Ronald Shapiro

Company:IBM
Current Positions: Manager of Technical Learning, Manager of Tuition Payments/Academic Assistance, Second Line Manager of New Hire Orientation, and Manager of Career Services in North Carolina.
Education: BA in Psychology (1975) from the University of Rochester. MS and PhD (1981) in Experimental Psychology from the Ohio State University.

Dr. Shapiro began his career in human factors and technology about 35 years ago as an undergraduate student in psychology with an interest in computer technology. He spent much of his senior year of college designing and programming experiments to learn more about how people think and read. He pursued these interests in graduate school studying how people perceive words, letters, and shapes. He also taught introductory psychology and was active in the graduate school governance. Upon completing his masters and doctorate programs, Dr. Shapiro taught at Denison University before accepting a position with Dunlap and Associates, a behavioral sciences consulting firm. At Dunlap he applied his knowledge of people and computers to evaluating highway safety measures, evaluating helicopter design, and developing a model for design and evaluation of human-machine systems. After a few years in consulting, Dr. Shapiro decided he wanted to work for a computer company. He moved to IBM in Poughkeepsie NY where he worked on the design of the person-system interface for IBM's mainframe computers. He later moved into a variety of management positions and most recently into corporate learning. During his tenure with IBM he has been able to blend his interest in computers, human factors, and learning into an excellent career. He continued to teach at the college level until the travel requirements of his job made this impractical.

During a typical workday, Dr. Shapiro wears various hats to manage the four projects he's responsible for. He may start his day reviewing plans for our worldwide orientation program for new hires or working with his own employees on their individual development plans. Dr. Shapiro works on learning design, managing, coordinating, and budgeting. Most recently, he has been "dealing with new learning paradigms for technical learning." Dr. Shapiro reports that helping others lay out their career goals and development plans is a very enjoyable part of his job while dealing with budget issues is something he'd prefer to avoid.

For students just beginning their careers, Dr. Shapiro encourages involvement in professional societies. "Attend professional talks, talk with professionals in the fields you are interested in, and attend career panels that focus on your interests. Remember it is never too early to begin career preparation. Prepare a draft resume now so that you can identify your strengths and address your weaknesses while you are still in school. In planning for an internship or a career remember to Network, Network, and Network!!! Professionals like to work with students…" says Dr. Shapiro.