Alumni Profile: Megan Anderson ’15
Degree(s): BA Psychology (Certificate in Gender and Women’s Studies) – UW-Madison; MS ’18 Counseling Psychology – UW-Madison
Current Occupation: Therapist and Founder of Therapist & A Couch
What are some of the benefits of your psychology degree?
My psychology degree gave me a foundation for my Master’s program and career. I don’t doubt for a second that it gave me knowledge that would be helpful should I ever want to change careers.
How did you find your way to your current profession?
During undergrad, I created an internship on the acute psychiatric unit at UW Hospital, which affirmed my passion for clinical work. This solidified my next steps after graduation. Eventually, this internship turned into my Master’s internship and first job placement!
What advice would you give to students graduating with a psychology degree?
Are there stereotypes behind those who get degrees in psychology? Yes. Is there cultural banter around those who pursue this major? Yes. Roll with those punches, but don’t take their words seriously.
A psychology degree is versatile. At a minimum, it opens you up to options as you spend time exploring what you really want to do.
I think what can make or break this degree is whether or not someone has a rationale for why they are seeking it and if they have an outside-of-the-lecture-hall experience that directly connects to this degree. If you can, make your own attempts at grabbing coffee with someone who has a psych degree and is doing what you might want to do. This can be coordinated into a shadowing experience or an internship. All of this experiential data is helpful data, even if you find out you actually dislike something!
With a rationale and experiential data, this degree is worth the while.