‘Learning is never wasted'

Irish Times

20 hours ago

I studied Biological and Biomedical Science, with a specialisation in Zoology, and graduated in 2023.
By the time I got to my final year, after all levels of Covid lockdown and a year out as a student union (SU) officer, I knew that it probably wasn't Zoology that I wanted to pursue. However, the analytical and problem-solving skills I learned through my degree opened the door for me to explore further new interests. Specifically, my degree exposed me to urban ecology and the intersection of nature and society.
When I finished my undergraduate degree, I was lucky enough to be awarded a George Moore Scholarship to explore these interests further. It took me to London to do a Master's of Public Administration focused on Urban Innovation and Policy at UCL.
Here, I learned the foundations of how our public institutions work and I got the opportunity to develop my policymaking skills, both generally and related to the development of science policy.
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What stood out to me most about this experience was realising how the foundational knowledge I developed in my undergraduate degree benefited me in navigating this new academic and professional landscape. I would use the scientific knowledge, problem-solving and analytical skills from my undergrad far more frequently than I had initially expected.
One of the most useful aspects of my Master's was getting to work in industry with a partner organisation on the thesis component. Here, I worked with a London-based urban design firm on a project which explored the use of unconventional policy tools to create 'feminist cities' – safer, equitable and more inclusive cities for women, girls and gender minorities.
It was really important to me to be able to directly apply my learnings in the real world while still studying, and to build professional connections across diverse, innovative and creative teams working on salient, real-world challenges. It was a great privilege to have been able to do a fully funded Master's degree and tackle these challenges at a time when it is becoming increasingly difficult to be a student, especially when the cost of living and housing crises are considered.
My post-graduation pathway is somewhat unconventional when the title of my undergraduate degree is considered. I'm back reviving my old passions for SU politics as I work on developing and increasing democratic participation at one of London's largest SUs. Even here, I regularly use the communication, administration and technical skills from both degrees.
My biggest takeaway, I guess, is that the learning is never wasted. My time at university was worth so much more to me than what was written on my degree in the end – from skills, to personal and professional development, I know that wherever I end up in my career, that these opportunities to learn so much, pivot and change my interests, and to work with so many diverse and interesting groups of people, are going to stand to me massively.