How to Obtain the Highest Forensic Psychologist Salary Possible in our Job Market

How to Obtain the Highest Forensic Psychologist Salary Possible in our Job Market

Forensic psychologists typically serve as the top paying psychology specialists in the field. The average forensic psychologist salary sits quite comfortably around $61,167 per year*. That salary range makes this career the number 7 highest paying psychologist specialization on the current job market. Please note, this aforementioned link contains outdated salary information. Our post today focuses on answering the question regarding how to obtain the highest Forensic Psychologist salary possible in our job market. Besides the excellent pay, our popular culture showcases this sort of work in an interesting fashion through movies and television shows (such as CSI). In these shows, actors portray forensic psychologists as brainy near geniuses who profile and inevitably catch the criminal in the end. This portrayal probably isn’t too far off from reality: depending on his or her specialty, Forensic Psychologists provide professional insight into criminal cases which sometimes can’t be solved without this intricate analysis. Often times, different forensic psychologists work in the rehabilitation of criminals by helping them understand why their deeds were wrong and easing their transition back to society.

September 2014* saw the lowest paying forensic psychologist salary at $38,813. The same time period witnessed one of the highest paying forensic psychologist salaries at $123,820. Apparently, wide differences in work experience cause the seemingly massive gap in salaries: during the first 5 years on the job, a forensic psychologist’s salary may exceed $60,000* per year. Following 5 years of experience, the salary could exceed $80,000. After 10 years of work experience, this figure could exceed $90,000. Forensic Psychologists with more than 20 years of field experience could very well earn over $100,000 a year. You can maximize your salary in other ways besides simply gathering work experience over time. Read on to find out more about how to obtain the highest Forensic Psychologist salary possible in our job market.

How to Obtain the Highest Forensic Psychologist Salary Possible in our Job Market

How to Obtain the Highest Forensic Psychologist Salary Possible in our Job MarketThe job market isn’t always the most welcome field to all psychologists. Some specializations may be harder to perform than others. These specializations don’t provide as high financial advantages as others. Forensic Psychology falls somewhere in the middle after you consider the investment to its educational requirements. You will end up studying a lot in order to adequately perform this job. The earnings fall well at the top of the range in terms of salaries. If you currently serve as a Forensic Psychologist, you probably possess a master’s degree at the very least. You may even hold a PhD. Having good degrees and holding a secure job in your field isn’t enough to secure the best salary in the job market. Here are some further steps you should consider implemeting:

1. Continue your studies: make attaining a PhD in the field the main priority. Even after you complete your PhD, continue to attend professional seminars and workshops at least twice a year to increase your skills. Even if you already choose a professional career as a forensic psychologist, that doesn’t let you off the hook from continuing to learn (or even teach) within an academia-based setting. Present your most interesting settled cases in a conference from time to time. Or, present a lecture on the intricacies of the job. Once a year should be more than enough. In this job, expertise is everything. So, continue to amass as much of this expertise as you can. Your salary will reflect it. Out of all the measures you could take to maximize your pay, we feel that this one is the most important.

2. Get certified in Clinical Psychology and Criminal Justice. Three skills cause significant impact on the range of a Forensic Psychologist’s salary: obviously, the first is Forensic Psychology itself. That skill is mandatory; the second is Clinical Psychology. The third skill is Criminal Justice. Becoming certified in these skills can create a positive impact on your salary curve. Since we already mentioned how multiple studies help improve your pay, a master’s degree in each of these adjacent fields should help you even further. This educational attainment could qualify you for more complex tasks. As a result, this should increase your salary.

3. Consider moving out of High Populated Cities Such as Los Angeles or New York. According to the PayScale statistics, larger cities obviously provide a higher salary starting points than small towns. This theory remains consistent within almost any profession. Los Angeles and New York Forensic Psychologists typically earn 5-6% less than their national counterparts’ average. However, these cities remain popular hubs for this profession. Experts believe that the increased competition somewhat diminished salaries.

You can read more about becoming a profession Forensic Psychologist here. Our expert post will provide you with all of the latest facts and figures regarding Forensic Psychology.

*All the facts and figures provided in the text are courtesy of PayScale.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*