Related Career Categories

• Clergy
• Clinical Psychologist
• Clinical Social Worker
• Community Developer
• Family Social Worker
• Geriatric Social Worker
• Health Social Worker
• Human Service Manager
• Interpreter
• Mental Health Counselor
• School Social Worker
• Social Worker

School and Career Surprises: Tips From People on the Job

Career: "I was surprised at how many different problems children face in their day to day lives. I was also surprised at how easy it is to bond with the children in my county."

Career: "I was surprised how often I have to use negotiation and mediation skills as a school psychologist. Often times when parents and teachers disagree on services provided for a child, I have to help them find a middle ground that will provide the student with an appropriate education plan."

Best & Worst Things About This Career

"As a consultant I have great flexibility in my job. No one monitors what I do with my time so I can structure it as I see fit. I receive lots of positive feedback from colleagues and parents and children and am able to help people with challenges in their lives regularly. It is a very rewarding job in every way. The only downside is when people are upset with the words you deliver to them. Not everyone is happy with your consultation or intervention and may direct personal and professional attacks against you, verbally. It is not a job for someone who would find that upsetting. You cannot just say things that please people as you must, in the kindest and most professional manner, deliver the truth as you understand it."

"The best part of my career is actually knowing that I have made a difference in someone's life, or helped someone with a problem. It's great to know that I can change someone's life, sometimes just by talking or listening to them. It's also a great feeling to know that I've helped an entire family. The worst part of the career is when I work very hard with an individual, and they never show any sort of change. For instance, I had a client who was very depressed and suicidal. At times I would think I was making progress with them, but then they would go right back to their suicidal thoughts and to hurting themselves."

"The best part of my career is working with children and adolescents. Children thrive on one-on-one attention; as most of my work with children is done individually, they usually are excited to see me! Doing my part to improve the lives of children is extremely rewarding. The worst part of my career is the recent nation-wide budget cuts in education. I have to do more with less resources, and this can be very difficult."

"The best part of my job is working with the students. I learn so much from them, and enjoy their unique qualities. It is extremely rewarding when a student who has been having difficulties in one area or another makes progress, and I have been involved in that process. One of the more frustrating parts of my job is that there are never enough resources to help students in crisis fast enough or well enough, especially since I work in a low-resource, high needs community.Another hard part of my job is meeting all the requirements of New York State regulations in completing reports, meeting deadlines, and making recommendations for special education."

Tips for Succeeding in This Career

"This is not a career for anyone but the most dedicated students. It takes a huge amount of study for more than 7 years to attain a doctorate and license as a psychologist. You must be prepared to devote that amount of full time effort to your studies and preparation. It is also very costly. As an undergraduate I would suggest taking psychology courses and doing some internships in different settings to see if this is really a incredibly strong interest for you and if you have the emotional makeup for working with people in this way. The entrance to graduate school is as competitive as medical school in this field. Get perfect grades in your courses. Volunteer as much as you can in social service agencies or schools or community centers. Study really hard for GRE exams. Try to publish something as an undergraduate. Get to know your professors so that you can get amazing recommendations."

"Make sure to find a field in psychology that you love. There are many different fields, and some people are much happier in one field than they would be in another. Also, study many different types of psychology in college Lastly, having good mental and emotional stability is very important for this career. You can help some people, but you can't help other. It's best not to get overly emotionally attached, because it can bring you down."

"Try to learn as much about the education field as possible, including research-based teaching methods and interventions. This will give you more knowledge when giving suggestions to teachers. I would also recommend saving all of your textbooks from graduate school, if possible - I wish I had saved mine! Before pursuing the field, speak to a school psychologist who is currently working in the field - it will give you a lot of insight into the day-to-day work!"

"Anyone studying to be a school psychologist would be wise to take as many courses in reading as possible. A good portion of your job will be related to evaluating students who are having difficulty with all the skills involved in reading, and you will work very closely with reading specialists, so it is important to understand the concepts and skills very well. It will also be very important to educate yourself in behavioral interventions, whether it be through your course work, or jobs you may have, such as working in residential schools for students with socio-emotional and behavioral difficulties."