By Sarah McDonald

Our ACE (Alternative Curriculum Events) week is an opportunity for staff to put on events for students that might be slightly outside the norm, either focusing on specific areas of research interest or showcasing some of the technical kit used in projects. This year we had an event that went even further outside the norm, and those that attended might have found out more about the lecturing staff than they anticipated! Many students share anxieties about not knowing exactly what they want to do when they finish their degrees, or how they will be able to secure that job. This session emphasised that they have more in common with our lecturers than they might have thought…

The event was a ninety minute chat show with each generous member of staff having a ten minute slot to talk about their own pathway to becoming a psychology lecturer, not to mention bravely unveiling some of their mishaps and misdemeanours along the way.

We started with a truly inspiring account from Stephen Eccles, who has gone from not knowing what he wanted to do to motivating the Great British ice hockey youth team through the power of Jenga, all while designing his PhD project and getting his head around being a lecturer. Stephen talked about the various posts he has held and it was apparent how in each job, he has always looked for how both he and the organisation can develop, and everyone was struck by Stephen managing to be ambitious and a caring, considerate person (Apprentice contestants take note!).

In similar vein, John Hudson, talked about his less-than-auspicious career beginnings and the many years in call centres before deciding to do a Psychology degree as a mature student. There was a common theme here, as many of our panellists revealed they weren’t necessarily sure what they wanted to do with their lives – even after graduation – so for those students who feel that way, you are in good company.

Jenny Mackay and Anna Buckell both talked about their varied career roles in clinical and forensic settings respectively. Whilst we know that a good number of students want to know ‘the pathway’ to getting into these careers, Jenny and Anna showed that there is no one right way into their respective fields, but that all sorts of different posts can be informative and useful in becoming a practitioner psychologist. It’s all about what you make of the posts, and your willing to reflect, learn and take hold of opportunities.

Image credit: Photo by Sarah Ardin on Unsplash

A couple of staff discussed some fairly major mishaps and calamities in their journeys to becoming lecturers, which will remain safely secret to those who were at the event, but the value of these revelations was in finding out how these staff members had not let these incidents become major setbacks. Lee Hadlington demonstrated how stoicism and a good sense of humour have helped him to learn from some episodes that could readily dent anyone’s confidence, whilst Sarah Buglass’ ability to cope with joining businesses on the verge of collapse showed the value of making the most of the situation in which you find yourself.

Both Sarah and Mark Harris talked about coming into Psychology from the business world, albeit in very different settings, which was somewhat unanticipated by the audience and only emphasises the versatility of psychology. Their mini-talks showed how there are opportunities to think psychologically and to develop useful skills for becoming a psychologist in all sorts of occupational contexts.

A clear message that came across from all of our panellists was there really is no one-size-fits-all path. We may think that we have to have everything clear about our career before we start, but that’s not necessarily the case. We can pick up valuable experience (and experiences) in a huge range of places. And finally, you definitely aren’t alone if you find there are bumps and hurdles on your path, there may well be setbacks, mishaps, or disappointments…

We heard about being bundled into police vans on the BBC News (a misunderstanding, we promise!), major wardrobe malfunctions at job interviews, filling in your UCAS form incorrectly, and getting run over by your own car – but if you want to know more about those kinds of tales, you will have to come along to next year’s event!

Featured image credit: Photo by Vladislav Babienko on Unsplash