Sydney Begerowski
By Zoë Eitel
After a long list of internships at an investment banking firm, a compensation consulting firm and various industrial/organizational psychology labs, Sydney Begerowski was able to turn her internship with NASA into a full-time role.
As a research assistant, Sydney is responsible for basic research duties such as conducting literature reviews and running statistical analyses. Her role is very team orientated, which she enjoys.
“We are often working together on various projects that all relate to enhancing teamwork in long duration space exploration,” she says.
Sydney was drawn to this type of role because it puts together the two main paths someone in industrial/organizational psychology can take: academic or applied.
Research Assistant at NASA
BS Industrial/ Organizational Psychology 2019
“In IO, you typically ‘go academic’ — become a professor at a university and conduct research — or ‘go applied’ — work at a consulting firm,” she says. “An applied research position balances the two, so you are still engaging in the rigorous research process but you get to see your results translated back into practice, which I really like!”
Due to starting this job during the COVID-19 pandemic and working remotely, Sydney has had to find the right balance between life and work and create boundaries to keep the two separate.
“I was really conflicted about what I wanted to do after graduation, and I had multiple professors that were willing to meet with me, guide me, and help me make the best decisions for myself. They all truthfully cared, and I’m still in touch with them today.”
“The lines between work and home were easily blurred so I had to create boundaries so that I was working in a healthy manner: not late into the night, not getting distracted,” Sydney says. “But it’s super helpful when you have a supportive team that you can connect with regularly, and that helped me stay on track!”
Though she finished at DePaul with a degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Sydney actually originally came to the university thinking she wanted to do something in business. But after taking a class with Dr. Grace Lemmon in her sophomore year, Sydney was introduced to the field of IO and decided it was the right move to switch her major. She ended up loving every minute she spent in the IO program.
Both the business and IO programs had faculty and staff who really supported Sydney and were able to help her plan her future.
“I was really conflicted about what I wanted to do after graduation, and I had multiple professors that were willing to meet with me, guide me, and help me make the best decisions for myself,” she says. “They all truthfully cared, and I’m still in touch with them today.”
While she was in undergrad, Sydney also worked as a Peer Career Advisor at the Career Center and often used the career resources provided whenever she was applying to or interviewing for internships or jobs to make sure she was up to date on the best practices.
Sydney is currently on track to get her master’s and PhD in IO Psychology at Clemson University while she continues working at NASA.
“My job at NASA is full-time over summers and part-time during the school year so that I can focus on my studies,” Sydney says. “Being a grad student is my top priority during the academic year. My team at NASA really values higher education, so I’m grateful I am able to balance the two!”