TIP-TOPics for Students
Andi Brinley, Jaime Durley, & Corey Munoz
University of Georgia
Once upon a time, in a far away land, three University of Georgia graduate students sat in an office waiting for a fairy godmother to come along and change their lives. Magically she appeared, encouraging the students to sprinkle fairy dust of wisdom on graduate students across the land by writing a column called
TIP-TOPics. She promised that this adventure would change their lives. So, the three young minds embraced the challenge and hopped on board the pumpkin. Once they arrived in the magical kingdom of SIOP, a proclamation was given to the land that these three creative scholars would be the new
TIP-TOPics authors for the next 2 years! A cheer was heard everywhere!!!
Hey, what did you expect? They did announce our tenure in Orlando, Florida!!! Enough of the fairy taleslets get down to business!!!
Welcome to the new 2003 TIP-TOPics column! We are Andi Brinley, Jaime Durley, and Corey Munozstudents at UGA. Yup, Georgia again! There seems to be a trend in the evolution of this columnthe same university is often represented for two terms by different groups of graduate students. Why is this? The reason lies in the passionate writing and excitement expressed by our predecessors. We have the advantage of hearing what a wonderful experience it is to write this column! Thus, we are absolutely thrilled to be selected for this esteemed role in providing guidance to you, I-O graduate students!
Who are we? And more importantly what can we offer you? We represent a unique combination reflected in our background, focus, and creative vision. When the three of us sat down to brainstorm, our collaboration resulted in some interesting realizations and fresh ideas. We considered the column and how each of us could provide unique skills in offering something innovative and beneficial to the reader. In exploring how we wanted the column to evolve and develop, we also examined how we personally have evolved as students and how we can develop into informed and well-rounded I-O psychologists. So, who are we?
Im Andi, southern belle and princess extraordinaire (yes, my contribution was the opening paragraph). Despite the accent, I was raised on an Air Force base and lived all over this beautiful country of ours. I received my undergraduate degree in psychology with a minor in business at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Apparently, I have been in training to be an I-O psychologist for a long time, though I am not entirely sure when or where I learned about the field. Recently, I wiped the dust from my high school yearbook and beside my senior quote it says, In 10 years from now, I will be working as an industrial-organizational psychologist. What insight!! Who knows? Maybe I actually will be employed as an I-O psychologist when I attend my 10-year reunion! Since UAB did not have an I-O program, I formulated my own program of study, which consisted of driving back and forth to Auburn University several times a week (a 3-hour trip) to do research and take classes in their I-O program. I networked at SIOP conferences since my sophomore year as an undergrad. During my summers, I traveled to Europe for an international perspective of the field and studied human resource operations at various organizations. I took every opportunity to engross myself in all the field had to offer. After graduation I joined the crew at UGA. I am almost a third-year student and am having a blast! As I have been reading the column since 1998, I feel like a subject matter expert on the previous authors articles, and their advice helped me get to this point! I look forward to contributing to the development of this column and hope that what we provide will help you grow as well.
Hi, Im Jaime. Like Andi, I came to UGA straight from my undergraduate institution. I received my BA at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. While there I took a variety of courses, but my research experience was limited to cognitive psychology, specifically studying human memory processes. I was not sure what I wanted to pursue in grad school, and I was extremely anxious about making a decision that would dictate the direction of the rest of my life. A wise mentor advised me to pursue what I was currently interested in, and if that interest changed at some point in my life then I could deal with it at that time. That relieved some of the pressure on me, but I still had to narrow it down to one concentration. Because I had limited exposure to other areas of psychology and was most familiar with cognition, I decided to focus on that field of study in grad school. I was accepted into the Cognitive Psychology Program here at UGA in 2000 and studied such aspects of human memory as source monitoring, false memory, prospective memory, forgetting, and inadvertent plagiarisms. While in that program, I learned a bit more about I-O psychology and it very much appealed to me. After I received my MS in May 2002, I felt the need for more practical applications of my education. I elected to transfer to the Applied Psychology Program here at UGA, which is a decision I will never regret. Although I am relatively inexperienced in this field, I am very eager to learn more about the field of I-O psychology and pass that information on to you via this column. I hope to incorporate an additional viewpoint in this column based on my experiences in different graduate programs and research settings.
