A psychology degree does mean something

¶ … Psychology Degree Does Mean Something

The value of an examined life, the value of examining the thought processes of others -- the meaning of my psychology degree

Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" suggests that most human beings live an unexamined life. Plato's allegory of human existence depicts humanity as a group of people, most of who are chained to one another in a dark cave. The prisoners only see shadows that they take for the real meaning of human existence, even though these shadows are false, projected images. I cannot claim perfect understanding of the world, no matter how many books I have studied, I know I am still young and not free of the confines of the cave. However, I have learned, through my classes that studying the psychology of others will be of immense aid to me in understanding the demands of my future personal and professional life. Through the various approaches to studying human life that I have read as a part of being a psychology major, I shall be a more insightful and broad-minded person, and therefore a better employee.

Yes, a psychology major will have applications towards my future goals in my professional life -- even though this assertion may go against some 'common wisdom.' Often I have been told that having a psychology degree is meaningless. What people usually mean by this sweeping assertion is that they believe that an undergraduate psychology degree has no value in the job market. Even if this were the case, such a view does not take into consideration the importance of becoming an insightful and ethical person when working at any job. All jobs require a certain amount of on-the-job training today in the daily procedures of the organization, whether the jobs are in marketing, sales, or advertising, or even IT. However, a psychology degree, by teaching a student about various approaches to examine how people think, can make future employees better and more tolerant and broad-minded people. These people are better workers as a result, and can bring their open-minded and insightful qualities to whatever skills they must deploy in the workforce.

Thus, studying psychology is morally and intellectually improving. Psychology is so all encompassing as a field of study that it makes a person's mind more flexible. In psychology classes, a student must learn about analysis from a qualitative, even literary approach, as encompassed in the words of Sigmund Freud and William James. In other psychology classes, a student must understand how to interpret an Excel spreadsheet used in a research study to prove the efficacy of a particular antidepressant drug. Or, he or she must understand a more scientific and neurological approach to the human brain than more humanistic approaches to psychology might suggest in other classes. All of these different approaches are integral to modern psychology. A psychology major must be fluent in the liberal arts, the social sciences, and the natural sciences, and so he or she will be able to apply many approaches to solving problems in the workforce.