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Asked by anon-296508 on 17 Jun 2021.
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Jennifer Deane answered on 17 Jun 2021:
Probably my own self confidence, I have never thought of myself as someone who was academic or good at school work. I did well in my GCSE’s but was never a straight A student. Most of my jobs have been jobs where I’ve learnt what to do whilst working. When I was in those jobs I was quite confident but the thought of going to Uni scared me as I didn’t think I was brainy enough to do it. I gained confidence over time and I’ve realised that getting through is less about being the brainy one and more about being the determined and stubborn one. It was hard to get over my lack of confidence and I still have bouts now that make me panic a bit and feel I’m not good enough but it is improving. I think this is probably true to many people in lots of different industries and areas too.
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Sophie Bettles answered on 17 Jun 2021:
I found it tricky to get enough forensic experience to be able to get onto the Doctorate (postgraduate) course that I wanted to do. I must have written to about 20 different prisons offering to volunteer but they don’t allow under 18s to work in them; and even over 18s have to go through lots of security vetting so they usually only take people who are employed, rather than just volunteering.
I had to get creative and figure out how I could get experience in similar roles or using transferrable skills. So I volunteered as an assistant for a Psychologist working in Learning Disabilities; and worked as a home carer and support worker at the YMCA to get my foot on the ladder of social care. I then applied to be a Healthcare Assistant in a secure hospital so that even though I wasn’t doing a Psychology-specific job, I was learning about offenders, risk and secure environments.
Getting the career you want isn’t always a straight line… but it makes the journey to get there so much more exciting and valuable that way! -
Lisa Newson answered on 17 Jun 2021:
Hi Alex
Biggest obstacle. Ok so because I decided I wanted to become a Health Psychologist and not many people know about it or its training, one of the biggest obstacles was initially finding the right job. There are loads of jobs suitable for a health psych, we can practically work anywhere because health is for all. But early days I was a bit of a chameleon working to the needs of the service and slotting in health psychology. So whilst in training my job titles were things like health promotion specialist,health behaviour specialist, public health manager, etc. but now qualified I describe us health psychs as panthers- on the periphery of the jungle (healthcare services) specialised (expertise) and has a bit of a roar (impact)- so all is good, defo worth it! -
Brittney Chere answered on 17 Jun 2021:
“Imposter Syndrome”! It’s incredibly common in master’s and PhD students, and I wonder if it ever truly goes away… Basically, you’re surround by people that have been working in their respective topic area for a few years or even decades and there’s a tendency to always compare yourself to the people around you. It’s hard to be starting off and trying to learn everything you can about an entire field of research when you’re surrounded by people who have been in the field for years and know almost everything and not think that they are so much smarter than you and that you’ll never know as much as them. So you start feeling like an imposter and that you don’t belong there. But you always need to remind yourself that they’ve been at it for soooooo much longer and that they were exactly in your same position at the start. It’s important to realise this because it can really start to lower your self-confidence and that can really start holding you back and keep you from growing as a researcher. Also, almost everyone feels this way, even if they don’t realise it (or admit it to you), which also helps to let go of the fear.
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Naomi Heffer answered on 17 Jun 2021:
Getting experience! To get PhD funding, you need to be able to show that you already have considerable research experience. So my advice would be to start early and don’t be afraid to reach out to people you don’t know and ask if you can shadow or help with their research in any way.
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Natalie Neal answered on 17 Jun 2021:
I would say knowledge about the educational psychology profession and the competition for the training course. It is quite a small profession so it can be rare to meet another educational psychologist unless you work as a SENDCO in a school. I had to do a lot of research to know enough about the role to be able to get on the training course. Over 2000 people apply each year for only 203 places across England so I’ve had to work very hard to get a place.
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Nora Vyas answered on 17 Jun 2021:
Hello! I had no major obstacle, but I think that something which was rather challenging was balancing voluntary work experience with completing a university degree. I was thinking ahead of what my CV would look like after I graduated, and believed that it was important to gain the experience so I applied to quite a few places in London, and received “one” email response – this led the way to being offered a voluntary research assistant role over the summer at a esteemed research institution. Based on my dedication and commitment, I was offered a full-time role and paid for the voluntary work I had done over the summer! After working there for a year in total alongside completing my final year at university, I was offered to do a funded PhD. Big lesson – persistence, diligent and full commitment always pays off! 🙂
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Samantha Harrison answered on 21 Jun 2021:
For me, money was a big obstacle. I don’t come from an affluent family/area, and growing up it felt a lot like university was for “rich” people. Even at university I couldn’t always do voluntary research roles to boost my CV as I needed to use those hours to earn money instead. Looking back now though, my job was also a cv-boosting activity even if it didn’t feel like it at the time, and juggling studying, volunteering and work taught me great time management and prioritisation skills.
If anyone is feeling put off of going to university/training for their career due to money issues, I’d just like to say that I know how that feels. However today there are lots of grants, schemes and help available, so what once was a huge obstacle is now much less of an issue. The area you grew up in and your family circumstances do not dictate your future – you do.
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