Sometimes, the first few steps can be the most difficult to finding a career. This can be especially true for psychology given the wide variety of opportunities that exist. As noted in a previous post, one of the most important decisions is the selection of a pathway for a psychological career. Maybe some remarkable stories of beginnings can be inspirational.
In my reflections on some of my friends' journeys, the beginnings span a wide variety of circumstances across personal experience. Each one had some event, question or circumstance that thrust them onto a very clear course. One such voyage began after she witnessed an explicit and belittling episode of racial prejudice and injustice. As her college friend skillfully and maturely dealt with the confrontation, she understood that by virtue of his membership in a socially marginalized group, he had developed a skill set for survival that she had never had to have. It demonstrated the injustice of this social reality which in turn propelled her into a career in social psychology which has a deep tradition of social justice research.
For another, the impetus sprung from her experience of beneficial therapy from a child psychologist. Her recollections of these experiences served as the impetus for her path to clinical psychology specializing in the mental health treatment of children. Her journey combined the gift of her experience with the hope of change and better mental health treatment for children. For some others, family members were unable to receive latest evidence-based therapy for their mental illness. This person chose to work with others so gravely affected so that they would not have to suffer the same fate.
A strange providence would play a part in the journey of another psychologist. After the completion of his graduate education, his first job as a research assistant took him into a major conflict region to conduct government studies. In this experience, he found his path into another area of social psychology known as conflict resolution. From a war torn region of the Middle East, another's journey would emerge a clinical psychology career which specializes in the development and practice of culturally-sensitive treatment for the mental health issues of immigrants and refugees who are survivors of trauma.
Some ask why certain circumstances exist in our society and chose to answer those questions through their psychological career. Others choose to serve communities by the provision of mental health services and the performance of inclusive research. This may be a lot to swallow yet it can help define your direction in a psychology career. Ask yourself what drives you. Ask the forbidden question. Find your inspiration. It will carry you through the tough times on the road to a psychological career.
