Life as a Psychologist: Career Choices and Insights »

GERALD OSTER is a psychologist in private practice in Maryland, where he specializes in individual and family therapy. A past Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland Medical School, he provides consultations and assessments for Montgomery General Hospital and the Expressive Therapy Center. In more than 20 years of practice, he has worked in state hospitals, outpatient clinics and residential treatment centers. His previous books include Using Drawings in Assessment and Therapy, Difficult Moments in Child Therapy and Helping Your Depressed Teenager: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers.

Psychology is one of the most popular majors in college today, with the number of students enrolled in the discipline having surged some 200% in the last 10 years. In this book, dozens of outstanding practitioners and scholars explain how quickly the career opportunities for graduates with psychology degrees are growing--in talk therapy and clinical research, but also at agencies ranging from the CIA and Homeland Security to the Library of Congress and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In preparing his book, Oster contacted dozens of working psychologists and asked them what advice they would offer today's aspiring psychologists. Their responses provide a glimpse into a changing and ever-expanding field. Dozens of contributors recall their thoughts and actions as they plotted careers--or landed jobs by surprise. From one psychologist who put her research aside to become president of a university, to another who ended his work with children to become an author of psychological mystery books, the dozens of practitioners interviewed share the sometimes-humorous, often-difficult experiences and decisions they faced as they completed their college years and built successful careers. The book includes advice on making the "right" choice from among psychology careers in fields old and new, the ins and outs of graduate school, and the lessons seasoned professionals learned in their quests for meaningful careers. Web sites for more information on specialties are listed, as are suggested additional readings. The book also includes sections on making the most of undergraduate years, and on balancing the demands of career and family.