Business Psychology student, Alice Pennington, explores the wide range of careers in psychology.
I went to a panel discussion run by the Careers and Employability Service, where I heard about how the field of psychology offers a huge range of career opportunities that extend beyond what is known as the ‘traditional roles’. Two remarkable speakers: Tanya Sengupta, a Senior Behavioural Researcher at Cowry Consulting, and Dr. Teresa Wheeler, an Educational Psychologist discussed their experiences, gave first hand examples of their day-to-day routines and elaborated on their journeys to get to their current roles. This was particularly valuable for students thinking about their future careers, and a great opportunity to hear first hand what life is like in the psychology working world.
Tanya Sengupta
Tanya Sengupta’s career shows the combination of psychology within a business context. With a BSc in Psychology from the University of Kent and an MSc in Behavioral Economics and Science from the University of Warwick, Tanya merged her academics with practical skills to go on to discover buyers’ wants and needs.
At Cowry Consulting, an award-winning Behavioral Science consultancy, she uses specific tools and techniques to study people’s thoughts and feelings as consumers. These methods can reveal buying habits and insights that others may not. This therefore is used further to tailor marketing and communications strategies for brands.
During the panel, Tanya discussed her early uncertainties about her career direction. Her interest in applying psychology to a business environment blossomed when she took a course in Business Psychology where she learnt more about the combination between organisational topics like leadership, employee wellbeing and psychology. This allowed her to explore business applications of psychological theory. She also took part in Hackathons, a competition amongst students from various different streams to solve business challenges, this added to her interest but later led her to conduct research that has significant implications for brands such as a global soft drink manufacturer, a multinational airline group, Tesco and Standard life.
Tanya emphasised the importance of practical experience while studying. Participating in internships and hackathons helped her develop foundational problem-solving skills and provided exposure to the real-world. She recommended current psychology students focus on their specific interests and acquire skills in consultancy, coding, and an understanding of how businesses; operate, make decisions, and recognise opportunities for both growth and improvement. Familiarity with programming languages like Python and R is essential for analysing data and visualising insights. Her message was clear:
“Understanding the language of business is crucial for translating psychological principles into actionable strategies.’’
Teresa Wheeler
On the other hand, Dr. Teresa Wheeler’s journey illustrates the complex nature of psychology in the educational sector. With a degree in Psychology with Clinical Psychology, Teresa navigated the complex landscape of her career by first working as a teacher and then earning a doctorate to specialise in educational psychology. Her dual role allowed her to develop skills in assessment, training, and consultation.
Teresa’s insights into a career in educational psychology highlighted the significance of experiential learning. She shared her experiences from her time as a teacher, which proved invaluable for understanding how children develop and for building strong interpersonal relationships with the children. For students aspiring to enter this field, she suggested actively seeking relevant work experiences, emphasising the impact of hands-on learning.
Both speakers acknowledged the challenges within their fields—Tanya pointed out the difficulty of translating academic knowledge into business insights, while Teresa discussed the ongoing issues of staffing and funding in educational psychology. However, they both described immense satisfaction from making meaningful contributions. Tanya took great pleasure in the opportunity to create insights for brands to take action on and therefore learn more about how customers truly feel, while Teresa found joy in positively impacting young people’s lives and their families.
As an undergraduate Business Psychology student, I found this talk both helpful and inspiring! I aspire to pursue a career in marketing, and hearing Tanya share her success in non-traditional roles affirmed my desire to follow a similar path. Like both speakers mentioned, I am currently applying for internships to gain hands-on experience and enhance my business acumen.