A postgraduate degree can provide a boost to both your career and your income. It provides a platform for pursuing a niche that genuinely ignites your interest and for establishing a professional network.
The variety of postgraduate courses available has never been more vast, with the burgeoning trend of microcredentials enabling learners to undertake specific modules for skill enhancement. These individual modules can, over time, amalgamate into a complete postgraduate qualification.
We gathered insights from some postgraduate individuals about their learnings and how the programme aided in their career progression.
María Pérez Tadeo, a postdoctoral researcher who obtained her PhD from ATU in 2022, shares that her fondness for the ocean was always there.
She pursued her undergraduate degree in marine science from the University of Vigo, Spain. Upon completion, she found the economic conditions less than optimal and sought to diversify her experiences and bolster her English proficiency. She was driven by the urge to explore different locales, interact with a mosaic of individuals and acquire more expertise and skills.
Pérez Tado’s next stop was Ghent in Belgium, where she embarked on her MSc in marine biodiversity and conservation.
She spent the second year on ATU’s Galway campus, concluding her master’s thesis. She found the curriculum harmonious with her personal interest in marine science and conservation. This, along with her improving English adeptness, started to open opportunities.
Even though her undergraduate study spanned a broad spectrum of marine science, did she not contemplate venturing into a different postgraduate field?
Her undergraduate study covered a broad and extensive range of sciences and specialisations including geology, chemistry and physical sonography. Her master’s degree, however, honed in on animal behaviour within marine science and conservation, with a specific emphasis on marine mammal and species conservation. This truly captivated her interest.
Pérez Tado had completed her master’s degree well before the pandemic led to classes shifting to online mode and remaining there.
In the past, attending physical classes was the standard choice for many, and there was less acceptance of online education, recalls Pérez Tadeo. She favoured this approach as it provided the opportunity to undertake studies while exploring different nations, underscoring her experience of studying at a research station in Sweden. Today’s norm, however, has transformed to be inclusive of online learning and virtual meetings.
Her enjoyable stint while pursuing her master’s helped her acquire crucial skills through modules that emphasized statistical analysis, animal behaviour, underwater acoustic monitoring, and geographic information systems. These skills were relevant and applicable to concrete job roles, specifically within research or environmental consulting fields.
Utilizing the skills she acquired during her master’s, Pérez Tadeo proceeded to undertake a PhD that studied the factors influencing the population size and behaviour of grey and harbour seals at two locations on Ireland’s west coast, keeping in mind its impact on management and conservation. Her research involved analysing the effects of tourism on the seals residing around the Blasket Islands.
The experience to closely observe seals and contribute positively towards their preservation was fulfilling for her. She monitored the behaviour of seals in tourist-heavy regions where their breeding and resting spaces are. Following the research, she proposed recommendations for vessels and tourists to maintain a respectful distance from the seals without completely discouraging tourism.
Her current job as a postdoctoral researcher at ATU involves working on the Straits project, wherein ten research partners from Europe and Canada strive together to close the gaps in biodiversity management by tracking animal movements across four seas.
Her postgraduate studies significantly propelled her career forward. “It’s more than just a job for me. I derive immense satisfaction from it”, Pérez Tadeo confirms.
Owen Doody, meanwhile, reflects a growing trend of students pragmatically planning their career development. Already an intellectual disability nurse, academic and senior lecturer at the University of Limerick, he aspires to broaden his knowledge about involving intellectually disabled individuals in further and higher educational pursuits. His educational background includes an MSc in nursing from the University of Manchester, where he focussed his research thesis on family perceptions of resettlement for intellectually disabled individuals and a PhD in nursing from Ulster University in 2012.
Uncertainty had initially held him back from committing to another intensive postgraduate programme. However, he discovered he didn’t need to go down that route. An eight-week online part-time course offered by UCC, aimed at involving intellectually disabled individuals in further and higher education, offered him the consistent professional growth he needed.
