Psychology graduate says she paid ₹3,000 to ₹5,000 for internships, still can't land first job

A psychology graduate's LinkedIn post about paying for internships and still struggling to find a job has struck a chord with many.

A LinkedIn post by a psychology graduate has struck a chord with many professionals after she shared how, despite years of study, multiple internships and hands on training, she is still struggling to secure her first relevant job.

A psychology graduate shares her job search struggle. (Unsplash)

The post was shared by Vaishnavi Sharma on LinkedIn, where she opened up about the challenges of starting a career in psychology.

She wrote, "The hardest part of building a career in psychology? Getting your first relevant job."

Vaishnavi explained that she completed a Master's in Applied Psychology with a specialisation in Clinical and Counselling Psychology after two years and four semesters of study. Alongside her coursework, she gained experience through hospitals, clinical settings, child development and rehabilitation centres, mental health organisations, volunteering, internships, workshops and professional training programmes.

She also revealed that she paid ₹3,000 to ₹5,000 for some internships because she believed practical exposure was essential to becoming a competent mental health professional.

Despite all this, she said many employers still do not consider her experience sufficient.

"Many organisations expect fresh graduates to have one to two years of experience, even for entry level positions. But if you don't give a fresher their first opportunity, how are they supposed to gain that experience?" she wrote.

She also pointed out that many roles advertised as counselling jobs are actually focused on admissions, education counselling or sales, rather than clinical or mental health work. According to her, genuine entry level roles are limited and often offer salaries of only ₹10,000 to ₹15,000.

Ending her post, she wrote, "We are not asking for everything to be handed to us. We are asking for a door to open so we can prove what we are capable of."

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Professionals say they face the same problem

The post resonated with many LinkedIn users, who said they had experienced similar struggles.

One person commented, "You just voiced what so many of us feel. This is the harsh truth. Even after years of rigorous training, most positions demand experience on paper. Where are freshers supposed to gain that experience if no one is ready to hire them?"

Another wrote, "I think this is my story."

A third shared, "I can't agree more. I completed my master's from St Xavier's College Ahmedabad two years ago, landed a toxic job and now I'm still struggling to get hired."

Another user added, "I studied at a reputed Central University and completed internships and observation at KEM Hospital and Sion Hospital in Mumbai. Even after all that, I'm still struggling to find a job."

Others simply called her post "so true", while one person from Kenya remarked, "Here in Kenya, it's worse than this."

(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)