1. Learn about psychology's goals

In psychology, there are four goals. The first one is to describe the human thoughts and behaviors. This goal helps the therapist to distinguish normal behavior from abnormal behavior. Once this step is done, the therapist knows what is going on. For example, a patient says that he is very scared of dogs and so is his family. The second goal is to find the reason behind the behavior. The therapist has to look for the reasons and then explain them by using psychological theories. For example, the therapist finds out that his fear is due to the classical conditioning theory. The third goal is to predict future behaviors by evaluating the situation using the psychological theory. In this step, the therapist should be able to predict the person's future reactions based on a psychological theory. For example, there is a theory that says if you see someone that is scared of dogs, you may develop a phobia too because that is what you learned by observation. The last goal is to find out what to do to modify this type of reaction or behavior next time. For example, the person that has a fear of dogs can take little steps such as watching dog documentaries to approach them slowly.

2. Career options

Many people think that Psychology studies leads you to sit in a room and take notes while listening to your patient. In reality, there are many environments where you can work. Even if you realise that you want to do something other than your first career choice, there are still many opportunities open to you. You can work with couples, athletes, students, prisoners and also become a psychiatrist. The difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist is that psychiatrists can prescribe medication, and they focus on mental illness. Also, they work in hospitals or clinics.

3. Becoming a psychologist

Becoming a psychologist is a long journey. First, you have to obtain a bachelor's degree in psychology. Then, you must attend graduate school and get a master degree or you could study more to obtain a doctoral degree. After getting a bachelor's degree, it will take from two to six years of studies to finally become a psychologist. As I said before, you always have a bunch of options if you don't want to study till the end. You can't forget that you have to get high grades in order to get accepted in a Graduate School. On top of that, you have to make sure to put a wall between your professional life and personal life because it could have a lot of impact. It is hard to control that but if you bring your work problems at home, it could also damage the mental health of the people you live with.