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People who choose to study psychology have a variety of choices when it comes to long-term careers. A bachelor's degree in psychology can provide a good foundation for a range of different professions. Statistics show that many students who graduate with a bachelor's degree in the subject have no intention of actually becoming psychologists. 

Professionals who hold a PhD in psychology have far more options open to them than graduates with a bachelor's or a master's degree. In fact, completing doctoral level training is often a requirement in order to be officially recognized as a 'psychologist.' Higher salaries and improved career prospects are also an incentive.

In general, anyone wishing to continue a career in psychology at a 4-year institution of higher education must earn a doctoral degree in psychology. In most areas of psychology, this translates into earning a PhD in a relevant area of psychology, such as family counseling or trauma. Some PhD candidates choose applied psychology whereas others opt to focus on research. Depending on the amount of training received, or the desired specialty of a candidate, an individual could be anything from a biological psychologist to a clinical psychologist in an academic setting.

The term 'PhD' refers to a doctor of philosophy degree, but 'philosophy' is a broad term. In this case, 'philosophy' refers to diverse disciplinary perspectives that would be grouped together in a traditional college of liberal arts and sciences.

Although the requirements to earn a PhD vary depending on the country, individuals obtaining this degree can expect to complete a dissertation, which is a thorough research paper describing experiments or studies done as part of the doctoral training of a candidate. In order for the degree to be conferred, a dissertation usually must be defended before a committee of expert reviewers. However, this requirement varies depending on the country.

Once someone earns a PhD, the individual can begin seeking out a faculty appointment at a college or university. This usually involves multi-tasking duties and splitting time between teaching, research, and service to the institution and profession. This is one reason why professors relocate to different institutions in a short amount of time; they must find the best personal fit among the various academic environments that are available to them. 

Often times, schools offer more courses in psychology than their full-time faculty can handle. In these cases, it is not uncommon to find adjunct faculty members or instructors who take on teaching various courses. Although adjunct faculty members have the necessary training to teach in the university setting, they often hold primary careers outside of the academic setting and utilize their teaching experiences as secondary careers. Although rare, these faculty members may not hold the doctoral degree required by most accredited 4-year institutions and use these opportunities to gain useful experience in teaching.  

As many 2-year colleges are coming to fruition, many of them are in need of faculty to teach their psychology courses. Although a qualification at this level will not lead directly to employment in the field, it can provide a solid foundation in the subject and a stepping stone to more advanced studies. These types of colleges are often in need of faculty to teach their psychology courses. In general, many of the people who pursue careers at these institutions hold at least a master's degree in psychology, although some PhDs choose to develop careers at these institutions as well.

Recent PhD graduates may also choose to start an independent career, establishing an office and offering therapy sessions to the public. Usually, these individuals completed job shadowing or internships with an experienced psychologist during their academic career, efficiently preparing them for best practices when choosing to work in this setting. Although this option is very appealing to many newly qualified psychologists, some find it difficult to manage the business side of the practice. While they may have all the skills required to be a good clinician, they may lack the necessary financial and marketing acumen.

It is not uncommon for individuals who have just earned their PhD to enroll in postdoctoral training programs. These programs assist candidates in obtaining experience before going on to serve as faculty at the given institution. Those interested in scientific psychology will usually complete a few postdoctoral programs, allowing them to develop research programs and broaden their research skills under the helpful supervision of other professors in the psychology field. 

In terms of what the future holds, it is widely predicted that the demand for psychological services in schools, hospitals and health centers will increase dramatically in the next ten years. Industrial-organizational psychologists, who focus on behavior in the workplace, are expected to be particularly sought after. In addition, aging populations in many parts of the world will require the services of psychologists specifically trained to help people face the mental and physical challenges associated with growing older.

