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What have you been up to since you graduated?
I joined my current organisation a month before completing my Master's at UEA. The vacancy was advertised to my cohort by one of my UEA lecturers, Catherine Jere. CareerCentral helped me improve my CV and tailor it to a UK organisation context. Another UEA lecturer, Helen Campbell-Pickford, offered me valuable advice for succeeding in the interview process, which was my first attempt at applying for a social research position.
For over a month, I balanced full-time work with finishing my Master's dissertation.
I started with the organisation remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic on a temporary contract. My initial scope of work was to support qualitative data collection, analysis and reporting in multiple languages I speak, as part of two multi-country research and evaluation projects focused on low- and middle-income countries. Eventually, the organisation appreciated my profile and work and offered me a permanent position, which I accepted. I've been there since then.
I moved from Norwich to Maidenhead a year after finishing at UEA to be closer to my organisation's headquarters as the pandemic began to ease. I then relocated to Leeds 2.5 years later, where I currently live. This second move was motivated by a desire to gain broader life experience in a different part of the country (Northern England) and was enabled be the fact that my organisation has an office in Yorkshire.
What was your ambition for your career when you started at UEA? Did you have a specific career path in mind?
I sought a career that would enable me to provide expert technical support to governmental and non-governmental stakeholders worldwide to help improve educational practices and policies on a broader scale.
Tell me about your experiences studying at UEA (how did you find out about UEA, what made you choose to study your subject, and what were your best days on the course?)
I discovered UEA while researching global rankings for the field of Development Studies. I chose UEA because they offered a specialisation in Education within Development Studies, which few institutions have and which I wanted because it aligned well with my previous career as an academic.
My favourite days included:
Engaging in whole-group discussions during my Education modules, where we were a close-knit group from diverse parts of the world and sharing many different perspectives on important issues.
Group study sessions with two friends at the Library on Saturday mornings, when we'd review together the module materials on Conflict, Civil Wars and Peace
Working on the literature review for my Master's dissertation on education in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as it allowed me to explore my passions with considerable freedom. Actually, the whole dissertation, as my supervisor (Helen Campbell-Pickford) is very fun to work with in addition to being hugely knowledgeable and passionate about her work.
Going for a swim at Sportspark early in the icy mornings during the winter
In your career what key tasks & skills are involved on a day-to-day basis, and what are/have been the most rewarding/challenging aspects?
Over time, my work expanded from developing countries to include the UK as well, always emphasising education at the system and classroom levels. My methodological skills evolved from qualitative to mixed methods, including AI-assisted approaches, and from just remote to both remote and in-person fieldwork with adults, young children and adolescents. From the initial focus on data collection, over time I gained extensive experience across all research and evaluation project phases, from research and instrument design to data analysis, reporting, dissemination, stakeholder engagement and project management. I also support business development activities, including preparing bid and grant applications and developing overseas stakeholder networks.
The most challenging yet rewarding part of my journey was learning to think and behave as a social researcher, especially one that focuses on qualitative methods. Prior to UEA and this job, my background was in Engineering.
Has your degree influenced your career? (This could be skills gained, technical knowledge, confidence, or other benefits.)
Prior to UEA and this job, my background was in Engineering, a very different approach to understanding people, social issues and conducting research. It took me a few years of learning, unlearning and relearning before I felt fully confident. Fortunately, my foundational training at UEA and continuous professional development in my job supported this transition.
A degree firmly established in the field of Education and International Development was a mandatory criterion for the job.
In summer 2020, Helen Campbell-Pickford led an optional training on remote data collection methods for DEV students, which suddenly became very important due to the pandemic and the halt to in-person fieldwork. I attended the training without initially expecting to work with these methods, but a few months later, I had to apply everything I learned during my job interview for NFER and when starting my role! What a coincidence!
What personal or professional achievement are you most proud of?
I am really proud of my decision to enter the Social Science sector and establish a reputation both within the UK and internationally. It is a decision I have spent years solidifying and feel confident about. To me, it represents a mix of professional and personal achievements.
What were your experiences of Norwich as a city? Is there anything in particular that you miss or have fond memories of?
I miss everything, including the legendary Jarrold scone!
Is there any advice you would give to current students, wishing to follow a similar career path to you?:
Build strong, nurturing relationships with your lecturers. Whether you are changing careers, as I did, or starting your professional life from scratch, they have valuable lessons to share that are worth their weight in gold when you want to transition from a student to a professional.
What is next for you?
I aim to further develop my technical, managerial and people skills to enhance my contributions in the UK and abroad, focusing on research, monitoring, evaluation, policy, technical assistance and training.