Katie Keller, a psychology major at Xavier University, was set to pursue a safe career route. She planned to earn a graduate degree in industrial and organizational (IO) psychology in order to secure a job with a large company such as Proctor and Gamble. But an internship with Bad Girl Ventures- a program that helps women-owned businesses get access to capital- changed Keller’s career path. It was during this internship that Keller became fascinated with start-ups and “the possibility of taking an idea from its conception all the way through to launching a business”. Taking a non-traditional career path has paid off for Keller who, after graduating from Xavier University with degrees in both psychology and business, took roles at start-ups in New York city and Cincinnati, where she is the Director of Communications for a start-up called Hello Parent!, a female founded tech company helping parents to connect and organize their lives.
As Director of Communications, Keller has various responsibilities ranging from social media promotion to data analysis to customer relations to weekly blogging, all of which, are made easier because of her psychology background. Keller says that her psychology training gave her “exceptional communication skills and writing skills, which is extremely beneficial when trying to build a brand and company culture around an idea.” Keller also uses her knowledge of IO psychology to assist in the recruiting, interviewing, and hiring aspects of start-ups. Indeed, psychology majors appear to be able to leverage their degree to land a job in the world of start-ups. According to Entrepreneur1, there are eight positions that are critical to start-ups, and over half of these would be well filled by someone with a background in psychology and its' research methods (e.g., social media manager, copy writer, content strategist, marketing representative, and data analyst).
Is Working for a Start-Up Right for You?
How do you know if working for a start-up is right for you? Certainly there are many reasons you may pursue such a career. According to Keller, she loves the outlets for creativity and flexibility that start-ups provide. She says another benefit is that start-ups offer “tons of room for personal development” because there is always something new to learn. But working for a start-up is not for everyone. In particular, Keller says working at a start-up requires a positive outlook and ability to work in a fast paced-environment: “Startups can be very up and down with cultivating ideas, raising money, hiring/firing, team building, launching a product etc., so I try to stay positive when things are changing rapidly. It’s a very fast paced environment, which is difficult for some people, but I like to move fast so it’s the perfect environment for me” If you have more of a laid back personality or are someone who has difficulty being positive in the face of change, working in the start-up world may not be for you.
Keller believes the best way to find out if you would like this line of work is to get an internship with a start-up. Had she not interned for Bad Girl Ventures, Keller says she may have never found her passion for entrepreneurship. She recommends taking an internship in order to better understand the culture and expectations that come with start-up businesses and is a firm believer in taking risks. Her final piece of advice to those interested in pursuing careers in start-ups is to go for it because “you’ll never know what you like unless you try it!”
We hope you enjoyed this week's post. We will not be posting new material until after New Years. Please tune in then to get more information on the psych careers front!
Please note that the comments of Dr. Golding and the others who post on this blog express their own opinion and not that of the University of Kentucky.
Want more?
Follow Katie Keller’s daily adventures in startup world on her new blog www.startupgirlgrind.com and on Instagram: @k8ekeller
Check out our site to learn more about opportunities for careers in psychology
Read Dr. Golding’s blog on how to succeed in college
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Explore some pros and cons of working for a start-up.
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