Autumn Green
Research Scientist and Project Director
Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA USA
“Don't ever let anyone tell you that your dreams are too big.”
Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA USA
“Don't ever let anyone tell you that your dreams are too big.”
Research Scientist and Project Director
I conduct research to help inform policy in higher education, particularly supporting student parents.
I usually have a lot of different types of projects going on at once. Being a researcher has three important parts that I am always working on at the same time. First, starting new projects involves meeting with research partners to plan the project, and then writing grants to get the project funded. Once a research project is funded, the job involves collecting data in a variety of ways like interviews, surveys, and focus groups. Last you have to write up your findings in reports and articles.
Here's the first step for college students
This is the type of job that requires both education and experience. My specific job requires a doctoral degree but there are other research staff on our team who have master's degrees. We also hire students to work on our research teams, and I think that internships can be a great way to break in to the research field. I did a lot of internships, work-study, and jobs during college and graduate school and took a lot of coursework, both of which trained me & helped me become a great researcher.
"You'll never make it through that much school. You're going to drop out. I don't know why you're wasting your time. What are you even going to DO with a degree in sociology? You could've done it with one kid but it's not even worth trying with two."