Is there anything you’d want to tell us about your job you wish you had known before?

Harry Piper answered on 2 Mar 2021:

There are a few things but one thing I really wish I had known (or at least acknowledged) was that it is ok to have breaks. A work life balance is really important whether your working towards your GCSE’s or that promotion you want at work! It may seem like that task needs doing immediately and that you should be working 24/7, but in reality taking some time off will do you some good, and in turn it will benefit your work. Looking after yourself is key.

Alex Baxendale answered on 2 Mar 2021:

Failure is okay! We are all here to learn, so we do research to find answers to questions never asked before – and sometimes those answers aren’t what we expected to find, sometimes there isn’t a clear answer – and that is okay! A lot of people get stuck on the idea that they have to be perfect and can’t make an error or find results that aren’t super amazing, but it’s all a part of learning and growing

Dennis Relojo-Howell answered on 2 Mar 2021: last edited 5 Mar 2021 2:45 pm

Yes. As a psychology blogger, I wish I had known straight away that if no one visits your website, you need to ask yourself why, instead of just sitting back. As a resilience researcher, sometimes it may seem that all you’re doing doesn’t have a real-word application – but that’s not the case.

Amrita Bains answered on 2 Mar 2021:

Yes- that not all experiments work on the first go! It’s okay when things go wrong and you should never be too hard on yourself when that happens. And also to really celebrate and acknowledge the times when things go right. Also, I did not realise how much statistics were involved with psychology until I started to study it more at university and I have a love//hate relationship with maths.

anon answered on 2 Mar 2021: last edited 2 Mar 2021 4:27 pm

Hi HannahW,

As a PhD student, I wish I had known how lonely it can be. You go from school and undergraduate degrees surrounded by other students (sometimes in the 100s in university lectures!) to being only student in your research area.

Whilst I have made up for this in my third year by really making an effort to meet other PhD students (which is a lot harder in lockdown where you can’t meet and socialise with everyone in the office!) I would have liked someone to tell me to make the most of school and my undergraduate degree by joining societies and socialising with as many people as possible.

Gwen Brekelmans answered on 2 Mar 2021: last edited 2 Mar 2021 3:58 pm

There’s lots of things, but the main one is that you don’t have to follow the same path everyone else is following to get to the same result. Or more specifically, you don’t have to start out studying psychology to end up doing things a psychologist would do! I actually studied English at university for my undergraduate and then moved towards language sciences/linguistics for my master’s degree, and that’s how I ended up rolling into psychology from that side of things. I’m now learning lots of things about areas I’ve never heard of that are really cool, but because I’ve got to where I am via a different route and studying different things than some of my colleagues, I sometimes have a different perspective on things that is really useful to have!

Ioana Stanciu answered on 2 Mar 2021:

Yes! My high school degree was for natural sciences: biology, chemistry, physics etc usually taken by people that go on to do a medical degree. I was always fascinated by the brain and human body but I didn’t really want to be a doctor. I decided to do Psychology to satisfy my passion for the brain. Because I was drawn to medical sciences, after I graduated I did a masters degree in Health Psychology (deals more with health-related psychology, people’s health behaviours, help seeking behaviours) then worked in an Epidemiology department and now I am doing a PhD in Public Health combining my passion for psychology with that for medical research.

I wish someone told me that you can do medical research and help make a difference with diseases etc without becoming a doctor.

Myrto Efstathiou answered on 2 Mar 2021:

That it can be a lot more fun and challenging at the same time, meeting with your supervisors is not you on trial and network as much as you can. I am a first-generation academic and navigating academia as a 1st year PhD student was daunting to me. Remind yourself that you are not alone, your supervisors are there to help you and support you so try and relax during the meetings and have fun discussing about science and there is a big network of students who are in a similar position with you. Reach out, talk, go to seminars, conferences, coffee breaks and take advantage of what the PhD community can offer you.

Lisa Orchard answered on 3 Mar 2021:

Great question! I wish I’d known that I don’t have to be perfect! When I first started teaching psychology I was so nervous that I would explain something wrong, or not be good enough. I was worried that I would need to know everything so I could answer any question asked. Now I’ve come to realise that no lecturers/teachers know all the answers! I am much more confident to admit when I don’t know the answer.

I think this goes for any job really. Everybody makes mistakes! The trick is not to beat yourself up for anything that goes wrong. Instead, think about how you can put things right next time. For example, if I do a lecture and feel like people didn’t really understand a part of it, I may add additional help on it at a later date or make sure I work on that better for next time.

Marjorie Pichon answered on 3 Mar 2021:

One thing I wish I had known about jobs in general, is that no decisions or choices you make are permanent. It is okay to try different jobs, and if you don’t like them then you can change your mind and try something else!

Luan Cassal answered on 3 Mar 2021:

Yes! I was surprised when I discovered the many areas to work as a psychologist and a researcher. I started my undergrad wishing to be a counsellor, but I get involved and passionate about educational and social psychology. So, nowadays my work and research are mostly about students, teachers, schools, universities, and governments – I never expected that!

Ellen Smith answered on 3 Mar 2021:

That you’ll never know everything! In fact the more you study and the more specialised you get (like when you do a PhD) you end up knowing lots about a tiny little aspect of psychology and very little about everything else. I’d also say you can’t always be super productive, you will have days where you’re not motivated at all – and that’s ok, especially at the moment when life is so different to normal!

Christina Brown answered on 4 Mar 2021:

I think it’s important to remember that you’ll never know everything about your chosen subject and that it’s easy to forget parts that you used to know. It’s also good to remember that everyone is like this so you don’t need to feel bad for asking questions you initially thought of as silly. This is especially true if you take on a PhD, your knowledge becomes so specific to whatever in particular you are studying that sometimes you need to remind yourself of the bigger picture.

Victoria Garfield answered on 4 Mar 2021:

I wish I’d known all of the ups and downs that are part of a scientific career at a university. Related to this, I wish I’d known that it’s okay to not succeed 100% of the time at every part of your job and this is a normal part of this career. For example, not getting funding for a specific project is okay, you just keep trying and get help and support from your mentors to keep going. Equally, I wish I’d also known about the public-facing aspect of this career! I love that when we find something cool and big we get to speak to the press and get it into the news so that the whole population can read about what we’ve found.

Question: Is there anything you’d want to tell us about your job you wish you had known before?

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