Entry-level positions for aspiring Program Evaluation Specialists at UC San Diego
Entry-level positions in program evaluation, such as "survey worker" or "research assistant," are readily available, often stemming from internships or volunteer work; Merissa notes that "95% of the time" these opportunities lead to full-time employment, highlighting the importance of gaining research experience and faculty mentorship for career advancement in this field.
Research Experience, Entry-Level Positions, Internships, Networking, Faculty Mentorship
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Merissa Kado-Walton
Program Evaluation Specialist
University of California, San Diego
UCLA 2014
San Diego State University, MA in Psychology
Psychology
Healthcare, Medical & Wellness
Data and Analytics
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Student Athlete, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Many entry-level positions in program evaluation start as internships that can lead to full-time employment.
2. Entry-level positions often include titles like "survey worker" or "research assistant", and are available across various research fields.
3. Gaining research experience, such as through presentations, posters, or working with a professor, and securing a faculty referral are key to entering the field.
Transcript
What entry-level positions in this field might an undergraduate college student consider pursuing?
There are actually a lot of entry-level positions in this industry. Many start as internships that lead to hired positions.
My Center actually has an internship program, where we have grad students or undergrads getting credit for volunteering with us. About 95% of the time, this ends up leading to us offering them a full-time position once they graduate. So, sometimes those volunteer positions you might do as an undergrad can lead to a full-time position afterwards.
At least, we have positions labeled as survey worker or research assistant. It doesn't matter what field of research you want to be in; there are entry-level research positions available. They might not pay particularly well, but they're better than volunteer work you might have done as an undergrad.
The most important thing to get started in this field is really just to get research experience. Even if it's just having presentations, posters, or working with a professor, those experiences are valuable. Having a referral from a faculty mentor is really the way to get into this research industry.
Advizer Personal Links
No