What’s the Value of an Industrial-Organizational Psychology Degree?

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Rose Nyte

What is your current career?

I work for PayPal in Developer Productivity Engineering as a senior director. I oversee a team of 85 employees, building software and platforms that accelerate the work of 6,000 PayPal developers.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Meetings! Balancing developing the careers and skills of my direct reports, meeting with them to give them guidance and ensure that the decisions they’re making align with our greater goals.

I also work toward building relationships across the enterprise, reassessing my strategies for each of my products, listening to my developer-customers, and helping my peers.

What impact has your IOP degree had on your career?

My Harvard degree likely helped me get my current job, because I work in a company where most people hold Ivy League degrees or have achieved great things as entrepreneurs.

More than any of those things, though, I think my degree gave me the confidence that I know how to be a good leader, and can teach those skills to others, effectively becoming a force multiplier for great people-focused leadership.

What did you find in the IOP master’s program at Harvard Extension that you couldn’t have found elsewhere?

 I love Harvard. The school’s motto, “Veritas” holds much meaning for me, that the school’s mission is to seek truth and help its students have that curiosity that is unencumbered by personal bias.

Harvard’s IOP program was the best in the world, in my opinion, because it incorporates modern leadership concepts that have been proven to work at the most forward-thinking companies with the happiest employees, like Spotify, Google, and even my own former company, World Wide Technology.

Concepts of emotional intelligence, mindfulness and self-awareness, humility and knowing yourself as a leader, grounding your leadership stance in your own unique story and gifts, were combined with practical knowledge of how to inspire and motivate and organize. Also, data! I learned how to gather meaningful data to help me make decisions as a leader, and how to interpret and assess the quality of other people’s research.

What advice would you give to yourself or to future students before beginning this journey?

Firstly, take this program because you want to learn and grow — not to just nab a Harvard degree. It can be a transformative experience, if you put the work in and are willing to change.

Secondly, take classes that will help you get to know yourself more. I took a class in the religious studies area called “Mindfulness, Meaning, and Resilience” taught by Chris Berlin and it was amazing. I also absolutely loved the classes in Purpose-Driven Leadership, which put you into cohorts and lead you through introspective journeys.

Thirdly, make sure you know how to demonstrate critical thinking in your writing by using the resources Harvard makes available. You cannot just regurgitate the lectures in your papers; you have to show you’ve thought about the readings and have your own opinions — and it’s a great way to improve your overall ability to influence, persuade, and lead others.

Lastly, leverage your RAs! The RA sessions are great for helping you nail your grades. I graduated on the Dean’s list in large part due to making good use of RA feedback.

Yasmin Gonzales

What is your current career?

I co-founded a company called Peak Performance Consulting Group that specializes in leadership development and in optimizing employee motivation and performance in the workplace. We also work with companies in transforming their culture. Our interventions include workshops, coaching, diagnosing human resource challenges, and conducting 360-degree feedback.

I design and facilitate workshops, coach leaders, design the overall intervention, and do business development and marketing work.

I am also an adjunct faculty member at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) where I teach motivation, resilience, and social influence. I am also the program director for their post-graduate certificate on resilience.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Every day looks different, as I have almost complete autonomy over my time. I am also a mom of two small kids so I balance everything with that.

What impact has your IOP degree had on your career?

I was successfully able to change my career from marketing to people development because of my ALM degree in IOP. I also feel that I am a lot more skilled now to do the work effectively, as I base all my interventions on the scientific literature. HES taught me the importance of using research as the foundation of any program we develop.

It also opened up the opportunity for me to work at AIM, a business school that is very particular with its faculties’ academic and work achievement.

What did you find in the IOP master’s program at Harvard Extension that you couldn’t have found elsewhere?

I appreciate the freedom the HES IOP program gives you in terms of curating the classes that you want to specialize in. There are a few mandatory classes that is essential for an I-O master graduate student to take but HES is also generous in providing enough electives to pursue your interest.

I also like the program’s hybrid setup, which allows me as a mom to pursue my grad school while taking care of my family.

Lastly, graduating from Harvard really opens up doors of opportunity. The professors are top-notch and I also learned so much from my classmates.

What advice would you give to yourself or to future students before beginning this journey?

Be immensely committed to excelling in each one of your classes. While effort is good, you can be rewarded and graded for mastery. You get as much as you give in this program.

Also, take advantage of the on-campus requirement. There is nothing like studying in the Harvard campus and experiencing Cambridge! It was truly an amazing experience.

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Louis Kay

What is your current career?

I work as an investment specialist at J.P. Morgan.

My key responsibilities include providing investment advice to clients, staying updated on market trends, and recommending investment strategies to help clients with their wealth management goals.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I start my work day at 8 a.m. reading the Financial Times to get a head start with the morning news.

We have daily 8:30 a.m. meetings where we go over market developments and economic indicators.

During the day, I research investment opportunities, evaluate the performance of existing investments within portfolios and consider adjustments based on market environment and client goals. I meet with clients to discuss their goals, risk tolerance and provide updates to their portfolios.

I also hold discussions and collaborate with colleagues and other professionals to gather insights. The types of discussions may vary depending on whether they pertain to individual portfolios or institutional wealth.

What impact has your IOP degree had on your career?

My degree equipped me with sharpened problem solving and critical thinking skills. In my role, adaptability and the ability to respond to changing market dynamics are essential skills. 

What did you find in the IOP master’s program at Harvard Extension that you couldn’t have found elsewhere?

HES’ IOP master’s program offered a distinctive blend of psychology and organizational management. Its academic rigor and emphasis on applying psychological principles to real-world business challenges set it apart. 

What advice would you give to yourself or to future students before beginning this journey?

My advice is to fully engage yourself, seek projects that allow you to apply what you learn, and network extensively. Always stay curious and open to learning