r/humanfactors

Summary: I am currently an early career government sector UX/UI designer and researcher (~1 yr + 2 yrs of internship experience). I’m considering transitioning into human factors as a HFE or researcher and I need advice on how to close the knowledge gap between my current career and a career in human factors.

My undergraduate background is non-engineering (information technology and social science) which intimates me a bit about potentially transitioning, though I did take some transferable coursework (e.g., neuroscience, statistics, UX research, UX design).

I have to continue working FT, so I want to enroll in some online graduate coursework in the next year in order to gain some relevant knowledge in the meantime. My hope is that I can leverage the coursework to land an entry-level HF role in the next 2-3 years while continue pursuing my Master’s degree in the background as I learn on the job. I also live in an area where there is a strong presence of human factors employers (mainly aviation and aerospace).

Right now, I’m currently reading and learning concepts outside of work through free materials (e.g., books, videos, etc.), as well as networking with current HFEs and researchers.

My questions are:

• How efficient and realistic (or not) is my current transition plan? How can I improve it?

• What other things can I do to close the knowledge gap in the meantime? Any resource suggestions?

• Any transition advice in general?

Hi!

I’m currently finishing my degree in Cyber Security, and through it I discovered Human Factors, which I’ve become really interested in.

I’ve been looking into Human Factors/HFE masters in my city (UK), but I haven’t found any I could realistically commute to.

For anyone already working in the field or who moved into HF from another background, what master’s do you think are most relevant to HFE? Cognitive Science, Psychology, HCI...? I’m not super keen on a UX master’s because I’m more interested in research, but I’d love to hear about your backgrounds and any advice :)

Hey all! I’m curious about people’s opinions on whether to pursue medical HF or aerospace HF. I’m kind of at a fork in the road where I can get an entry position in either one and I’m not sure which to pursue. I want my career to ultimately be located in California (or remote). Which of these fields has more opportunities? Is there a big difference in pay? How’s job security in each? Any opinions in general about the two fields and anything I should keep in mind would be much appreciated! Thank you!

Anyone here work in forensic human factors? Either expert witness or otherwise? How can I get experience to move into this field? Currently work in medical devices HF but want a change.

Hello everyone ! Hope you’re well.

I have a BSc in Psychology and recently accepted an offer to an MSc Human Factors and Ergonomics program in the UK. However I am intimidated by the modules and worried about how much math would be involved as I do not have the best track record with math, beyond statistics.

Prior to this i was working in PR and communications on and off in junior roles, and due to some mental health stuff i have been recommended to step away from the field. I have been thinking about HF for a year as it seems marginally more stable and hands on than comms and I feel like is a good choice. I am worried that I would be terrible at it once I start, or I would hate it.

However, i’m intimidated because this would be under the engineering department and i’m assuming that it’s a math heavy program.

I wanted to ask if anyone has had similar experiences managing? Going into such a career change? And how worried should i be about the math / coding factor within the course. Should i go back and decline the offer? 😭

EDIT : forgot to mention im an international student as well if that’s relevant.

Please let me know, any advice is appreciated.

Not exactly your traditional background. I've enrolled in a non 101 psych and statistics course to strengthen my candidacy. I'm an older student (34) and have spent the last 5 years guiding in the Arctic and Antarctic. That path has led me to being increasingly interest in the space flight/polar connection with some ideas for a thesis that I could actively do research on while continuing to guide in polar regions (albeit, at a reduced roll).

My question is, despite not having the classic degree, will ERAU care about my work experience? Any other thoughts, comments, etc are appreciated.

Thank you.

My undergrad degree was in product design, but my specific school had a really interesting program that was HF adjacent (lots of social science classes, emphasis on design research, etc). After college, I landed a job as a product manager at a big company in the consumer goods industry.

I've been in this role for 4 years and I'm finding myself losing sight of my values - I miss when my work was meaningful during college. I went from researching the impact of community gardens in low income neighborhoods, to researching what type of products different users buy... It's just not where I saw myself going.

I have a pretty limited understanding of what the HF industry really looks like. Does anyone have insights on if a HF masters degree could unlock any more meaningful jobs, or is product management as good as it gets?

Thank you!

Hi! I am a physiotherapist from India and want to get into human factors and ergonomics.

While doing my research for the universities that offer this course I came across a few unis in UK and US. Each have their own advantages and disadvantages. Some of the unis that I was constantly seeing were UK - Loughborough, Nottingham, Cranfield and USA - SJSU, ERAU, Tufts, CSULB, ASU, UW Madison, etc.

My requirements- since I am an international student, I want to make sure that I end up with a job in the particular country because I’ll be taking a significant amount of loan to pay the tuition fees and the total cost of attendance.

How did you make a decision regarding which university you wanted to attend? And why?

What would you choose UK or US?

I want to work globally and not be restricted to one country. I am interested in a few industries as of now- Aviation, medtech/ health care, transportation.

Now I also want to know about the job market in both UK and US. Everyone around me (although no one is from the said field) are struggling to find jobs that sponsor their visas. Is it the same for HFE graduates? Are companies not willing to hire international candidates because they have to sponsor their work visas? How good or bad is the job market for HFE graduates? And which of the industries offer stability in this job market?

I also ended up talking to a few people from this subreddit and they were very helpful so grateful for that.

TIA!