And finally, Im Corey. I am also a soon-to-be third-year student. I grew up in the Midwest and received my undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University (GO Cowboys!!Sorry I could not resist). I knew that I wanted to be a psychologist for a long time but had no idea what subfield of psychology would be best for me. Besides being the sole male contributor to this column, I also differ with Andi and Jaime in my journey here to grad school. My undergraduate experience mostly focused on clinical psychology, so instead of entering grad school directly after college, I took some time off working in the real world. My job as a corporate recruiter helped me focus my interest on the great field of I-O. As I mentioned earlier, I am in the middle of this long journey of graduate school (Did I stress long?) and in all reality, loving every minute of it. My research interests are varied and range from workfamily balance and mentoring to sexual minority issues in organizations. I am EXTREMELY excited about the opportunity to be a part of this column and hopefully will be able to provide some practical and useful information for fellow grad students.
As reflected in our introductions, we have all advanced in our educational and experiential training by pursuing multiple paths. So, whats the next path we will pursue after graduation? Anyone? Honestly, the three of us have not yet decided. Our outlookthe sky is the limit! But to be frank, were not really sure what the journey down each of these paths looks like. Do we have to take only one road? Do we need to decide now?
Graduate school is a time for students to develop and grow. In I-O psychology the ideal is that our education trains us to be widely informed and prepared with the skills to pursue the many paths our field provides. Based on this premise, we have embraced the challenge of exploring various career paths that graduate students may consider for their futures. Great, you say, but Im in graduate school and am not looking for a job yet. Im still trying to figure out where the journals are located in the library! Ahh, my friends, here is where our creative collaboration is realized.
Our approach for this column throughout the next 2 years will highlight the steps that graduate students should consider NOW relative to different career possibilities. The format of these issues will be a continuous series dedicated to the total development of graduate students. We will devote the next four columns to careers in (a) academics, (b) industry, (c) consulting, and (d) government. We will begin each column with a general description of each respective career path. These will be followed by recurring sections that will discuss ways of
Developing the Student, Developing the Researcher, Developing the Practitioner, as well as
Career Connections. Each issue will expand on these developmental facets and will be tailored to each career path. Let us show you more specifically what we mean.
Developing the Student
Our primary role in graduate school and perhaps the one with which we are most familiar is that of a student. In this section, we intend to provide information on how to improve your role as a student in each of the four career paths we highlight. We assume you have mastered such study skills as effective note taking and preparing for tests, so we will focus on ways to improve yourselves specifically as I-O grad students. The information in this segment is intended to help you enhance and tailor your education to maximally fit with the particular path you plan to pursue. This section will include information such as specific course recommendations appropriate for each path. For instance, a course in teaching technology may be recommended for a student pursuing academia while a course in contracting would more likely apply to future consultants. Because I-O psychology is extremely interlinked with a multitude of other departments on campus, our recommendations will also encourage you to seek courses offered outside your own department. This will allow you to broaden your education and avoid becoming too streamlined in perspective. Education is often self-guided and reading may be required outside the realm of what is typically considered our field. For this reason, we also want to identify valuable textbooks often used in I-O and related courses, as well as recommended popular press books, around the country. Finally included in this section will be other useful resources addressing student-related topics, such as Web sites and electronic mailing lists, as we encounter them.
Developing the Researcher
Another major role in grad school is that of a researcher. Good research skills are necessary for any career path, from academics to consulting. Facility as a researcher enhances your cognitive abilities such as critical thinking and problem solving. Furthermore, involvement in research engages you in practical topics within the academic setting; it is a link between the student role and the practitioner role. To assist you in advancing as researchers, we will use this section to highlight various research areas in each of the four paths. An important topic to be addressed is how approaches to research vary in each of the different areas. For example, a scientist is likely to have different perspectives of and attitudes towards research than a consultant who is concerned about practicality and cost. The desired research setting for each may differ as well, such as what are the advantages and disadvantages to conducting research in a laboratory versus a field setting? Both academic and consulting researchers often complain that it is difficult to obtain organizational data, and we hope to use this section to recommend methods for overcoming such obstacles. Finally, presenting research findings is an important and necessary aspect of conducting research. Not only does it allow the researcher to broadcast findings to and solicit feedback from an interested audience, it also fosters public speaking and presentation skills. Speaking in front of professionals and peers is limited to your faculty and cohorts in grad school, which does not really compare to a conference or business setting. Therefore, to increase opportunities to improve your presentation skills, we will identify forums around the country to which you can submit and present your research.
