I would like to know how to leverage my skill set and experience to find a lucrative career path. I have a BS in psychology and am working on a MBA in international business and finance (2016 expected graduation date). I’m an army reserve Military Police lieutenant.
My civilian job title is an analyst. As an analyst I do background checks on companies and individuals for investment banks (compliance work). This job has peeked my interest in possibly working for an investment bank in the future (but I don’t know much about this field).
As an analyst outside of DC I’m making about $43,000 a year. It’s an entry level position which is fine because I don’t have any previous experience as an analyst but I have all sorts of additional skill through the military and my educational that I feel I could find a better use for to achieve a higher salary.
I guess I’m just using this resource to help me brainstorm on what I types of jobs that can lead me to the highest possible salary given my skill sets. Sorry for the vagueness of the question.
Thank you for reading!
Answers
With your military rank and military background and if you have a GPA of 3.5 or higher ,you can start working tommorow at a government job that you will thoroughly enjoy as a civilian.
Go to USAJOBS.GOV/search and check out the lists of jobs in government service.With your credentials you would double your salary easily and the good thing about government service is that your salary level continues to increase automatically every two years you work there. You may be required to relocate for a short time at the onset of your carreer in government service.Let me just say "Been there,done that".God speed.
I do appreciate your responses. Thank you for helping me continue in the right direction.
I've found that many psychology majors find careers in Human Resources. Most entry level HR positions are in "recruiting" with private companies or employment agencies. The job doesn't pay a great deal when you first start but a solid background in recruiting is essential to progress in the HR field.
Chris: consider also a career as Certified Financial Planner, insurance agent or risk manager - all of those are well paid careers (if you focus on your customers and solving their problems). There is a looming shortage of skilled agents in the USA - don't just think personal insurance, think commercial. It's an under-appreciated, but much needed area.
Hi Chris,
Very good question. The fact you are working on your MBA more or less makes your (non-business) bachelor's moot, hence, you will have countless opportunities in the worlds of business management (sales, marketing, finance, operations, human resources, etc), business development, etc and accordingly.
That is assuming the MBA program is from an accredited institution (which is an interesting topic in today's for-profit education mantra bet we can have that discussion at another time - smile).
Additionally, I think it would be pertinent to continue with your analyst position while finishing your studies so that you can also have some actual experience to attach to your new and improved educational credentials.
I hope this helps and I wish you the best.
You will get a lot of answers about your question and most if not all will let you know that an undergraduate degree in psychology is mostly a license to move forward to graduate and post graduate studies. Meantime, there are some jobs that your studies will help and they are not hard to locate; HR comes to mind and some social service employment at entry levels. If you are interested in clinical work, start becoming familiar with individual States and what they require in the way of certification and licensing. If you are more interested in business and management, etc. then you have taken a good step with the graduate program you are in. I would say to seek within your present studies what specialties exist so you don't slip into generalizations that ignore cutting edge employment and career opportunities. Good luck.
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