Yes, if you want to make the big money, a Ph.D. or Psy.D. degree is your best bet. Depending on what area of Psyc you had in mind, most Bachelor’s degree won’t do much for you in the career world. If you are interested in family therapy, though, you can always get an MFT degree (masters in marriage and family therapy) or MSW (masters in social work) and these options are available for less time in school (4+2 years total) and pay better than a Bachelors.

The usual career path for psych majors is human resources, research, counseling, and organizational consulting. It’s also good as pre-med. Psychology is fun but not necessarily lucrative. For a bachelor’s degree, you’ll need four years. Master’s degree will take at least two years, depending on the load of coursework. Ph.D., too. But keep in mind that most students who take their master’s and/or doctorate degrees work, too, either part-time or full time. And most schools won’t accept applicants into post-graduate degrees unless they’ve had work experience. So it’s a lot of hard work before you can start charging big bucks for counseling and therapy.

In my opinion, sports psychology is the most interesting field of study.

I majored in psychology in college, but veered away from the usual HR and counseling path. I got into finance, studied part-time for my MBA, and have no regrets.

As for being financially sound, always keep in mind that it’s not how much you make, but how much you save. Living within your means is key.

I have a minor in Psychology (Major in Nursing).

You could do private counseling, school counseling, agency counseling, human resouces work, teaching, consulting.

A PHD is usually required.