By: Mahima Sharma
Are you still mulling over what path to take after graduation? Are you absolutely sure that a nine-to-five desk job just wouldn’t cut it? Does the thought of teaching a bunch of first year undergrads make you cringe? What if I told you that you could make an ordinary, everyday-use laptop into a self-sufficient, thinking machine that anticipates your every thought even before you can? What if there was a way to anticipate aviation disasters based on what goes on in the minds of the people involved – from passengers and crew to pilots and technicians?
Psychology is one of the most popular undergraduate specialties, and telling anyone you’re taking psychology is bound to be followed by the question, “Oh, so does that mean you can read my mind?” This is the primary perception in an average person’s head – that it’s all got to do with trying to uncover the human mind. I’ll let you in on a secret: whether you want to work as a social worker or as a therapist, we have many more options than we did at the start of this millennium. Most of these have nothing to do with spending your day in an office taking notes on a clipboard across from a patient on a fancy leather sofa.
Engineering Psychology
Engineering Psychology is an up-and-coming field that’s quite malleable – literally – to your needs and aspirations. The field studies how people interact with machines, and psychologists in this field are often employed by the industry to help design equipment that is both efficient and user-friendly. They do this using research on how the human brain processes information and their knowledge of how machines operate. One of an Engineering Psychologist’s main goals when working on an existing machine or designing a new one is to figure out how best they can improve on what they already have, to make it more enjoyable for users. Applications include cockpit communication and navigation systems that make planes safer for commercial use; and automobile control and navigation systems that enable the computer to mould itself according to the feedback provided by the driver, making the interface smoother to use. Does this sound similar to artificial intelligence? That’s because this is where the future of human cognitive technology is headed.
Requirements for work:
You can usually enter the job market with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and strong work experience. However, many experts believe that a Masters in an Applied Psychology field proves immensely helpful. An undergraduate degree in engineering is not an absolute requirement, but having one would only serve to increase your market value to a prospective employer.
Expert profile:
Here’s the link to a website that features an interview with an engineering psychologist, for your perusal: http://careersinpsychology.org/interview/dr-neville-stanton/
Bio-Gerontology
Bio-genterology is an emerging field that attempts to answer the question of how and why we age, and how to slow the aging process. A sub-field of gerontology, bio-gerontology focuses on the biological reasons behind aging. No one likes to age, and though some may not fear it much as others do, this is one question that’s plagued humankind since time immemorial.
To find an answer to this question, researchers in the field focus on chronic, degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, arthritis, cancer, osteoporosis, and various cardio-vascular illnesses. The majority of the research is done on animal models to identify the development of certain diseases to which animals respond similarly to people. A background in psychology helps to gain a deeper understanding of the ways a therapist can help their patients understand their diseases and improve their stress coping strategies. Additionally, a researcher with a background in psychology can design experiments in a way that takes emotional element of chronic old-age diseases into perspective. This research could possibly help us live longer and be more comfortable during our old age. The good news is that it’s quite a narrow field, so new positions are opening up almost daily! With starting salaries upwards of $60,000, it’s a field that’s only going to get more lucrative.
Requirements for work:
To work in this field, a Bachelors degree in any science field is mandatory, and a Bachelors in psychology can be supplemented with a double major in biology. Degrees in gerontology, biology, chemistry, or pre-med are also acceptable and are usually followed by a Masters or Ph.D.
Expert profile:
Aubrey de Grey is one of the most famous bio-gerontologists today. His stringent belief is that humans can live to unimaginable ages, and he is currently working on a tissue repair strategy that has positive implications for rejuvenating the body and can lead to indefinite life.
Psyched! 