Monitor on Psychology - December 2011 - (Page 63)

Seasoned psychologists share the time-tested lessons that put them on the path to career success. B Y A MY N OVOTNEY A s president of APA’s Div. 46 (Media) and a private practitioner in Camp Hill, Pa., Pauline Wallin, PhD, has no regrets — and says no one else should, either. That’s a lesson she learned as an undergraduate when she was accepted by three highly rated psychology graduate programs. When she asked her adviser for guidance, he said with a smile, “Face it, Pauline: Whatever you decide you’ll be sorry … but not for long.” That phrase has stuck with her throughout her career. “At major decision points, I’ve reminded myself that some options must be left behind, but that the regret won’t last,” Wallin says. “This has helped me focus on the specific options I did choose, and to be open to new opportunities along the way.” In search of other pearls of wisdom, the Monitor asked several seasoned psychologists to share the career lessons they’ve learned. Find a research problem that keeps you up at night, says Elizabeth 1 Kensinger, PhD, a cognitive psychologist at Boston College. “It has to be something that you can’t get out of your head, and that you feel you can’t wait to solve,” she says. Her own research on the effects of Kensinger emotion on memory “has kept me motivated through many late nights and a number of failed experiments.” Make an impact, says Washington, D.C., 2 independent practitioner Jean Carter, PhD. Rather than sitting back and waiting for other people to ask you to participate, figure out what you need to do to enrich your professional life and then ask faculty, supervisors, advisers and professional colleagues for guidance on ways to get there. You won’t always get what you want, Carter says, but you’ll be surprised by the positive response you’ll get. Second, step up your own efforts, she says. “While others can open doors for you, it is up to you to make the best use of Carter those opportunities,” she says. Learn from your elders, says Harvard University psychologist 3 Jerome Kagan, PhD. With research grants more scarce and competition fiercer than when he was a new psychologist, he says early career psychologists need to find an experienced guide. “Find an older mentor who Kagan is respected and doing excellent research in an area that is of interest to the younger person and attach to that person.” Keep your options open, says Charlottesville, Va., independent 4 practitioner Tom DeMaio, PhD. DeMaio says he will never forget this advice, which he got from an experienced colleague more than 30 years ago as he was preparing to open his clinical practice: “Take anything that DeMaio comes through the door,” his friend told him. People’s problems have a common thread, he was told, and specializing too early doesn’t allow a practitioner to build up a broad base of experience. 63 DeceMber 2011 • Monitor on psychology

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - December 2011

Monitor on Psychology - December 2011
Letters
President’s Column
Contents
From the CEO
Willpower Pioneer Wins $100,000 Grawemeyer Prize
Single-Sex Schooling Called Into Question by Prominent Researchers
Maternal Depression Stunts Childhood Growth, Research Suggests
For Boys, Sharing May Seem Like a Waste of Time
Good News for Postdoc Applicants
In Brief
Treatment Guideline Development Now Under Way
Government Relations Update
Psychologist Named Va Mental Health Chief
The Limits of Eyewitness Testimony
Judicial Notebook
Random Sample
Time Capsule
Deconstructing Suicide
Questionnaire
A Focus on Interdisciplinarity
A Time of ‘Enormous Change’
The Science Behind Team Science
Good Science Requires Good Conflict
A New Paradigm of Care
Speaking of Education
Science Directions
New Labels, New Attitudes?
Psychologist Profile
Early Career Psychology
Unintended Consequences
Better Options for Troubled Teens
Saving Lives, One Organ at a Time
New Journal Editors
APA News
Division Spotlight
Guidelines for the Conduct of President-Elect Nominations and Elections
American Psychological Foundation
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - December 2011