Dallas Aeronautics Contractor Uses Industrial Psychology To Develop Training Courses
In the field of industrial psychology, one explores human behavior within the workplace environment and applies various psychological methods, which helps an organization to reach its objectives.
Mireya Mata works as a contractor at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics developing training courses. She works with the subject matter expert to identify problems and find solutions. Her training courses help supervisors through role-playing and other activities that allow people to share experiences with other supervisors; thereby giving them tools to assist their assemblers and mechanics.
When she was in high school, she was a police explorer and moved up the ranks to captain of the explorers. The Police Explorer program takes teenagers and trains them to become police officers. When she took her core courses at a community college, she originally thought she would get into law enforcement to become a police officer. Upon completing her first year, she changed her major to correctional science with the plan to become a probation officer.
She has always been interested in human behavior and earned a Bachelor's of Arts degree in psychology. She knew she couldn't get a job with just a bachelor's degree. She felt that in order to get a job she would need at least a master's and a doctorate if she went the clinical psychology route. She didn't want to go the clinical route, however, and believed that the practical thing that would fit her needs would be to earn a master's degree.
Mata balanced the role of teacher and student. She was a middle and high school substitute teacher by day and a student at night. Mata earned a master's degree in Industrial Psychology from St. Mary's University in San Antonio.
Her graduate school adviser helped her get placed in her first job as a research scientist for a small defense contractor. "I learned a lot. I didn't have any experience. It was fun to learn so much," said Mata.
"I traveled with a three-star general to 14 different countries. I got to live in Germany while working for Hughes Training, which was owned by General Motors. By living in another country, I learned to have confidence in myself."
"Education is never a wasted effort. You learn in the classroom, but you also learn about yourself and that is valuable."
Robin D. Everson is a native Chicagoan who resides in Dallas, Texas. Her appreciation for art, food, wine, people and places has helped her become a well-respected journalist. A life-long lover of education, Robin seeks to learn and enlighten others about culture. You can find her work at Examiner.com