danman8511

I'm not a professional but am about to enter a program. The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) webpage has been a great resource in telling me how to prepare for specific jobs and what they entail. I think it's under the "Career" or "Student" section. It's incredibly broad. You can come from engineering, computer science, psychology, maybe even anthropology. What you'll find yourself doing is making anything and everything easier and safer to use. This includes the Internet, cars, airplanes, toothbrushes... You'll use cognitive psych to understand how and why we perform tasks and how to streamline them for consumer use. You could also be directly involved in the design process by creating prototypes (sketches, CAD) and performing usability tests, speaking/working with people about how to improve something and presenting the data. A lot of it seems to be consulting but the government is a big employer for space programs and military use (how to make a drone easier to fly with less collateral damage) and web/tech industry is booming.

Thanks wicked! And dmac I already sent you a PM earlier because I noticed you on another thread. Small world.

Hey fellow factors peeps! I'm really excited about this whole thing, I didn't even know this major existed until I started researching programs. I'm currently facing a dilemma on my topic below so if anyone has sage advice I'm all ears.

Here goes... I accepted University of Idaho for terminal masters in human factors right before the deadline. I was on the waiting list for George Mason but couldn't put Idaho off any longer, and of course they emailed me 4/15 letting me know I was in. Now I'm extremely torn. Idaho is small, cost of living is cheap, I won't need to work as much or take out as many loans. There also appears to be more possibility of TA/RA because there are so few grad students. The downside is that they can't put me in an internship until after I graduate, so I'm not sure how much practical experience I'll get while enrolled. And I'm not sure how hard it will be to get a job. The field seems really lucrative though, so this might be a non-issue. I'm just really scared of being stuck. George Mason said they may offer TA/RA as well but not now, and from what I've heard it's pretty dismal. The program is better with more class options and it requires a practicum. There also appears to be more job/internship opportunities. It's a much bigger and more prestigious school but this seems to also hinder student/teacher interaction. The area will either help or hurt me because of the size. The main downside here is that cost of living in Fairfax is INSANE. If I'm struggling to eat and work I fear my grades will plummet or at least suffer. I feel like I won't be able to focus on school 100% which is what I need to do since I've been out 4 years. Does anyone have any information about these programs (particularly job placement) or could help me make up my mind? I haven't slept in days!