A handful of university and college students are Psychology Majors. Whether you have a community, human services, I/O or even, neurology concentration, we're all sick of hearing the five common phrases that belittle our dreams. So here are some things you should not say to a Psychology Major, especially when we work our butts off in such a competitive field.
1. "You know you won't have good pay, right? Your salaries are shit"
Little did you know, we don't care. As someone who majors in psychology under any field, we already went in this knowing income wasn't a huge priority. And, honestly, it doesn't matter about our income unless we have passion and dedication to what we want to do in the long run. Personally, I have faith in every fellow psych major that they'll make the best decision for themselves regarding this "matter".
2. "Don't expect much from getting a job, until you get a masters degree."
Oh, yeah? Say that to the people who became therapists, researchers or such, in one form or another. Personally, I am already becoming a Certified Behavioral Aid—without a doctorates or masters. Psychology majors don't always seek out masters or doctoral degrees for success, it depends on the person and their personal goals/vision of their aspirations.
3. "You're analyzing me right now, aren't you?"
Lol, no. You are further than accurate, pal. The last thing us psychology majors are doing, is "analyzing" or "diagnosing" you. Trust me, we have a life-long commitment of doing our job once we graduate from undergrad. So, the last thing I want is to twist my brain left to right, trying to figure out why you and your boyfriend didn't work out.
4. "It’s the easiest major, that’s why people choose it."
To some, it is an easy major, In which, I give them kudos because man are my Stats and Research Methods courses killing me. The tedious 10-20 page research briefs, case studies, etc., make my hands cramp so much, I feel as if I lost feeling completely. Or, fighting for the last spot in a internship-practicum/study because psychology is a more-so hands on degree, as our job is to interact with humans and understand our interactions in given environments.
5. "Psychology isn’t even a science."
This one is my favorite and truly gets under my skin. You're right! Studying scans after scans, textbooks, research and statistics of the brain is not a science! Just kidding, it is a science. Maybe not the science that comes to mind for you, but we call it a Social Science. Pretty much, we study the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context. So, yeah, it's a science. Hopefully next time you think of receiving support from us, you'd appreciate it more than disregard us as scientists.
