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Do psych-related jobs in business (e.g. HR, I/O psychology, marketing) require experience in programming and data analysis?

Hello, I would like to know if you need to have experience in computer science to be eligible and be considered for such jobs, especially since it's something I don't really enjoy or have an interest in + it's one of the subjects I have the lowest grade on. If so, I might end up switching to a clinical setting instead. Thanks!

#psychology #career #business #marketing #computer-science #human-resources

business psychology computer-science marketing human-resources
Thank you comment icon Please, note the following :- 1. Right now, we are in the "COMPUTER" world. 2. Whether we like it or not, one is expected to know something concerning "computer". (Do not panic . AT LEAST, THE BASICS OF COMPUTER KNOWLEDGE). 3. Jobs/Enterprises like marketing, human resources, entrepreneurship, etc., require some knowledge in data data analysis, programming, etc. 4. You are encouraged to show a little bit of INTEREST in this situation, in order to acquire a little bit of KNOWLEDGE concerning this "COMPUTER WORLD". 5. Best wishes to you. Anthony Kofi Hene-Amoah
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Diana’s Answer

I/O Psychology and Marketing will both require using statistical programs to perform data analysis to evaluate research. You will not need programming as there are many good software options such as SPSS. You will need to understand the basic statical concepts and when to use what equation and how to interpret results appropriately.

In Human Resources you are going to need how to interpret data and figures but you will not frequently be setting up the detailed mathematics behind it. Simple math such as calculating turnover, financial implications to certain pay increases, or interpreting employee opinion survey data are common things that are involved. There are specialties in HR where those are more or less present. All HR will use computer systems and need to be versed in using basic excel functions and answering “so what” about any data they are using.
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Si’s Answer

I don't think it's required but it's for sure a bonus. If you are interested in Marketing and Research-related positions, you will find most job postings either require some basic statistics (using tools like R, SPSS, Excel, etc.) or at least see it as a bonus. You don't have to be the best statistician or computer scientist to perform those job functions, but knowing the basics will help with your communication with your colleagues and speed things up by doing some analysis yourself when your colleagues have a full plate.

Another thing is that computer science can mean many things. Skill sets related to big data analytics are more relevant to Marketing and Research-related positions than programming. However, knowing basic Javascript, HTML, CSS, AJAX, etc., will help your communication with your engineering colleagues. Good luck!
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Veronika’s Answer

Hi! I would say that is job specific requirements, and it's better to align with job description or a position in the exact company. If you consider HR function in Tech company (e.g. Google, Airbnb, Amazon), it is definitely required to know basics of statistics and data analysis, because Tech companies digitalize routine processes in their departments. If you are prone to non-Tech, marketing/digital agency/food and etc., there is lower technical/programming component, yet, it is still present.
Regarding psychology classes, in both specializations (Industrial psychology and Clinical psychology) statitistics and research methods (i.e. SPSS) are essential components of bachelor's studies.
Bearing all this information in mind you will make a deicison which academic track to pursue.
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Susie’s Answer

Kquevhin,

I actually majored in Psychology and Social Behavior with an emphasis on I/O (I also have a Sociology degree and a M.S. in Applied Psychology). I have had various roles in marketing (12+ yrs), my current role being in Digital Marketing. To answer your question, I have not had to do any programming at all. I do data analysis constantly but it's looking at numbers and identifying trends that can lend themselves to insights to better serve our customers. I use basic excel formulations. I do need to understand statistical analysis to understand if the results of our tests or programs are successful. I don't do any coding in SQL or Tableau but I do receive the output of that (the analysis). I learned how to use SPSS but I don't use it (I am not research). Long story short, knowing how to program or do data analysis will give you better context of its outputs BUT depending on your job or career path, you may not need it.

Hope this helps!
Susie
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Linda’s Answer

Hi Kquevhin,

I'm sorry to hear you are struggling with your psychology class. The necessity of taking the class depends upon where you are interested in landing your career. Different classes can afford different learnings, different connections but ultimately should peak your interest so you can accelerate your learnings.

Hang in there, we all struggled with specific classes so try to learn and develop from each of them.

Best of luck!
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Tawnya’s Answer

I wouldn't say programming is required for Human Resources unless you want to work specifically in HRIS. In most areas of Human Resources, we will use data analysis to help us better understand what is happening within our organization and our departments (hiring metrics, diversity metrics, turnover metrics, etc.).
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