Bio
Preferred name: Chris
Details: 26, from Manchester, UK
Imperial Course: MSc Immunology
Optional Modules: Attributes and Aspirations
Previous Education: BSc (Hons) Biochemistry, University of Manchester, 2:1
Clubs and Societies: Ultimate Frisbee
Tags: Home, PGT, FoM, Immu, mature
Motivations and Frustrations
Motivations
He was working in a Graduate Scheme in a large organisation but realised it did not align with his values and has decided to return to study to find a future position that does on a potentially different, still unknown, career path. He is excited to be back studying.
Frustrations
While he is excited, Chris is also anxious about returning to education after his time out. Will he remember how to be a student again? Given he has been working for several years he will be losing some income and is worried about his long-term finances if he does not get a job quickly after he graduates. He is also worried about choosing the wrong job again as he is older now and his partner is settled in their role. He worries that he will be left behind professionally.
Chris's AA Journey
Chris uses Attributes and Aspirations for Medicine the sections in bold refer to the units he takes.
In his previous degree Chris really benefited from extra support to help with his mental health and wellbeing. He has already contacted his faculty senior welfare tutor to find out what his department can offer and uses AA3 for MED – About Imperial to find what other support is available.
Chris is very aware that his master’s is only a year and he will need to find a job quickly. He starts by working on his network to see where there might be opportunities from his previous contacts. In CP1 for MED – Networking he starts to build his network by looking for careers fairs to attend and professional societies he may join. Chris learned about a tool called MindView from EE5 for MED – Practical Tools and uses this to draw out his network, he also learned about ‘Forest’ a tool to help concentration. CP1 for MED – Networking also encouraged Chris to think about how to approach networking events like careers fairs, the sort of questions that he could ask employers, and how to politely leave a conversation. In CP3 for MED - Researching Your Career Options Chris explores other tools for researching the job market and uses MarketLine Advantage to search for companies that he might like to work for.
During his job search, Chris finds an advert from the Stroke Association and CVA2 for PG - Dissecting Advertisements helps him explore how the advert is constructed to enable him to apply for the role. In IAS3 for PG – Failure and Opportunity Chris is offered and takes this role. He knows it is not his dream job, but he reflects on this and how it meets his values. This unit reflets on this and considers it in respect to his situation. Chris has proposed to his partner and would like to find a job to help save for their wedding, so he sees taking this job as a step towards both his savings goal and building his career, therefore it is not considered a failure, just a steppingstone.
In EE2 for MED – Decision Making Chris is working at the Stroke Association but still looking for opportunities. This unit follow him in making some decisions throughout the day, from what to have for breakfast, to whether he should apply for a new job, and explores the way those decisions are made. Then in EE4 for MED – Goal Setting Chris decides to set up a new Ultimate Frisbee Club as he misses being part of one since leaving university. This unit explores SMART goals and how they can be set to make new projects work well.