[CV] Variety is the spice of life.
Hey guys,
If you read my post earlier this year you may remember:
“… experience is never a bad option- exploring fields in real-life is bound to give the best outcome.”
Looking through what’s been added to my CV this year I definitely did that- there are lots of seemingly random pieces of experience where I found new avenues of work or places to volunteer. [Find a volunteering opportunity near you with Volunteer match]
Each year when adding new experience, I use a different colour so at the end of the year I can evaluate what I’ve been up to and what can be removed. This made reviewing my CV less laborious and more fun (I promise- click here for more tips to keep your CV up to date(Cheary, 2020).
I decided to study psychology fairly late on and didn’t have an exact career path in mind. Another factor was the huge variety in my second year modules. From evolution to neuroscience, from child development to statistics, from riots to advertising.
Psychology Is Everywhere.
According to my new (this year- fuschia pink) experience on my CV- there are nine places I have worked this academic year alone! I have clearly enjoyed the variety. I will probably find my career path through experiencing what I don’t want to do again. This is no bad thing; many people still don’t know where they want their career to go, even into their 30s (McKenna, 2017). This makes me feel positive about the future since any experience is forward progress. I am also excited to continue working with different people and building more connections all around Manchester.
Variety has given me insight into what options might be available as well as understanding the breadth of issues I may face when I eventually find my path. This is valuable as an understanding of your target audience/patients/employees/service users/clients is key in meaningful and effective work.
To take a specific example from my CV: ‘Working with a lecturer to conduct research on the stereotypes in labour market access’. As previously implied, I find it interesting to reflect on how psychology is everywhere- impacting everyone’s lives, often without them realising. This causes biases and I can see little evidence of procedures to counteract them.
Research appealed to me because I thought the gap in understanding in relation to these issues came from a lack of hard information, i.e. research. During second year it became clear (from the extensive research assignments, reading and lectures- thanks uni) that this was not the case. I have come to believe that research is actually well-developed and more extensive that I could have imagined. So, the residual issues may in fact lie in bridging the gap between research, policy and implementation. This is where I might fit in (tadaa).
Reflecting on my experiences has been valuable. Now I will be exploring types of employment available in persuading companies and external bodies to use the literature to help people. An example could be working within a charity- as they sometimes have more control over the day-to-day running of their services. I have already started exploring this and have been in contact with local charities such as Coffee4Craig . I will be looking to investigate how charities make use of relevant research and who advises them on it.
I will keep you guys updated on this.
Have a restful weekend.
References:
Cheary, M. (2020). Five ways to refresh your CV | reed.co.uk. Retrieved from https://www.reed.co.uk/career-advice/five-ways-refresh-cv/
Coffee 4 Craig. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.coffee4craig.com/about-us
Cognitive Dissonance Cognitive Dissonance Everywhere | Conspiracy Meme on ME.ME. (2020) [Image]. Retrieved from https://me.me/i/cognitive-dissonance-cognitive-dissonance-everywhere-14828072
McKenna, S. (2017, October 10). I’m 32 years old and I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://medium.com/the-post-grad-survival-guide/im-32-years-old-and-i-still-don-t-know-what-i-want-to-be-when-i-grow-up-bb57ec2761c4
VolunteerMatch — Where Volunteering Begins. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.volunteermatch.org
