Health First Aiders provide initial support to someone who is experiencing mental distress, usually in the workplace. This can be a full-time job in larger organisations, or part of your existing job in smaller organisations. You could also become involved in training other people in mental health first aid.

Stress Management Consultants help people to understand what makes them stressed, how their body and mind react when they are stress and find tools to help reduce their stress levels.

Anger Management Consultants perform a similar role, but help people to understand what triggers their anger and find techniques to deal with their anger.

Life Coaches help people to identify their life or career goals, then develop plans to achieve their goals. For example, changing their career, improving their work/life balance etc.

Health Promotion involves helping people to improve their health and take control back. It can also involve developing health campaigns. For example, helping people to stop smoking, understand the signs of cancer, ways to get fit etc.

Social Worker – Being a social worker involves working with people who are in distress and need help. A keen understanding of the human mind is definitely an important part of social work You might work with adults or children, people with disabilities, people struggling with their mental health etc.

Horticultural Therapists help clients with difficulties, such as disabilities, illnesses and injuries to improve their mental and physical health and well-being through plant and nature-based activities. They can work in prisons, hospitals, rehabilitation centres, special schools. You can be employed or work for yourself, running your own business helping people with their mental and physical health generally. Ecotherapy is a similar career. Ecotherapists help people to improve their mental health through nature-based activities, such as forest bathing, walking, creative activities connecting with nature.

Creative Therapists can use a range of different creative activities to help people improve their mental health. For example, crafting, dramatherapy, art therapy, writing therapy etc.

Lawyer - Being a lawyer involves understanding people and how they behave. It also requires research skills and careful planning.

Working in Fashion – Use psychology to understand more about consumer buying habits, promoting the right clothes at the right time. Looking at consumer trends requires an understanding of statistics and research skills.

Consumer Psychologists and Marketing Researchers use psychological principles to improve advertising and understanding how consumers behave when making purchasing decisions.

Sales & Marketing – Psychology is not just useful in fashion, it can also help in all areas of marketing. It can help us to understand more about why people buy and how they buy. A detailed understanding of human behaviour, being a sociable person and enjoying interacting with people are useful skills and experience for working in marketing.

Employment Services - Talent Acquisition and Recruitment – Talent acquisition involves recruiting high quality staff to organisations. Using psychological assessments, testing, behaviour profiling etc can help organisations to recruit the best staff, and staff who are likely to stay with them in the long term.

Neuro engineers use engineering and psychology to develop computer interfaces that can repair and enhance the immune system. For example, developing cochlear implants for people who have a hearing difficulty. Or deep brain stimulation for people with Parkinson’s Disease.

Computer Usability Engineers aim to make computers more user friendly. For example, how our phones appear to us through to making the display in the cockpit of a plane more user friendly.

Transferrable Skills

There are many more careers that make good use of psychological skills. This is why an understanding of psychological principles and skills is useful in almost any career.  By studying psychology, you can improve your skills in –

• Written, verbal and non-verbal communication
• Active listening
• Understanding motivation
• High emotional intelligence
• Research skills
• Analytical skills
• Critical thinking
• Ethical reasoning

And more.