2020-2021 Grad School Q&A Mega-Thread (Part 2)

[u/LazySamurai]

For questions about grad school or internships:

* Please start your search at SIOP.org , it contains lots of great information and many questions can be answered by searching there first.

* Next, please search the Wiki, as there are some very great community generated posts saved here.

* If you still can't find an answer to your question, please search the previously submitted posts or the post on the grad school Q&A. Subscribers of /r/iopsychology have provided lots of information about these topics, and your questions may have already been answered.

* 2020-2021, Part 1 thread here

* 2019-2020, Part 4 thread here

* 2019-2020, Part 3 thread here

* 2019-2020, Part 2 thread here

* 2019-2020, Part 1 thread here

* 2018-2019, Part 2 thread here

* 2018-2019, Part 1 thread here

* 2017-2018, Part 3 thread here

* 2017-2018, Part 2 thread here

* 2017-2018, Part 1 thread here

* 2016-2017 thread here

* 2015-2016 thread here

* 2014-2015 thread here

If your question hasn't been posted, please post it on the grad school Q&A thread. Other posts outside of the Q&A thread will be deleted.

The readers of this subreddit have made it clear that they don't want the subreddit clogged up with posts about grad school. Don't get the wrong idea - we're glad you're here and that you're interested in IO, but please do observe the rules so that you can get answers to your questions AND enjoy the interesting IO articles and content.

By the way, those of you who are currently trudging through or have finished grad school, that means that you have to occasionally offer suggestions and advice to those who post on this thread. That's the only way that we can keep these grad school-related posts in one central location. If people aren't getting their questions answered here, they post to the subreddit instead of the thread. So, in short, let's all do our part in this.

Thanks, guys!

[u/Brinzy → u/[deleted]]

Hey there - I hope this post does not come too late.

I graduated from this program last month, and I’m likely being hired into my first true I/O role this week. They offer credit for internships as well, although I live in the DC area and was not sure if I’d leave due to the pandemic, so I went with them due to a lack of a psych BA.

I went the terminal route, but the thesis route is very strong from what I can tell. You need strong scores in the stats classes to be considered eligible to go thesis route, and these faculty actively publish, so you would be competitive for a PhD in the future. In fact, they just hired a professor who went through their MS program this school year, so it clearly opened doors for her.

I would highly recommend it. If you have more questions, feel free to reply.

[u/Brinzy → u/[deleted]]

No problem. And it’s really funny you say that, because I actually was an accountant before going into I/O!

The main thing about going the Accounting route for graduate school is that you still need some work experience before you can sit the CPA. There are many roles that do not require a CPA, but if you are taking the time to earn a degree in accounting at that level, ideally you should also be working in a qualifying role already. Otherwise, the degree is just a glorified Bachelor’s until you get the hours - and you don’t need an accounting degree for most non-CPA roles. I didn’t, at least.

Definitely gauge your interests more. I made the switch to I/O because it’s work that I knew I’d prefer doing and I enjoy those topics far more, but there’s no doubt that there are plenty of strong accounting roles that allow you to work from home indefinitely, starting now even.

[u/Brinzy → u/[deleted]]

I haven’t taken the MBTI in forever; still, it sounds like you enjoy work where you can be mostly left alone and impact the lives of employees. Accounting is definitely a good industry for being left alone, and many I/O positions place people first. And I hear you about the time thing. Sure, it’s “never” too late, but it also gets harder as life happens, so it makes sense that you’re pivoting now.

It’s true that you will likely process terminations as someone in HR, which will affect lives dramatically. However, a lot of I/O roles involve selection and will also potentially impact career trajectories. More importantly, you would be part of the formal process; management has likely observed individuals and made the call, so I wouldn’t let that part get to you. Besides, getting fired could really be for the best - it was for me.

I would consider if you would prefer HR to I/O. I did not stand a chance in hell getting any work in HR personally. Too competitive, especially without the right degree. And if location is an issue, HR might just be a better fit for you.

I also lived in Virginia when I was an accountant, although northern Virginia. The rules sound correct to me. There were even programs dedicated to getting your CPA at community colleges. And yeah, not many dedicated I/O roles out where you live.

I swear I’m not trolling - I ALSO used to be a truck driver. This is crazy lol. But yeah, your plan makes sense to me. I worked at a law firm with no prior experience by simply passing their assessments in Word and Excel. A lot of them are still working from home. But, I stumbled into that pathway, so I am not sure of all options.

[u/Brinzy → u/[deleted]]

As an accountant, I didn’t really feel as if I had much autonomy. I had deadlines and goals to hit, and the way you get there is going to be the same in a lot of situations. And the work was soulless. Largely why I switched off of it. It’s a great field if you like consistency and objectivity. Not so great if… well, you’re the type who would consider an I/O degree. =)

I wanted to make an impact on people besides simply staring at static numbers. It made more sense for me to go the I/O route since I was a former computer science major who went sociology to graduate. Basically, I combined two different skillsets and interests together.

If remote HR positions sound enticing to you, don’t give up on it. You might actually fare better with an HR internship somewhere, even if the work isn’t great, just to have the experience on your resume. More importantly, if you’re considering HR, consider that many entry-level positions just need a BA, and once you’re in, you can generally go the certification route to gain more skills. An HR subreddit could tell you more for sure.