7 Ways a Psychology Degree Can Help You in Life ...

One of the most obvious ways a psychology degree can help you in life is getting a job. Many companies are looking for students coming out of college with a degree in psychology, particularly in their human resources departments. Having a college degree can often give you a wider range of options when looking for a full-time career, even if you decide to pursue something other than a psychology-oriented field.

Another way a psychology degree can help you in your life is in your relationships with others. While not every psychology curriculum is identical, most include some sort of social psychology class. The study of social psychology deals with how people interact and relate to others. Having an understanding of social dynamics has helped me better relate to my family and friends, since it opened my eyes to how others' perceive my actions. I use this knowledge to monitor my own actions and to have the best relationships I can.

Conflict is a normal part of life, but understanding what can cause conflicts and how to troubleshoot them can help buffer their outcomes. When you can understand what makes people angry, hurt, or sad, you can often avoid (or at least resolve) many conflicts. Two main points that I picked up from my psychology classes regarding conflict are: being understanding of others' points of view and listening to what they are saying during a conflict. These tips help combat defensiveness, and I use them quite often!

In addition to helping with conflict, psychology classes can help you understand effective communication. Many people lack basic communication skills, but these skills are vital for your professional and social life. It's inevitable to come into contact with people you don't get along with, but knowing how to mitigate problems with effective communication can make your life a whole lot easier. My psychology classes helped me realize that a big first step in communicating better is by avoiding miscommunication and keeping communication lines open. These are such obvious tips that are all too often neglected!

Personality psychology, cognitive psychology, and developmental psychology classes can all help you discover who you are as a person. I learned so much about myself from these classes, such as my strengths and weaknesses and where I stand in relation to others. Tests such as the Big Five, MMPI, and Myers-Briggs are common diagnostic tests that you will take in these classes, but you can also find them online if you are interested in figuring out more about yourself!

For most of my life, I lived on the perfectionist route. In high school I began suffering from panic attacks, eating disorders, and severe anxiety. I hid how I was feeling, as well as all of my disorders. When I took a clinical psychology class in college, it opened my eyes to different ways I could get help. While not everyone has debilitating disorders, if you do feel like you have an ailment that is interfering with your life, learning about the different options that exist can be really reassuring.

Above all, one of the best things I got out of my psychology degree was the reassurance that I was not all that different from everyone else. While each of us is unique, humans share more qualities than we realize. We often think that we are the only ones who have dealt with certain situations, or that no one else could feel the way we do; but this is so far from the truth. I thought going through my psychology classes would make me thing I had every ailment in the book, but it thankfully did just the opposite!

Have you ever considered getting a degree in psychology? If so, what are some other benefits this degree could offer?