The endless eye rolls and jokes will one day pay off and be extremely rewarding.

I knew I wanted to pursue a degree in psychology since I was a junior in high school, I consider myself lucky to know what I wanted to study at a young age, as some people get degrees and still do not know exactly what they want to do. Initially, I chose to study psychology in higher education because I want to help adolescents and adults who go through the difficult life events that I have. I want to give back for all the therapist and psychologist who helped me as I struggled through depression and anxiety when my older brother passed away. As I grew older, I found an underlying respect for these doctors and professionals who work closely with those struggling with mental illness.

Psychology is the study of the human mind and how it functions. Mental illness is real and valid, people all around you are struggling with some type of disorder or knows someone who is. I feel a lot of psychology students get instant backlash from people. “Are you planning to go to graduate school?” Yes, yes we all know to be successful psychologist (or any other health related profession) we need to go to the Masters and Doctorate level!

Having a degree in psychology can open many doors in a variety of different career paths. There are many specialty areas that interests students, such as, clinical, sports psychology, forensic and industrial organizational psychology. I, personally, have enjoyed studying the clinical aspect of psychology as a whole. Clinical psychology is known as a branch of psychology that is connected with assessment and treatment of those with mental illness. The idea of helping the community around us and helping changing people’s lives is very rewarding. I know I am happy with my choice in having a psychology undergraduate degree because everyday I am learning something new that I can use in the everyday world to better myself and the people around me. This field is so rewarding for me and everyday I leave class knowing I made the right decision.

There are many volunteer opportunities that anyone could partake in, throughout each community. There are many opportunities in hospital settings, therapist office and even on-campus. Volunteering is a great way to give back to the community while really figuring out if you are interested in that field or specialty.My plan is to go through to my PsyD (doctor of psychology) degree, which is a long, hard road. It is expensive and exhausting but I know once my profession really starts to begin it will be well worth it and beyond rewarding.