While some people are set on becoming psychologists (keep in mind that a master's or doctoral degree is required for employment in the field), you could be one of the many people who enjoys psychology but has no desire to work in the mental health industry.

When your parents and peers think of psychology, they probably picture clinical work and psychotherapy. Fortunately, psychology is very diverse and offers many robust options that concentrate on aspects of the human mind and behaviour, rather than exclusively mental health treatments.

Here are five promising non-psych occupations that you can pursue with a psychology degree:

1. Human Resources (HR) Professional

   If you are someone who is detail-oriented, enjoys crunching data, and enjoys interpersonal interactions, this career path is for you. Human resource management is fundamentally an area where qualified experts are in charge of coordinating and planning the recruitment of new staff.

   You will get the opportunity to improve employee well-being and satisfaction, and manage professional development, recruitment, public relations, payroll, and internal communications. These responsibilities are key to organisational growth, making the role highly sought-after in both the public and private sectors.

2. Recruitment Consultant/Headhunter

   Finding the right talent to fit into an organisation, according to a specific position’s requirements is challenging, this is why a recruitment consultant’s service is invaluable.

   As a recruitment consultant, or a headhunter, you will assist individuals in finding and obtaining suitable work while also assisting companies in identifying, selecting, and recruiting staff for their open positions.

3. Market Research Analyst

   Have you ever wondered why a specific item is on the shelf at your go-to store? Who determined if anyone would buy it? The job of a market research analyst, who helps businesses by studying consumer preferences, is to be credited for this.
   
   Market research analysts are the people responsible for influencing business owners for what to sell and informing them on the demographic who will buy their products, as well as the marketing strategies suitable to drive business.

   As a market research analyst, your day-to-day routine will entail keeping an eye on sales and marketing trends and developing strategies on how to attract target consumers. In addition to that, you are also responsible for gathering and evaluating data to be presented to your client in a simple and actionable form. For instance, you may gather important data on how consumer behaviour is influenced by packaging design or marketing slogan and offer suggestions to your client based on these findings.

4. UX Researcher

   A UX Researcher is a specialist that does in-depth research on target users in order to gather and analyse information that will assist in informing the product design process. As a UX Researcher, you will take into account design components like colours and images in addition to analysing user behaviour and preferences to create the best product design.
   
   UX Researchers are also responsible in conducting in-depth user interviews using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Based on their initial results, they will collaborate with designers and programmers to enhance the user experience. In addition, UX Researchers are also responsible for identifying opportunities to improve user experience and sketching potential solutions to address issues found in their initial research.
   
   To achieve the best product design, UX Researchers will be meeting clients to gather information about their requirements and to find out what needs researching, designing, or usability testing.
   
   Source: Resource for Employers

5. Advertising & Media Professional

There are advertisements everywhere, attempting to persuade you to purchase anything from apples to electronics. Are the creators of those heartfelt advertisements leveraging your emotions and preferences? That’s just what they do in advertising!

Advertising agents specialise in selling advertising space to businesses and individuals and demonstrate their interpersonal skills in a variety of industries (read: advertising agency, radio, television, and internet publication). An advertising executive's goal is to conceptualise an advertisement that will captivate customers, and appeal to the client with the vigour of creativity, originality, and persuasion. A psychology major can typically find work in the media across various fields, including management, production, scheduling, and writing.

A psychology major can typically find work in the media across various fields, including management, production, scheduling, and writing.

What is the next step for you?

If you are an aspiring psychology major, earning a psychology degree is useful for almost any career that you choose to pursue. These transferrable skills will help you go a long way in your job if you have the capacity to comprehend a variety of human behaviours, attitudes, and sentiments. You might even be able to make use of scientific techniques to solve problems.

If you’re a high school graduate and are interested in furthering your education, you can consider applying for James Cook University, Singapore’s Psychology-focused undergraduate programmes.

Undergraduate programmes include:

• Bachelor of Arts (Majoring in Psychology Studies)
• Bachelor of Psychological Science*
• Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours)*
• Diploma of Higher Education (Majoring in Psychological Science)

Alternatively, if you have earned an undergraduate degree but would still be interested to delve more deeply into specialised psychology, you may consider applying for James Cook University, Singapore’s postgraduate programme.

Postgraduate programmes include:

• Graduate Diploma of Psychology*
• Graduate Certificate of Psychological Science
• Master of Psychology (Clinical)
• Master of Psychological Science (Majoring in Business Psychology)

Studying psychology will greatly enhance your ability to analyse and comprehend interpersonal interactions, mental health, and human behaviour.

For more info on James Cook University, Singapore’s undergraduate and postgraduate Psychology programmes, please get in touch with us at +65 6709 2888 or email: [email protected].

*Accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC).