Summer Jobs for Psychology Majors

The spring semester will end at many colleges and universities in the coming weeks. Some students will be graduating, while others still have a year or two (or even three) to go. Most students will be looking for summer work to cover their academic year and other expenses. And, to fulfill the need for funds, sometimes almost any job will do.

That makes sense, of course. But why not consider your long-term goals and future as you search out summer work? In other words, can you look for a job that will give you some related experience that you can use when applying to a full-time job in the future or when applying to graduate school (whether in psychology or some other area)? While you may not yet have a formal career plan, why not spend some time this summer thinking about your future?

Many students are interested in pursuing a career that has some connection to clinical or counseling issues. Although a graduate degree is usually necessary before doing actual clinical work, you may be able to find a summer job in a nursing home, a rehabilitation center or clinic, or possibly a social services agency. A summer job or even an internship in one of these settings can help you decide if such work appeals to you and if you would be interested in looking for similar full-time employment after you graduate from college or university.

If work or an internship aren’t viable choices, you might see if you can volunteer for some hours in a setting that interests you this summer. You might see if there are volunteer opportunities at an alcohol/drug counseling center, for example. If you are interested in working with younger people, then see if there are volunteer openings at a youth center (e.g., YMCA, YWCA). See what other social service agencies are located near your home—visit their websites or call their offices to see if they have any volunteer opportunities. Don’t forget about human services positions, such as being a camp counselor or activity program director.

Since you won’t be paid as a volunteer, you need to make sure you can get something in kind from the experience (besides the benefit of the experience itself). You might ask your supervisor to write a letter of recommendation for you by summer’s end or you could ask that person to mentor you and critique your efforts. That way, you will learn how your work ethic and efforts are perceived by others. If you learn you have some faults, you can work to correct them. If your supervisor identifies some decided strengths, you can “save” them for use in cover letters for your future job search or in a personal statement for graduate school. If you are not interested in working in clinical, counseling, or social or human services settings, but you like working with people, you might explore opportunities tied to human resources offices.

And if academic research is your interest, see if there are any openings in the psychology labs or research teams in your home department. They may not be able to pay you much but the experience will be an invaluable addition to your preparation for graduate school.

Summer races by quickly. Don’t wait too long to look for a job, internship, or volunteer opportunity that you can leverage in the future.