Audiology is the next step

There’s always this sort of pressure that a majority of students feel right before they graduate – it’s a looming question that you push to the back of your mind, until you cannot ignore it anymore. What happens after this? It’s the first time I could be out of education – and everyone would get off my back as I can say I’ve got my degree – but what would I do? What career would I pursue?

I remember my graduation, and the weeks before it, clearly (probably because it was only a couple of months ago…). My entire family would ask me daily, “What are you going to do after you graduate?”, and I honestly had no clue. I knew I liked science, which is actually the main reason why I did my undergraduate studies in Biomedical Sciences, but after doing that course for three years, I knew I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life, day-in-day-out, looking through a microscope in a lab. I wanted balance: I wanted to pursue scientific research but I wanted the chance to interact with people and make an impact on their life. My undergraduate course made it seem like I’d be trapped in a lab. I remember looking at Prospects.ac.uk, reading and searching for careers in Biomedical Sciences that did not just involve working in a lab, but none of them actually seemed interesting to me. There was Medical Sales, but I didn’t want to sell things just for the sake of money and go into business. There was becoming a Physician Associate, but the workload did not appeal to me…

Then I came across the Scientist Training Programme (STP) with the NHS. I had heard of it before in my undergraduate; people would come in and advertise it, but only the programmes in Microbiology, Genetics or Immunology. Although, I found, and still find, these topics interesting, I was starting to get bored of learning about cells and molecules. To those who like those things, no hate honestly, I think I was just burnt out at that point and wanted something new. I did not know there were other specialties in the STP apart from the three that I mentioned before – so when I came across Audiology, I said to myself “How could I forget???”

How could I have forgotten such a vital sense? Of course there’d be a whole science dedicated to hearing! As someone who did not grow up around the deaf community, I will admit, I was sheltered and, perhaps, you could even say ignorant of these matters. I had always known communication is important, but I had always thought of verbal communication and listening – but what about when your hearing is impaired? What happens then? How do you communicate?

I started researching about what the STP was, and what audiology is and what it would be like to learn about it. It was a completely new field that seemed so interesting, and I felt that it was just what I needed to find my passion for science again. Additionally, just acknowledging

I was looking at career opportunities in this field specifically and becoming an Audiologist seemed very appealing, however, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to continue doing research. I still wanted to find that balance of making an impact in both research and to individual people. The STP was at the back of my mind constantly; I knew how competitive it was, and heard horror stories about it from my undergraduate about how there’s people who have applied multiple times and still haven’t gotten in. I wanted the STP, but could I do it?

This is what led me to my Master’s in Audiology at the University of Manchester. A Master’s in  Audiology was not offered in my undergraduate, so it was either Manchester or Southampton, and from where I live, Southampton was basically across the country. I was scared to do a Master’s – I was scared what people would think: “She just doesn’t want to leave education”, and was scared of starting my University life all over again. Yet, I needed to see if I really and truly wanted to pursue a career in Audiology. I did not want to jump into something and regret it later. For me, doing a Master’s in this specialty would help me consolidate my own thoughts and emotions. In regards to the STP, this master’s would also help me decide if I wanted to commit to the STP in Audiology. The STP requires dedication and hard work. The competition and failing scared me, but I thought, if I thought it was worth it, I should try.

I can definitely say that, as of now, its working. I have reached semester 2 and I still find myself looking forward to learning more in this field. I know that the STP is the perfect career for me, and I want to pursue this goal. I have to keep reminding myself whenever I get burnt out, or when I feel overwhelmed, that all of these emotions come with working hard towards your goal. In a way, I feel satisfied knowing I care about reaching my goal so much. I have learnt that fear stops you from getting where you want to be. If I had continued to ignore the questions at the back of my brain about my next step, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I am confident in my decisions, and in myself. I know that failing and obstacles are just part of the journey sometimes – you just have to do it, because at the end of the day, you never truly know what will happen.