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STUDENT EXPERIENCE
It was a wonderful experience to be a member of the first graduating class in the MPS in Industrial Organizational Psychology program. The program drew upon many disciplines to introduce students to the theoretical underpinnings required to understand today’s industrial operations. It was equally valuable by emphasizing practical approaches to solving problems in the world of work.
The capstone experience of my degree program was an internship at the Educe Group, a consulting firm that specializes in Learning Management Systems. Educe was started by one person and now employs 15 people. They have been very successful and are now looking to gain government contracts which, in turn, demands a more comprehensive infrastructure and more stringent eligibility requirements. My task was to update and rewrite the Employee Handbook to accompany the growth of the organization and to use industry benchmarks to make sure their benefits were in line with other organizations similar in size and scope of activities.
The interaction with members of the Educe Group and with the UMBC faculty was outstanding. I felt that both were supportive of me and my career goal to become a management consultant. We had frequent discussions centering upon the nature of the research that would need to be carried out and upon ways to incorporate new policies. Of particular importance in my research was: to learn the legal ramifications of loosely written personnel policies; the importance of legal writing; adhering to legal distinctions among contracts, established policies, and organizational practices. I believe that the I/O Psychology Program and its emphasis on practical training provided an excellent beginning for a career as an Industrial Organizational Psychologist.
Having successfully completed the I/O Program, I am now the Candidate Outreach Manager for FastLane Hires, a niche Job Board specializing in the Transportation & Infrastructure Industry. The experience I gained while working for the Educe Group was invaluable and I am able to directly apply what I learned there to my new position at FastLane Hires.
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