How to get research experience after graduation

[bananafuffin]

I graduated two years ago with a BA in psychology. While in school, I didn't have career plans or anything and didn't even plan on using my degree (was just there for my parents) so I didn't get any research experience. Now I want to use my degree and wish I had worked toward something in school. I was looking at psychology research/lab assistant jobs and they at least require knowledge of lab protocols, which I am not familiar with. How do I go about getting the experience that I missed out on? I was thinking of taking lab assistant classes at my local community college. Should I do that or would it be better to just volunteer in a lab at a local school (I don't live near the school I graduated from anymore)? Would they let me volunteer even though I am not a student?

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[krisrox]

Did you take a research methods course for your degree? That should suffice for knowledge of "lab protocol." If not, take a semester to take the class. Labs at the school should definitely let you volunteer if you're not a student. Better yet, find one that will PAY you to work for them (they are few and far-between, but look!) Good luck!

 

[bananafuffin]

No I never took a research methods class. Thank you for the advice!

 

[Ollie123]

I actually disagree with krisrox to some degree. Finding one that will pay you is going to be near-impossible without any previous research experience. Certainly, taking research methods is probably necessary too, but definitely not sufficient. There's no harm in applying, but I wouldn't necessarily expect it to work out right away.

I'd take the course and try and find a lab you can volunteer in. Preferably one that gets extramural funding so there is the possibility they will have money to hire you down the road. You need to do a stellar job, because that is going to be a critical factor in finding employment. Research jobs aren't that hard to get, but I've never heard of anyone being hired without previous research experience. Its something most people who want to go into the field get in college, so there is usually a wide array of people applying for those jobs who already have a proven track record. Once you've got some experience under your belt, you will be in a much better position.

 

[bananafuffin]

Alright, so I will look for a volunteer job. I was just wondering how many hours a week should I volunteer in order to get a good experience out of it? And for how long?

 

[krisrox]

It is true that it's going to be difficult to find a paid position without any experience, but not impossible (I am proof!). However, I would highly suggest a research methods class anyways, because it's often a pre-req for grad schools. I'm surprised it wasn't required for your major.

As for volunteering in the lab, you will probably only start out with so much work to do at first- say 10 hours a week- and then gradually take on more responsibility. It's not about the hours, it's about the kind of work you do. Make sure you're doing more than just handing out surveys and doing data entry. Lit searches, data analysis, and grant-writing are good skills that grad schools will look for. Are you planning on applying for next application cycle (2011)? If so, that should be good experience.