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Developmental psychologists work to better understand how social, cognitive and physiological factors influence one's life. Developmental psychologists can specialize in a particular age group or subject area within this field including infant behavior, childhood, adolescence, or adult or elderly maturity. Your job duties as a developmental psychologist may include research and the study of how people develop throughout their lives, teaching, interacting with patients, or performing evaluations and tests on various populations. A developmental psychologist can devote his or her time and energy toward a number of issues, but overall, these professionals work toward having a better understanding of human development.

Education and training for developmental psychologists

To work as a professional psychologist, you must earn a master's degree or doctorate degree from accredited developmental psychologist schools. It is also essential that you obtain your license or certification from your state's licensing agency before you may provide any type of patient care. Online psychology degree programs can help potential developmental psychologists complete the education and training that is imperative to having a successful career in this industry.

Developmental psychologist salaries

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the mean annual wage for psychologist was $86,540 in 2009. There are many environments in which you can work as a developmental psychologist. Some of the top-paying work environments according to the BLS include the following:

• Doctor offices: $109,550
• Educational services: $91,980
• Research and developmental services: $91,260
• Individual and family services: $90,690
• Medical and surgical hospitals: $89,450

To work in a top paying industry and earn a top salary, it is usually essential to have a doctorate degree from development psychologist schools. Employers seek potential candidates who have the highest level of education and experience. Career advancement for psychologists largely depends on one's completion of an advanced degree and continuing education classes.

There are many states that offer an earning potential that is well above the national average for professional psychologists. The BLS reports the following states are the top paying for psychology professionals:

• Arizona
• California
• Connecticut
• District of Columbia
• New Hampshire

Job outlook for developmental psychologists

There are certain areas in the U.S. where hiring for psychologists is expected to grow faster than others due to a higher demand for qualified professionals. Some of the faster growing metropolitan areas for psychologists include the following:

• Eugene-Springfield, Oregon: mean annual wage, $88,140
• Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, Massachusetts: mean annual wage, $77,940
• Tacoma, Washington: mean annual wage, $79,710

Psychology professionals can also often find jobs with high salaries relative to the cost of living in the local area. The following metropolitan areas offer healthy psychologist salaries with relatively low rankings in the ACCRA state cost-of-living data from the Michigan Economic Research and Information Center:

• Salinas, California: $166,700, rank of 48
• Miami, Florida: $118,460, rank of 25
• Phoenix, Arizona: $112,450, rank of 36

A career in developmental psychology can provide you with many job opportunities in a growing field. The BLS reports that the job outlook for professional psychologists is expected to grow by 12 percent from 2008 to 2018. As more people begin to recognize and seek the services of psychologists, more job opportunities are likely to be created.

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