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Career Paths in Psychology: Where Your Degree Can Take You, 2nd Edition
Career Paths in Psychology is a must-have resource for students contemplating a career in psychology, for psychologists considering switching between areas of psychology, and for professionals thinking of switching to psychology from another field. In this comprehensive anthology, authors selected for their distinction in their chosen careers offer their professional--and personal--perspectives on 19 different graduate-level careers in psychology. Few fields of study offer more career opportunities than does psychology, and readers will find thoughtful discussions, leavened with tips and insights gained from personal experience, on the full range, including (to name only a few) academia, clinical psychology, health and school psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and government service. Each chapter discusses the nature of the career, its advantages and disadvantages, how to prepare for it, typical activities, ranges of financial compensation, opportunities for employment, and the personal attributes needed for success in the career. "Day in the life" discussions give readers a glimpse into the prosaic realities, challenges, and rewards of each career that the lab or lecture hall rarely provides. Reprinted eight times since the publication of the first edition in 1997, Career Paths in Psychology is recognized as the "go-to" sourcebook for anyone seeking a candid portrait of different careers in this ever-changing field. The second edition has been expanded (discussions of five new careers added) and updated to reflect current trends and changes in the field.
376 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
About the author
Robert J. Sternberg
264 books167 followersRobert J. Sternberg's spectacular research career in psychology had a rather inauspicious beginning. In elementary school he performed poorly on IQ tests, and his teachers' actions conveyed their low expectations for his future progress. Everything changed when his fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Alexa, saw that he had potential and challenged him to do better. With her encouragement, he became a high-achieving student, eventually graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University. In a gesture of gratitude, Dr. Sternberg dedicated his book, Successful Intelligence to Mrs. Alexa.
Dr. Sternberg's personal experiences with intelligence testing in elementary school lead him to create his own intelligence test for a 7 th grade science project. He happened to find the Stanford-Binet scales in the local library, and with unintentional impertinence, began administering the test to his classmates; his own test, the Sternberg Test of Mental Abilities (STOMA) appeared shortly thereafter. In subsequent years he distinguished himself in many domains of psychology, having published influential theories relating to intelligence, creativity, wisdom, thinking styles, love and hate.
Dr. Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of (Successful) Intelligence contends that intelligent behavior arises from a balance between analytical, creative and practical abilities, and that these abilities function collectively to allow individuals to achieve success within particular sociocultural contexts. Analytical abilities enable the individual to evaluate, analyze, compare and contrast information. Creative abilities generate invention, discovery, and other creative endeavors. Practical abilities tie everything together by allowing individuals to apply what they have learned in the appropriate setting. To be successful in life the individual must make the best use of his or her analytical, creative and practical strengths, while at the same time compensating for weaknesses in any of these areas. This might involve working on improving weak areas to become better adapted to the needs of a particular environment, or choosing to work in an environment that values the individual's particular strengths. For example, a person with highly developed analytical and practical abilities, but with less well-developed creative abilities, might choose to work in a field that values technical expertise but does not require a great deal of imaginative thinking. Conversely, if the chosen career does value creative abilities, the individual can use his or her analytical strengths to come up with strategies for improving this weakness. Thus, a central feature of the triarchic theory of successful intelligence is adaptability-both within the individual and within the individual's sociocultural context.
Dr. Sternberg's personal experiences with intelligence testing in elementary school lead him to create his own intelligence test for a 7 th grade science project. He happened to find the Stanford-Binet scales in the local library, and with unintentional impertinence, began administering the test to his classmates; his own test, the Sternberg Test of Mental Abilities (STOMA) appeared shortly thereafter. In subsequent years he distinguished himself in many domains of psychology, having published influential theories relating to intelligence, creativity, wisdom, thinking styles, love and hate.
Dr. Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of (Successful) Intelligence contends that intelligent behavior arises from a balance between analytical, creative and practical abilities, and that these abilities function collectively to allow individuals to achieve success within particular sociocultural contexts. Analytical abilities enable the individual to evaluate, analyze, compare and contrast information. Creative abilities generate invention, discovery, and other creative endeavors. Practical abilities tie everything together by allowing individuals to apply what they have learned in the appropriate setting. To be successful in life the individual must make the best use of his or her analytical, creative and practical strengths, while at the same time compensating for weaknesses in any of these areas. This might involve working on improving weak areas to become better adapted to the needs of a particular environment, or choosing to work in an environment that values the individual's particular strengths. For example, a person with highly developed analytical and practical abilities, but with less well-developed creative abilities, might choose to work in a field that values technical expertise but does not require a great deal of imaginative thinking. Conversely, if the chosen career does value creative abilities, the individual can use his or her analytical strengths to come up with strategies for improving this weakness. Thus, a central feature of the triarchic theory of successful intelligence is adaptability-both within the individual and within the individual's sociocultural context.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 13, 2012
As a primer for the different areas of psychology, this was an informative read. The thing that was most helpful to me was the break down of a "typical day" for the various career paths in psychology.
August 31, 2017
Helpful and informative
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June 23, 2021This was helpful. I wish it had more on education requirements though.
June 16, 2023
Nice to have and read as someone who wants a career in psychology :)
February 20, 2008
My notes and quotes:
Sternberg gathers a collection of professionals from nearly every psychological field to talk about their particular discipline. The chapters include professionals from: academics, clinical, counseling, community, school, government, consumer, human-factors, military, and health psychology. Within each field it gives an overview of what the profession does, the nature of the career, activities required in the job, preparation for the job, the setting, how the individual person chose the career, range of pay, the advantages and disadvantages of the profession, attributes needed for success in the career, possibilities for employment, and a day in the life of the person.
Overall the book is a good general resource for getting an overview about what any particular field of psychology is like. I read most closely about the life of an academic, business schools, school psychology, and government work. Academics seems to give the most freedom as to what you research, government doesn't give as much freedom, but allows you to work in all different areas, business schools make more money, but have to learn to deal with making much of their research applied for actual businessmen to use, and school psychology pays less well, but allows you to institute change in schools and work directly with children. For the most part, they all seem to pay reasonably well and require a Ph.D. It serves best as a reference book when you want to look up a particular type of psychology.
Sternberg gathers a collection of professionals from nearly every psychological field to talk about their particular discipline. The chapters include professionals from: academics, clinical, counseling, community, school, government, consumer, human-factors, military, and health psychology. Within each field it gives an overview of what the profession does, the nature of the career, activities required in the job, preparation for the job, the setting, how the individual person chose the career, range of pay, the advantages and disadvantages of the profession, attributes needed for success in the career, possibilities for employment, and a day in the life of the person.
Overall the book is a good general resource for getting an overview about what any particular field of psychology is like. I read most closely about the life of an academic, business schools, school psychology, and government work. Academics seems to give the most freedom as to what you research, government doesn't give as much freedom, but allows you to work in all different areas, business schools make more money, but have to learn to deal with making much of their research applied for actual businessmen to use, and school psychology pays less well, but allows you to institute change in schools and work directly with children. For the most part, they all seem to pay reasonably well and require a Ph.D. It serves best as a reference book when you want to look up a particular type of psychology.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2015
American Psychological Association has compiled information from Doctoral-level psychology practitioners on what a degree in various field of psychology grants access to. This second edition version includes updates in information as set out by the ethics codes and institutions of employment. It is no replacement for personal research.
December 14, 2018
I found this book to be very helpful! Answers everything you would wonder about these types of careers, with honesty. Also gave me new ideas. I would recommend this!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews