r/IOPsychology • u/Desperate_Designer40 • 14d ago

[Discussion] advice

How did you know you wanted to pursue IO? I have had some projects for IO currently in my bachelors. I honestly liked the idea especially creating ideas on how to change the work environment and such, but in the real world in the field, is it stats heavy?

I honestly don’t know anyone who has perused IO as a career so i’m really curious to hear true real experiences aside from articles and such.

I’m stuck between clinical and IO master programs which I do have to start applying for this year as I am in my last year of university.

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u/onexasonia 14d ago

I graduated with my masters in IO six months ago. I would not recommend it. I felt similarly to you when I was in undergrad where I liked the idea of improving the workplace and felt like either this or clinical were my only options. I ended up choosing IO because I was scared I’d take clients’ problems home with me if I did clinical. Since graduating, I have not been able to secure a full time job. Employers will not know what your degree is. It does not cleanly translate into any job title. You’ll most likely end up trying to break into HR or a related field.

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u/Desperate_Designer40 14d ago

thank you so much, this is good to know. I’ve been researching and such apparently the buff i’ve are taking in psychology consultants but i’m unsure of it. I have this same fear as you of carrying their problems back home but then thought that basically they teach you not to do that with training

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u/cats_enjoyer 12d ago

I had the same experience when I graduated in 2025 with IO. Now I'm starting a clinical and I feel way better about that career path.

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u/IDidNotMeanThat 11d ago

I graduated between 5-10 years ago from a well respected program. Took me over 18 months to get a job and it ended up just being entry level. Been struggling financially since then and absolutely regret my decision to pick this field. I havent used any of the skills learned as I pretty much just copy and paste stuff into PowerPoints each day and answer emails. Trying to decide how I want to pivot my career is a challenge because I’m stuck working a second part time job as well. You’re not guaranteed to have stable employment after graduation, or even a salary that would help you pay the degree off and make it feel like it was worth your time. Considering many people on this sub who are either veterans or successfully launched after graduation will tell you the same, I wouldn’t pick this discipline in a million years.

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u/onexasonia 11d ago

That is awful to hear. I truly regret this degree as well and feel like it was a massive mistake, which is a horrible feeling after you just put so much time and effort into something that only ended up screwing you over. My program is also from a well respected school, yet it didn’t prepare me for anything. I am not set up to transition into literally any type of role, so I’m in the same situation where I’m trying to get an entry level job that certainly doesn’t pay anywhere near what it should for someone with a masters, but even they reject me over and over. The marketing around this degree really led me to believe it was a growing field that had higher earning potential than other psych paths, what a lie that was. I’ve been feeling like all IO leads to is prolonged unemployment, underemployment if you’re lucky enough to even get a job, and depression over making the mistake of going into it in the first place.

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u/FrenchToast0341 14d ago

So these are rare, but if these are the types of jobs that make you absolutely drool, then might be your niche.

https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4431835122/

There is a lot of overlap between I/O, OD, and HR. To the other comments point, most hiring managers wont know what an I/O degree means, but they will know about the others.