Thank you for sharing this! It’s very comforting to hear your stories. I am at the very beginning of my journey into psychology and will be starting a part-time Psychology conversion MSc in September. It’s difficult not to feel discouraged by the barriers into the field for working class people. I’m a second-gen child with parents who immigrated to the UK from Kosovo with very little money and lived in a council estate and social housing my whole childhood. Thankfully my parents instilled in me the value of education from a young age and so I ended up studying really hard throughout school and did chemistry at the university of Bristol as my undergrad. But thinking about possibly doing careers paying less than 25K for years to get into psychology when I could be earning a lot more elsewhere and try to save up for a mortgage etc is hard. I’m grateful I can do the conversion course part-time as I wouldn’t be able to get financial support from my family. Still, it’s a long road ahead and I just hope it’s worth it in the end, whatever psychology career I end up in!
I've watched two of these videos now... as a psychology student from a working class background. Thank you so much you've given me such support as I often feel like I'm the only one. Really enjoy your stories!
Wow, i have been thinking about this for the last six months. But more about the barriers of getting on the course, when you have no money to spare to get on a masters degree. Which i do think makes people more competitive. Not only that but the expectations to be consistent and to continue applying to the clinical psychology course despite rejections. The other other option is to work as a support worker or jobs around 20k for years. When you have family that depend on you as opposed to the norm where young people can depend on their parents financially. Its really hard to keep on track and not think, if i get a trade or I was even offered a job as a pub manager once! I felt like i was being selfish by choosing clinical psychology as a career choice, as opposed to choosing another option and earning money faster to support members of my family. Then the bias against doing a trainee pwp course before it. Well i couldn't wait around to get a assistant psychologist role because i need to earn a living. I am happy to take anything i can get. I just think sometimes they don't realise that not everyone has the financial independence to be strategic in what kind of experience you get. Rant over haha. But this was really helpful! I felt I am not alone in this and I will keep pushing on forward and hopefully make a difference If I become a clinical psychologist myself.
Thanks for this. It definitely is nice to hear from clinical psychologist and people in training that have working class backgrounds and showing that it is possible and that it can actually be a benefit. Looking forward to more. Could you post the names of the panel in the description please.
I'm so pleased a space has been created to discuss these extremely poignant issues. I can identify with so much of what has been shared by you all, and it's good to know that these issues, that I believe have always been around, are finally being named and acknowledged. As you say, this is only the beginning of the conversation, but it's great that these conversations are being had now!
