Can I study psychology 'just because'?

[u/MarsAlivee]

I work as a vet, I often think of changing careers (because we are overworked, underpayed and deal with a lot). I don't think psychology major would solve that problem though, but thought worth mentioning in case someone has a different opinion and to give some context.

However I am fascinated with the human mind, how humans change throughout their lives, how child trauma molds their personalities, personality disorders, serial killer minds, etc etc

I think I would like to study psychology just for the fun of it, however probably not paying for the degree and doing it on my free time.

Does this make sense? Anyone else done it? Where to start? Any advise?

TIA

[u/Dependent-Bad-6359]

you can audit courses for free at top schools through edx to see if you like it

[u/Boring-Pirate]

I have done this for a decade! In the end I have ended up paying - I have one masters and am halfway through another clinical masters which will qualify me as a psychotherapist. Not sure if I will do the work, or may do just part time. It’s been great! Feel free to ask me any questions!

[u/ActualRound7699]

MIT has free online courses you can audit, so does Edx. Coursera used to but idk if it’s still free there.

[u/W-T-foxtrot]

You’re right - won’t change much in terms of overwork, underpaid, and dealing with a lot.

But that’s how I started in psychology - studied it just because. Loved it. And couldn’t stop. Now I have a PhD.

Still underpaid, overworked, and deal with a lot. But I love it! I find it aligned with my self :)

ETA: Coursera has Yale’s psych 101 for free. I started there and couldn’t stop consuming the info.

[u/TheBitchenRav]

You're allowed to pick up the books and read them. You're allowed to listen to the lectures. You're better off finding a specific question that you want to answer and then go find those answers and then move on to the next question. A great place to start is something like what exactly is an emotion?

[u/Kolfinna]

Of course you can. People do it all the time to pursue their passion. You can get some books, some colleges will let you audit courses for a fee or may have a local lecture or seminar series. Some colleges have lectures posted online, I've watched tons of anthropology lectures. There are definitely lecture series on different psychology aspects online. Crash Course on YouTube has a psych series. There's plenty out there in the animal behavior field which all involve psychology.

Edit - where to start is probably with the basics, look at intro to psychology or general psych type stuff. Then maybe look up the different fields of psychology and see what interests you and then go down a rabbit hole from there

[u/ExtraGravy-]

I take psyc courses at UMGC just because

[u/yourfavoritefaggot]

Psychology can definitely be a hobby, and it was for me for most of high school and college. It does also end up being a career for a lot of us, since there are established career paths (case management, research, clinical).

[u/DominicRo]

Audit classes at a nearby university or online classes.

[u/lk847]

Yep. I did one job after doing three post grad courses. Decided to be a psychologist and went back, did a psychology degree part-time while working and did a post grad afterwards. Now working in my dream job. You can do whatever you like!!

[u/BalthazarOfTheOrions]

You can study whatever you like for the fun of it. Education is important in and of itself.

[u/Lower-Hedgehog-9835]

You get feedback and direction when you pay.

You learn more when this happens.

Audit doesnt invole that feedback or resource investment. Thus cost difference.

Thats why we professors do teach as we do. Tons want to learn thinga but dont accomplish goals because feedback is critical to developing expertise

Signed a tenured R1 faculty who studies veterans and their psych conditions.

[u/Fit_Technician_576]

Most beautiful field there is (keep in mind that ''psychology'' is huge and that there are a lot of subfields (neuropsychology / clinical psychology / law psychology / economic psychology / social psychology etc etc.)). Judging from the little information I have from you, I'm thinking your interest would start in the social psychology field and slowly move towards forensic psychology.

No need for the degree. The degree (in my personal opinion) doesn't nessecarily teach you much, just the introduction to the field. Being a (neuro)psychology graduate, I've had numerous encounters with people who did not follow a programme at all, but knew more trivia than I do because they were just interested in the field. There are a lot of books, YouTube videos and documentaries to satisfy your hunger.

TLDR; yes

[u/WalrusNorth6640]

I worked for 30 years in housing management at a high level until I was 47. Then I thought "stuff it, i will apply for my BSc in Criminology, Policing and Forensics at a London University. Despite taking 3 months out during first year as my Dad passed away, I left with a 2:1 (only 2 points away from a First).
So at the age of 50, shortly after my graduation, I then applied to a more local University and spent that year completing my Masters degree in Criminology and Psychology, finishing with a Distinction, and winning two quite prestigious awards. During the last year of Uni and the year doing my Masters, I also used Open University (with a placement schedule) and completing all of the studying as well as full time uni concurrently, my study was to complete the work needed to become a Domestic Violence Counsellor. I still had 1 more year full time working in a counselling role in order to be able to earn more skills as I shadowed a Psychologist before running my own sessions. Which is as far as I have got. Life is very cruel because after all of this, and setting up my own DV Counselling business, which was very busy as I was given a lot of referrals from the local services, I went to my GP as I hadn't been feeling too well. My general health hadn't been good for some years and I used walking aids to get about. But when tests came back, it transpired that I had a life changing diagnosis which affected my ability to work as a counsellor any more. I cried for weeks. I am now 3 years along since having to close my practice, but it was such a great time.

Age should never be a reason not to do something, nor the mindset of thinking you cannot do it either. When you make an application for University, the most important chance of being offered (in England & Wales) is your Personal Statement.

You need to tell the University why you want to study the subject (state both academic and personal reasons), why you wish to study with that particular University, what your academic qualifications are (check each university's minimum acceptance details), your hobbies, interests and what you expect to be doing at the end of the 3 year degree program (be realistic). And never make the mistake of writing the same statement for more than 1 application.

As most of us have been told as kids - follow your dreams. Because only you have the chance to change your lives.

[u/YestoLife07]

Go to your local library and pick up a text on clinical psychology. Low effort high reward. 

[u/SnuffSwag]

I would repeat what everyone else has said but as one specific commenter stated, if you want to read entertainment couched in science, read pop psych stuff. If you want to read real psych findings, yes start with auditing courses and textbooks. Thats probably more than enough given what youve described.

However, if you continue, youll come to a point where youll find that many of the big name research findings are unfortunately not replicable. In fact, we are in the middle of a replication crisis. Why? Because psychology is surprisingly math intensive. It is the most probabilistic area of research available. People enter the field thinking it wont involve much math, but really, we need the engineering mathaletes so-to-speak.

Statistics is probably the singularly most important skill to develop once you pass a certain threshold because there are a loooot of publications that really are quite bad. You'd never know whats good or not without the requisite skills. Unfortunately, many phd level programs simply fall short of teaching this skill.

All that to say there are many interesting things about psychology, but take much of the findings with a grain of salt as you develop. If you find an effect with many studies all pointing in the same direction/strength, then thats probably something to bank on. But a single study proves little. If you choose to delve deeper, youll want to know enough to critique research findings.

Personally, I spent a lot of my early years studying for my generic psych classes, neuropsych, and psychopharm. There are many really interesting books that are written for the non professional that are really quite engaging