Reasons You May Want to Consider a Career in Forensic Psychology
Posted on: 28 April 2020
If you have recently been trying to come up with a career path for yourself, you may find yourself stumped or wondering about a few different options. If forensic psychology is one such option or if it just sounds interesting to you, you may also wonder why someone might choose forensic psychology as a career path. Get to know some of the benefits of being a forensic psychologist and the reasons you may want to consider it for your next career move. Then, you can be sure you have all of the facts before you choose your future work field.
Forensic Psychology Combines Law and Psychology
If you are interested in both the legal system and psychology, then forensic psychology is the career field for you. Forensic psychologists combine knowledge of the law and psychology in their daily work. Many forensic psychologists work within the court system itself, though they may also find careers with private sector businesses as well. They could even consult if they would prefer to remain more flexible.
The idea is that the forensic psychologist will use the science of psychology and apply it to crime and the law. If this sounds interesting to you, then this field may be the best way to combine several seemingly disparate interests into a single career.
Forensic Psychology Offers a Wide Array of Work
As previously mentioned, when you are in forensic psychology, you can work directly with the courts or in private businesses. There are numerous ways in which these skills can be applied. You could work in a family court dealing with custody, domestic abuse and violence, and divorce cases.
You could also deal with high profile criminal cases including murders and other heinous crimes. You could consult on court cases to help determine if a defendant is mentally competent to stand trial (no matter what the crime in question). You could work with a business to deal with ethics and other issues.
There are many ways you can apply formal education in forensic psychology. No matter what field of law and psychology interests you, there is a way to adapt it to this career field.
Forensic Psychology Is a Good Paying Field
Many branches of psychology are not necessarily high paying. However, because forensic psychologists are so highly specialized and so in-demand, they get paid well. You can make an average of $69,596 a year. The more you make a name for yourself in the field, especially if you consult or work in the private sector, the more you will likely see that salary increase.
Now that you know some of the reasons you may want to consider a career in forensic psychology, you can decide if this is the right career field for you.
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