In the last decade a revolution has occurred In the way that scientists think about the brain. We now know that the decisions humans make can be traced to the firing patterns of neurons in specific parts of the brain. These discoveries have led to the field known as neuroeconomics, which studies the brain's secrets to success in an economic environment that demands innovation and being able to do things differently from competitors. A brain that can do this is an iconoclastic one. Briefly, an iconoclast is a person who does something that others say can't be done.

This definition implies that iconoclasts are different from other people, but more precisely, it is their brains that are different in three distinct ways: perception, fear response, and social intelligence. Each of these three functions utilizes a different circuit in the brain. Naysayers might suggest that the brain is irrelevant, that thinking in an original, even revolutionary, way is more a matter of personality than brain function. But the field of neuroeconomics was born out of the realization that the physical workings of the brain place limitations on the way we make decisions. By understanding these constraints, we begin to understand why some people march to a different drumbeat.

The first thing to realize is that the brain suffers from limited resources. It has a fixed energy budget, about the same as a 40 watt light bulb, so it has evolved to work as efficiently as possible. This is where most people are impeded from being an iconoclast. For example, when confronted with information streaming from the eyes, the brain will interpret this information in the quickest way possible. Thus it will draw on both past experience and any other source of information, such as what other people say, to make sense of what it is seeing. This happens all the time. The brain takes shortcuts that work so well we are hardly ever aware of them.

We think our perceptions of the world are real, but they are only biological and electrical rumblings. Perception is not simply a product of what your eyes or ears transmit to your brain. More than the physical reality of photons or sound waves, perception is a product of the brain.

Perception is central to iconoclasm. Iconoclasts see things differently to other people. Their brains do not fall into efficiency pitfalls as much as the average person's brain. Iconoclasts, either because they were born that way or through learning, have found ways to work around the perceptual shortcuts that plague most people. Perception is not something that is hardwired into the brain. It is a learned process, which is both a curse and an opportunity for change. The brain faces the fundamental problem of interpreting physical stimuli from the senses. Everything the brain sees, hears, or touches has multiple interpretations. The one that is ultimately chosen is simply the brain's best theory. In technical terms, these conjectures have their basis in the statistical likelihood of one interpretation over another and are heavily influenced by past experience and, importantly for potential iconoclasts, what other people say.

The best way to see things differently to other people is to bombard the brain with things it has never encountered before. Novelty releases the perceptual process from the chains of past experience and forces the brain to make new judgments. Successful iconoclasts have an extraordinary willingness to be exposed to what is fresh and different. Observation of iconoclasts shows that they embrace novelty while most people avoid things that are different.

The problem with novelty, however, is that it tends to trigger the brain's fear system. Fear is a major impediment to thinking like an iconoclast and stops the average person in his tracks. There are many types of fear, but the two that inhibit iconoclastic thinking and people generally find difficult to deal with are fear of uncertainty and fear of public ridicule. These may seem like trivial phobias. But fear of public speaking, which everyone must do from time to time, afflicts one-third of the population. This makes it too common to be considered a mental disorder. It is simply a common variant of human nature, one which iconoclasts do not let inhibit their reactions.

Finally, to be successful iconoclasts, individuals must sell their ideas to other people. This is where social intelligence comes in. Social intelligence is the ability to understand and manage people in a business setting. In the last decade there has been an explosion of knowledge about the social brain and how the brain works when groups coordinate decision making. Neuroscience has revealed which brain circuits are responsible for functions like understanding what other people think, empathy, fairness, and social identity. These brain regions play key roles in whether people convince others of their ideas. Perception is important in social cognition too. The perception of someone's enthusiasm, or reputation, can make or break a deal. Understanding how perception becomes intertwined with social decision making shows why successful iconoclasts are so rare.

Iconoclasts create new opportunities in every area from artistic expression to technology to business. They supply creativity and innovation not easily accomplished by committees. Rules aren't important to them. Iconoclasts face alienation and failure, but can also be a major asset to any organization. It is crucial for success in any field to understand how the iconoclastic mind works.