Psychometry

Psychometry is one facet of Psychology that highly interests me, mainly because of the fact that this study enables Psychologists to actually measure personality traits, abilities, attitudes and knowledge. My fascination for the human mind and the desire to have a greater understanding on how it works gave me the motivation to pursue, step by step, a broader knowledge on Psychology, bringing me to this decision to apply for a higher degree in the my field of choice. As a child, I have always been inquisitive, always trying to get into the depth of things that I don’t understand. While growing up, I discovered my people skills – that I could actually get people engaged in a conversation by provoking the right thoughts and words. I attribute this with my ability to connect with other people on a mental and psychological level. When it was time to choose my undergraduate course, I realized that there is more to human mind that I want to study and understand. I would define myself as an excellent student, one who is organized, conscientious, and always have a constant desire to learn more. I had the strong drive to learn and to excel in the things I did. I took up Education and Psychology because both areas of study seemed to fuel my interest to interact and get into people’s minds, acquiring a good level of understanding and being able to influence their perceptions. My hard work paid off and I graduated cum laude from college. Yet, even then, I knew that I was going to eventually search for higher levels of learning. I have even actively interviewed other licensed Psychologists in the field ensuring this is the field of study and the career I am determined to pursue. I focused the first three years of my post college life on education, having been a teacher and a trainer in two different organizations. I eventually ventured out into customer relations and sales, for which I also reached a new level of heights as far as my accomplishments are concerned. I realized that my degree in psychology has become useful in both jobs, since sales and customer relations entail a lot of people skills. I noticed that my superiors, colleagues and clients liked me best for being able to empathize with them, a skill I would not have enhanced if I did not pursue studies in Psychology. I am interested in pursuing higher studies mainly to allow me to enhance further my interest, this time, as a practitioner. While I have “ diversified” in the past few years by handling sales and marketing, I understand in my heart that I have not lost the inner drive to focus on taking psychology as my long term profession. My career goal is to have the ability to perform and interpret Psychometric/Neuropsych full battery testing, such as IQ, formological processing, attention, executive functioning, working memory, educational or psychological testing, projective testing (MMPI, TAT, Rorscach) and assessments, on adults and children, as well as mood, personality and eating disorders. Having an extreme desire and life passion for a career in Psychology, the ability to think “ critically” and a strong self-efficacy in the field of Psychology are a few attributes I bring to graduate training as a mental/behavioral healthcare practitioner. On a personal level, it is a desire to increase emotional growth, self-discovery and the development of a professional identity. From a personal standpoint, I am empathetic, genuine, a good-listener, have the ability to make most people feel comfortable in any situation, and have a strong work ethic. All of which have been enhanced by past studies and work experiences as well. The most glaring weakness I may have is not having been able to practice my degree in psychology in the truest sense of the word. I have not practiced being an educator or a counselor for a long time. But I believe that my having been exposed to other industries has given me a new take on things; a new perspective that I would not have acquired if I just remained confined within the bounds of clinical psychology. In the past, my belief was that obtaining a degree in Psychology meant my career path options were either as a counselor or a professor. After speaking with professors and professionals in the field, I became aware that there is no one model for being a professional psychologist and no one correct career path. Perhaps by working in a hospital seeing patients, a community based outreach program, working with children with social disorders or adults with marital or relational problems are all examples of different areas of practice that can be obtained in the learning role. Working in any environment allows me to see people in different environments further lending to my graduate development. The commitment required by graduate training in a healthcare profession is a long term goal, a realistic idea and a plan of what it will take to reach this goal of obtaining my degree in order to become successful has been constructed. My vision is clear in that this will require hard work, motivation, sacrifice and determination. It is my first priority over all other things, I will not be working my financial responsibilities are minimal, so that I won’t have to work while in school, nor will it be a source of stress deflecting from my studies. It will also require a commitment to personal health, eating healthy, exercising, and obtaining social support from peers if needed when the demands are high.