How to Become a Child Psychologist in Michigan
Child psychologists are those professionals who study the social and behavioral development of young people. People working in this field, work in a variety of different settings such as private offices, hospitals, public health centers and schools. The demand for child psychologists in Michigan is moderate; however, experts expect demand to increase in the near future. Following is a brief guide to beginning a career in this lucrative field.
First of all, students who are interested in child psychology should major in psychology and enroll in several child development classes during college. They should also strive to maintain an excellent grade point average. Talking to a college counselor will help them determine which classes they need to take to complete the requirements for the career. Since research is a significant part of the field of psychology, students should also enroll in a statistics class during college.
It is always beneficial to find jobs that require working with children while people are still in college. These can be either paid jobs or volunteer jobs. Not only will this form of work give students some valuable experience with children, but it also looks extremely positive on applications.
Students should register to take their GRE test sometime during the second semester of their junior year of college. This test is a requirement for students to be admitted into graduate programs, and it tests the student's abilities in such areas as writing skills, critical thinking and verbal reasoning. People can find practice tests online to help them study for the actual exam.
Sometime during their senior year of college, students should apply to their graduate program. They should make sure that the school has programs pertaining to their career goals and allows them to work with children. They may choose to work towards their master's degree, or they may choose to go even further and obtain their PH.D or Psy.D degrees. Although it takes longer to get their PH.Ds and Psy.Ds, persons with these degrees will have many more job opportunities than those people who do not have these degrees.
They may also want to check whether the school has any available research assistant positions to help them with expenses. Once students have received their graduate degrees, they can then apply for their licenses. Upon receiving their license, they can then begin practicing as a child psychologist.
In conclusion, child psychologists in Michigan are excellent career choices for those people who have a love for children and psychology. Students, who are totally dedicated, can fulfill their career goals of becoming child psychologists with the proper schooling and determination.
First of all, students who are interested in child psychology should major in psychology and enroll in several child development classes during college. They should also strive to maintain an excellent grade point average. Talking to a college counselor will help them determine which classes they need to take to complete the requirements for the career. Since research is a significant part of the field of psychology, students should also enroll in a statistics class during college.
It is always beneficial to find jobs that require working with children while people are still in college. These can be either paid jobs or volunteer jobs. Not only will this form of work give students some valuable experience with children, but it also looks extremely positive on applications.
Students should register to take their GRE test sometime during the second semester of their junior year of college. This test is a requirement for students to be admitted into graduate programs, and it tests the student's abilities in such areas as writing skills, critical thinking and verbal reasoning. People can find practice tests online to help them study for the actual exam.
Sometime during their senior year of college, students should apply to their graduate program. They should make sure that the school has programs pertaining to their career goals and allows them to work with children. They may choose to work towards their master's degree, or they may choose to go even further and obtain their PH.D or Psy.D degrees. Although it takes longer to get their PH.Ds and Psy.Ds, persons with these degrees will have many more job opportunities than those people who do not have these degrees.
They may also want to check whether the school has any available research assistant positions to help them with expenses. Once students have received their graduate degrees, they can then apply for their licenses. Upon receiving their license, they can then begin practicing as a child psychologist.
In conclusion, child psychologists in Michigan are excellent career choices for those people who have a love for children and psychology. Students, who are totally dedicated, can fulfill their career goals of becoming child psychologists with the proper schooling and determination.