So today I wanna share how I dug into whether that psychology degree actually pays off. Been getting tons of DMs asking “Is it worth the debt?” and honestly? I had no clue. Figured I’d stop guessing and actually run the numbers myself.
Where I Started
First thing Monday morning, I brewed some strong coffee and fired up my laptop. Felt overwhelmed already – where do you even find real salary numbers? Everyone’s got an opinion but nobody shows receipts.
Step 1: Hit up that big government jobs database. You know the one. Typed in “psychology” and got… everything under the sun. Clinical psychologists, counselors, HR folks – total mess. Had to filter like crazy. Pro tip: never trust those “average psychology salary” blogs. Most lump social workers with therapists and call it a day.
- Clinical Psychologists: $85k median
- School Counselors: $62k
- Case Managers: $42k
See what I mean? Wild swings depending on the actual job title.
The Debt Reality Check
Next, I hunted down actual student loan horror stories. Called up my friend Sarah who graduated in 2020. She read her loan statements aloud over Zoom: $83k for her bachelor’s + master’s. Her monthly payment? $680. She makes $58k as a therapist. My calculator app nearly died crunching that: over 25% of her take-home pay just vanishes into loans.
Then I pulled tuition costs from state schools vs private:
- Public Uni (in-state): $8k/year
- Private School: $35k/year before grants
Graduate programs? Even uglier. Saw clinical psych doctorates costing $150k total. Damn.
The Punchline Moment
This is where it got real. I listed out common psych jobs again. Drew two columns: expected salary and typical student debt.
School Psychologist: Salary $78k Debt: $70k
Marketing Coordinator: Salary $66k Debt: $35k
RN Nurse: Salary $77k Debt: $30k
And then it clicked. Psychology’s problem isn’t the salaries – it’s the cost to get there. You sink way more cash upfront for similar paychecks as business or nursing grads with shorter degrees.
Sat back around 3 PM feeling… heavy. Unless you land one of those clinical psych gigs needing a PhD (and survive the 7 years of school + internship hell), you’re often getting financially lapped by folks with associate degrees in trades.
My Raw Takeaway
Look – if you truly burn to be a therapist or researcher? Fine. Chase it. But walk in eyes wide open: this degree path is financially brutal. Don’t believe the “follow your passion” hype without running YOUR numbers. Saw way too many grads making less than plumbers while drowning in six-figure debt. Reality sucks sometimes.