Survey ranks psychology as a career

Survey ranks psychology as a career
(June 2009 Issue)

By Elinor Nelson

It's not as desirable as being an accountant, but it's a lot better than taxi driver. In a recent ranking on jobsrated.com, being a psychologist placed 59th out of 200 jobs. In an attempt to quantify unquantifiables like physical demands, stress and work environment, along with more easily measurable variables like income and hours, the Web site determined that mathematicians hold the most desirable jobs, followed by actuaries and statisticians.

Is 59 out of 200 a bad grade or a good one? Mario Murga, director of admissions at Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, thinks 59th is just fine. Between the economy, the layoffs and the state of our nation, there's a lot of stress in our society, Murga says and many people need to seek the help of clinical psychologists. And MSPP graduates, he says, have their pick of jobs. "Anybody who wants a job gets one," he says.

MSPP President Nicholas Covino, PsyD. agrees. "Over the past 10 years," he says, "there has been an increased interest in and comfort with the use of mental health services from the general public. Consumers see psychologists and counselors as credible and useful resources in times of crisis. This is a far cry from even the 80's when psychiatry was seen as primary."

If admissions statistics for doctoral programs mean anything, they're proof that clinical psychology is still viewed as a hot career. MSPP received about 400 applications for its 50-60 clinical psychology spots, similar in number to recent years, but with many more qualified applicants. New England university programs are even more competitive, with numbers holding steady since last year. University of Vermont received about 180 applications for six clinical psychology spots. Boston University received about 600 applicants for six to 12 spots. University of Massachusetts received 300 applications for three to four spots and University of Rhode Island received about 250 applications for six spots.

Rex Forehand, Ph.D., Anspacher professor of psychology and director of clinical training at University of Vermont sees it as a question of "do people think clinical psychology is exciting and interesting?" And the answer is yes, it is "perceived positively." "You get to talk to a lot of interesting people and have interesting experiences," he concludes. Although the job doesn't pay as well as a lawyer or medical doctor, many people would find it more engaging.

In that vein, psychology did make it onto jobsrated.com's list of most satisfying jobs, ranking eighth on a list of 10 jobs (with clergy heading the list and operating construction machinery placing tenth) that may not be the best-paying, but offer the opportunity of "getting to help others, being creative or utilizing specialized technical expertise."