Lecturer (Education), School of Psychology

Before studying at Queen’s Psychology, I completed a Certificate in Higher Education at Belfast Metropolitan College. I chose to study at Queen’s because I liked the facilities at the School, not to mention it was close to where I would end up living! 

During my degree, I decided to apply for a modular placement as I was still unsure as to what I wanted to do after graduation. I had some interest in research, and I saw the placement as an excellent opportunity to develop my research skills in a non-academic environment, which would add something unique to my C.V. 

My placement was at Grant Thornton LLP. The department in which I was placed was responsible for dealing with clients who had entered into Individual Voluntary Arrangements to pay their debts. During this placement, I was able to implement my knowledge of psychometrics and questionnaire design to help create several questionnaires to assess knowledge of insolvency legislation and staff well-being. I also got an insight into the research that the company were interested in. After completing the placement, I was confident that I wanted to embark upon a career which contained a substantial research component to it. 

My happiest memory at Queen’s was whenever I found out I got a first in my degree. I came to university as a mature student, having worked in a countless number of jobs and not known really what career path I wanted to follow. My overarching goal during my degree was to work hard and to get a first, so I was absolutely over the moon when I achieved it. 

After graduating, I continued my studies and embarked upon a PhD in developmental psychology. Towards the very end of my PhD, I made the decision to study part-time, and began working both as a Research Assistant at the School, as well as working as a part-time lecturer at Belfast Metropolitan College. Trying to juggle writing up my thesis whilst working two jobs at the same time was tough, but it didn’t seem like work because I was finally doing what I wanted to do.  Since October 2020, I began working full-time as a Lecturer (Education) at Queen’s Psychology. 

My advice for current students is that we all differ in when we realise what career path we want to follow, but there are so many great opportunities to investigate this during your studies, such as placements, recruitment fairs and meetings with career advisers – so make the most of the opportunities that are presented to you.