Developing the Practitioner
A primary goal of our education is to apply it in the real world. Whether that is as a professor or as a consultant, we will use this section to identify ways to prepare you for life after grad school. Internships are valuable opportunities to obtain hands-on training in the field before graduation. However, your personal experience on an internship may excite or discourage you regarding that type of work. Your internship must allow you to gain education outside the classroom yet not require responsibility for which you are not prepared or qualified. It must be selected carefully and with caution. We hope to provide information on specific qualities to pursue in an internship and how to get the right one for you. Another practical issue to be covered in this section is whether or not to become licensed. We want to clarify the issue of licensure for the role of practitioner in order to help you determine now whether or not you want to obtain this in the future. One more expectation for this segment is to identify professional associations which you can join that are related to each of the four career paths. While we all may be members of SIOP or APA there are other organizations with which students can affiliate in order to expand the breadth of their career perspective as well as network with peers and professionals in the field. In this section, you can also expect first-hand reports from multiple I-O psychologists who are actually working within each of these domains. This section will not only be especially valuable for those of you who are approaching graduation but also as a reference for younger students.
Career Connections
We recognize that these developmental themes may be interrelated and that growth in one area may influence progress in another. While we devote each issue to one of the four specified pathsacademics, industry, consulting, and governmenteach career area is not mutually exclusive. For instance, suggestions for students pursuing academia may also benefit those entering governmental careers. As graduate students we may consider each of these areas in deciding the steps we take in our training. Under this section we will emphasize that while you may eventually pursue a specific career, it does not have to be the only hat you wear. You have multiple career paths to pursue if properly trained for basic skills and creative thinking. For example, while you may decide to teach at a public institution, you can also do consulting or governmental research. Thus, the information provided to students in one career path may generalize to students with other interests as well.
Additional Issues
We have outlined our goals for the next four columns, but what can you expect from us for the final three issues of our tenure? We will continue our goal of student growth in examining the I and the O side of the I-O relationship in two subsequent columns. Within these issues we will examine I and O in the development of the student, researcher, and practitioner. We will reflect on our previous issues highlighting I and O in academics, industry, consulting, and government.
For our farewell column we will summarize the evolution of TIP-TOPics for graduate students as well as address any unmentioned interests. We would like to arrange a roundtable discussion for graduate students at the Annual SIOP Conference in 2004 (Chicago, and all that jazz!) to solicit feedback from our readers. Previous authors have focused on graduate tips that will likely address many of the roundtable topics; therefore, we will attempt to answer those questions by referencing past columns without reinventing the wheel. Our final issue will highlight the roundtable discussion as well as summarize for all graduate students what the
TIP-TOPics authors have addressed over the years. We plan to tackle this task by displaying topic tables from each group of authors. These tables will be a wonderful reference to graduate students.
Again, we are so excited about our goals for the next 2 years and hope that you will stay tuned for the upcoming issues! They will be streamlined and loaded with useful information for everyone interested in developing into well-rounded I-O psychologists! Giving tips on the steps to take in pursuing a career path for graduate students is long awaited and much needed. We realize that as graduate students, you barely have enough time to eat, so our goal is to make this column as practical and applicable to your lives as we possibly can. The next 2 years will be exciting for
TIP-TOPics. It is our hope that our column will encourage you to explore things you have not yet considered and that you too will grow with us!
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the information we provide in this column is heavily reliant on the amount of information we are able to gather from you and your faculty. We will actively solicit feedback from you in hopes of sharing the experiences you have had. Our success in passing useful information on to you is directly dependent upon how active you are in this process. If youre interested in being one of our references or have suggestions for an upcoming issue in our column, please contact us: Andi (amtbrinley@aol.com), Jaime (jdurley@arches.uga.edu), and Corey (cmunoz@arches.uga.edu). We look forward to hearing from you!
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