Hi,
I’m currently torn between majoring in BA/BS Psychology or BS Food Science and Technology. My goal is to be able to work independently/set up my own business after working at companies for several years to gain experience necessary to achieve my goals.
Here is what I’m planning with each major:
Psychology:
To set up my own clinical practice / work in a business setting where I can apply what I have learned in psychology (for example, human resources, industrial psychology, business law, etc.)
There is a big possibility that I might contemplate on attending graduate school because based on my research a bachelor's degree in psychology is much more limited compared to attending graduate school for clinical psychology which is required to open up your own practice and if you want to work on the business side I am told it would be useful to have an MBA.
Food Science and Technology:
To set up my own food company (hopefully) / work in research / work in the management of a food company
Based on my goals and planning above, which path do you think will have more potential? I know it sounds silly but I think asking for a second opinion might be helpful in my case.
Thank you
You can open up your own business with either major or even a completely different major. What’s going to determine that far more is the work that you do at other companies. If you get a PhD in psychology and then end up working in tech for 15 years, it’ll be hard for you to open up a clinical practice. Or if you major in food science and then go work in real estate for 15 years, going back to open up a company focused on food will be difficult. Conversely, you could major in food science, work in food science for 5 years, get an MSW, change careers, and open up a clinical practice in social work…you see what I’m saying?
That said, if you want to be a psychological clinician then majoring in psychology is the way to go. You don’t need an MBA.
Also, you don’t need a PhD in clinical psychology to open your own practice. In many states, you can do that with an MSW and an LISCW/LSWC license or a master’s in mental health counseling and an LPC license.
Given your interests, I might major in psychology. You can still work in research at a food services company with a bachelor’s in psychology, especially if you minored in nutrition or food sciences. But it would be much more difficult for you to get a graduate degree in clinical or industrial/organizational psychology if you don’t have a bachelor’s in psych.