Reflections

At the start of this new year I feel it is important to reflect on the previous year.

For the majority of 2014 I spent all of my time and energy into my Master of Research project studying tiger vocalisations, which by now I can happily say is COMPLETELY done and turned in! Over the last year I learned the following:

1. Changing the world with research is uncommon

Most, including myself, get involved in research to "make the world a better place." I quickly learned that research is not as much of a direct route to change as I had initially thought. The process starts with a scientist getting funding to do important research that will hopefully have a "significant" impact. When the research is completed - unique or useful findings may be published in a scientific journal that can only be accessible through a subscription. Occasionally a journalist might find interest in the research and it will become publicly known. The next step would be involving policy makers to actually make changes. Researchers that I have met that actually are making changes and working with policy makers as well as continuing to do research have no family, no other hobbies, and basically no life outside of the work. Even if you were willing to make that sacrifice, there are issues just getting the funding to do the research you desire. 

2. Research leads to poor mental health

Coming into my research project I was well aware of the long hours, potential issues, and frustrations that would occur. I was not prepared for the extreme anxiety I would experience. Your entire degree and potential research career is dependant on one long project. Things will go wrong that can essentially make the research useless such as not getting certain equipment, another researcher publishing the same work before you, etc. Overall it is too easy to feel completely overwhelmed and hopeless throughout your research.

3. Politics in the academic world

I learned early on that things were more political amongst academics than I realised. Naturally every scientist has different interests and some things may be easier to get funding than others. For example, those studying mammals are more likely to get funding and public interest than those studying spiders. It can only be expected that there might be some animosity and resentment towards labs that may have significantly more funding. There is also a distinct hierarchy amongst those in academia with students at the bottom of the totem pole. It's similar to high school where senior students enjoy how young and naive freshman are and don't mind making their life difficult.

4. Degrees do not guarantee better income/jobs
Before I had ever earned a degree I never had a problem getting a job. When I completed my undergraduate degrees I applied for everything I could find including work at the local grocery stores, but I didn't even get an interview. I was "overqualified." Now that I have completed my Master's degree, I am having the same struggle. I'm learning that this is quite common. Even though you may get all the educational qualifications for a specific type of job, there is a small chance you will get the job that you studied so hard for. If I wanted to stay in academics, it could be another 10 years before I might actually have a teaching/professor type of position and I may have to constantly travel to different universities to find such a position. If I wanted to pursue clinical psychology, even if I got the PhD, there is no guarantee I could find someone to be my mentor to get me started in an actual clinic. If I want to work with animals, there are many people who have more experience than I do and there are not enough job openings. Some of the business and administration jobs I'm applying for I don't have as much work experience for and I may have more degrees than the CEO of the company. I don't regret my hard work on getting an education, but I cannot say that getting a degree guarantees you'll get a job and a higher income than others.

As I said before I don't regret my studies and all that I have gained from the many years I have spent at universities. I've learned a lot, met incredible people, had some good and bad times, and I've grown a lot. Nevertheless, I now have to deal with the impossible task of finding a decent job that will help me pay off my $200,000 in student loans. I really don't know what to say except thank you universities for giving me enough debt to last for a lifetime in exchange for a bunch of degrees that might actually be hindering me from getting a job.