In 2018 I went to a psych fair at school and there was a table there for their school psychology fair. Now initially I thought that school psychology meant being a guidance counselor. This is a common misconception. School psychologists might engage in therapy with students and more commonly they screen children for Special Education. They likely also administer various tests.
The program sounded pretty good and I thought that maybe this was something I should look into. Last semester I took an introduction to teaching and learning in elementary school so I could get some exposure and insight into whether or not school psychology was something I was interested in.
As it turns out I’m not interested in school psychology. I’m interested in science and biology. I am not as interested in a career where you are essentially a specialized social worker. This semester I also had a neuropsychology class and a cognitive psychology class and it was immensely obvious that these are the sorts of things I am interested in.
I also had the opportunity to speak with a neuropsych professor who studied mice. This was useful and has helped me better understand the field of neuroscience and schooling options. Prior when I talked to people most people I spoke with had a social work type background and either didn’t know much about neuroscience or actively dislike science.
More to come on this topic!
Ryan David Tuttle, MA 