After more unsuccessful applications, this week has been one of the quietest so far on my job-quest and a sinking feeling is taking over my usual upbeat and optimistic nature writes Ioana Lazarov.

After reading about the job cuts at the University of Wolverhampton, in addition to BBC News reporting more job cuts in the NHS, the main employer of mental health workers, I’m left wondering:

Is there a future for Psychology in the UK, not only as an academic topic, but as an applied science as well?

Every year, thousands of students enrol in Psychology courses and commit to investing approximately £20,000 for a degree that is supposed to secure them a rewarding job in mental health.

However, the reality is that employability of these graduates seems to be more dependent on the reputation, prestige and competitiveness of the university one has graduated from, rather than their skills.

If I were an Oxford or Cambridge University graduate, would I still be struggling to find a job?

Are employers biased towards selecting graduates from these universities first without giving anyone else a chance?

The British Psychological Society optimistically estimates that 15-20 per cent of psychology graduates, having completed further postgraduate training, will work as professional psychologists.

The remaining will hopefully find opportunities in public service, industry or commerce.

So is it necessary to continue my academic training?

I’m currently considering a doctorate/PHD in Clinical Psychology – but it’s easy to overlook the costs involved and career prospects after completion.

However, most of the aforementioned job sectors have been affected by recent budget cuts and I would be interested in seeing new and more realistic statistics issued by the BPS.

I’d like to see actual figures of employability rates for psychology graduates, broken down to each university.

Having registered with mental health agencies and being warned that there aren’t many opportunities out there at the moment, how long will it take until I find a breakthrough?

I am neither willing nor can I afford the risk of giving up.