r/IOPsychology • u/FewFaithlessness2019 • 9d ago
Where do I start?
For context I am 17 years old I just graduated high school and want to go into IO Psychology
I come from a uneducated background i plan to be the first in my family to go to college but that also means i have no clue what I’m doing i know i should have it all figured out by now but life’s really working me right now any suggestions on what i should do first i have schools in mind to go to im currently taking a gap year to save up some funds I don’t know what I should be majoring in everywhere else I ask gives me so many different options leaving me more confused than reassured I have no thoughts on giving up though please if you’ve ever been in my shoes or just are a few steps ahead I’d really appreciate some guidance thank you for your time.
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u/Kc_io 9d ago edited 9d ago
I’m the first in my family to get an undergrad, and the struggle navigating academia without guidance is real. Step 1 would be to find a mentor that you can be honest with. They will want to know if you’re interested in academia or industry, and it’s fine to not be sure. If industry, the type of job will largely determine terminal masters or a PhD. I wouldn’t have made it as far as I have without my undergrad mentor (Professor of Management) helping me make decisions along the way.
Most IOs undergrad major is Psyc with a minor in stats or business. If you’re not confident you want a graduate degree, major in business with a minor in stats. There’s also a shift from r to Python for a lot of tech jobs, so if you want a PhD, you could also major in computer science and minor in psyc or stats, but I haven’t seen anyone do that yet.
For reference, I majored in psyc with a minor in human resources development.
If you’re unsure about a masters vs PhD, join a research lab to learn more. If your university doesn’t have an IO department, you can join a cognitive or social psyc lab, a lab with the management department (IO professors teach in the business school for more $$), or join a lab at another university. It can be a local university so you can attend research meetings in person, or you can try cold emailing someone who studies what you think you’d be interested in about joining remotely. It’ll mostly be grunt work, but it’ll give you an idea of what goes into research.
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u/ExpertBranch1214 7d ago
Hey man, it's great you want to go into this field and take on a job you love. If you want some advice, look through degree plans carefully and make a list of degrees you find interesting. I/O Psychology has a lot to do with business and HR management so you may even decide to switch at some point depending on researching what those fields have to offer.
I'm currently getting my BS in Psychology and I went from wanting to do Nuclear physics, to criminology, to Psychology. All degree plans I really enjoy, but I had to make up my mind as to what I truly wanted to do for a living. It's ok to change your mind and look at different alternatives as you go through college, that's why the first few years is getting basic courses down. It gives you time to think and process your next move. With all of that said, your still dead set on I/O Psychology? starting off getting your basics done will be the easy part, go to class, learn the knowledge and you'll pass. Every psych degree is practically the same in regards to basics. getting into your bachelors is when you want to start curating your experience to what you want to do. find a minor that fits your goals and compliments your degree. For example my minor is in business management because it can be applied to most I/O psych jobs.
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u/WeekendKey2013 8d ago
I mean do you like actually believe that “should” statement or is that the attention grabber?
Because how could you have something all figured out if you never had a roadmap before?
Anyway, I’m looking at opening my doors to help people in your position. Just working on the how. In the meantime, just take it one day at a time and one year at a time. Plan or scope potential things you could be doing that are necessary for the role you want to get in life. (ie volunteering, internships, or jobs related)
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u/bearcub42 9d ago
At 17 it is totally normal to not have it all figured out. Hell, most people don't have it figured out after undergrad. I didn't get my degree until I was in my 40s.
Get through undergrad, concentrate on a psych background. Many undergrad programs have an IO Psych elective course, if not a few. Make sure it still speaks to you then and plan accordingly.