Volunteer work can help graduates considering a career in psychology to gain valuable experience in fields related to the profession while also opening up new paths into the profession. Mary Kelly had aspired to be a psychologist since the age of 12 but after graduating with an MBA, she followed a career in business instead, the New Jersey Star-Ledger said. However, volunteering for Contact We Care, a helpline that offers advice and support to people in crisis, she realized she wanted to pursue her childhood goal once more. Furthermore, working on the helpline gave her listening skills, as well as experience of dealing with people trying to cope with grief, depression and mental illness. Commenting on her volunteering role, Ms Kelly said: "I realize now what an absolutely fantastic training it [was] … It prepared me so well for all the training I have been getting as a future psychologist." A decade after taking her first call on the helpline, Ms Kelly is currently approaching the end of her PhD in counseling psychology. Figures from the US Department of Labor show there were 166,000 psychologists working in the US in 2006. Around 34% of these were self-employed, compared to a national average of 8% of workers.  |