He states, “After transitioning from a student to working with children and families, I progressed into a management role early in my career”. His objective at UL is to establish methods and processes that would allow more inclusion of individuals with intellectual disabilities as learners and experienced advisors in the teaching modules related to intellectual disability nursing. For instance, there could be a module about personal development where intellectually disabled individuals could share their life experiences. He expresses his wish to see more individuals with intellectual disabilities enrolling in various modules and potentially working as special-needs assistants, classroom assistants or in other jobs.
The module at UCC equipped Doody with the competency and understanding needed to expand these concepts and become more inclusive in the educational sector. The participation in the course was primarily academics, and it was entirely remote. Doody feels that an initial face-to-face ‘meet and greet’ could have been beneficial for the students to understand their fellow learners better. However, there was a significant component of peer learning involved.
He explains, “We dug into key readings and posed questions, and we presented our individual experiences with various programmes and modules through a discussion forum. This gave us the opportunity to integrate our practical experiences”.
When queried about his main takeaway from the course, he affirms his belief that he is on the correct path and has correctly identified potential hurdles. He realised the importance of strong university backing and commitment, as the efforts of a solitary ranger will result in failure.
On the other hand, Claudia Bailey had a dual passion she wanted her career path to cater to. “I completed my BA in public relations and strategic communication at American University in Washington DC, with a minor in environmental science”, she says. She had a strong interest in sustainability and wanted to prioritise it. Having spent her entire education in the US, she had an urge to explore an entirely new environment.
Having packed her belongings, she eagerly set off to pursue her MSc in Smart and Sustainable Cities at Trinity College Dublin. This postgraduate study in an unfamiliar field allowed her to expand her knowledge and enhance her portfolio of skills, perfectly balancing and complementing her undergraduate course. This new expertise offered promising opportunities for her future career.
As Bailey recalls, during her undergraduate studies, her professor posed a question, “You possess the knack for effective communication, but what are your subjects?” Her prior work experience included a year-long stint managing a bakery and working in digital media for a non-profit organisation promoting financial literacy. For her, continuing education was a clear path ahead.
The course at Dublin’s renowned Trinity College attracted her for an array of reasons. “It was a debut year for the program and the thought of being a test-subject for fresh ideas was an exciting prospect for me,” she remembers. “The opportunity to contribute to the learning experience while dedicating only a year was too good to pass up.”
The course was a melting pot, blending Irish students with their counterparts from Germany, China, Spain, Belgium, the USA and Puerto Rico, among other nationalities. Bailey described the classroom atmosphere as a brilliant weave of diverse perspectives, with every student bringing unique life experiences and fostering mutual learning.
The program combined elements from engineering, the environment and emerging technologies. The eclectic course content ranged from machine learning and biodiversity to urban sustainability and climate change. She credits the course for broadening her knowledge and finds the interdisciplinary approach especially useful in her current position as the Technology and Engagement Manager at Smart Docklands. This smart city project is a joint venture between Dublin City Council and the Connect research centre at Trinity College.
In her current role, she develops educational content about smart city technology, digital rights for municipal authority staff, whilst also serving on the coordination team for the Cities Coalition for Digital Rights to represent Dublin. Post-Masters, her intent was clear, “I wanted to continue here, I enjoy forging new bonds and being involved in the shaping of the city’s functioning.”
Also recounted is the story of Justyna Bodnar who resides in northern Poland’s Koszalin. She’s been working with Irish accounting firm Aperio remotely for two years now. The pandemic has accelerated the shift from standard classroom learning to online formats, providing learners with an array of options best suited for their specific situations.
Justyna has recently obtained her diploma from Accounting Technicians Ireland. This programme can be pursued full-time, part-time, or digitally.
“After welcoming my third child into the world, I considered the possibilities of remote working as I needed to be largely home-based,” commented Bodnar.
“The structure of the course was quite fitting as it permitted me to study and view lectures after my work, balancing my career, learning pursuits, and motherly responsibilities.
“I initially questioned my ability to manage my time in conjunction with the worry that English is not my mother tongue.
“However, the lecturers were extremely accessible and very supportive. After twelve months into the programme, I was fairly at ease with the curriculum and eager to succeed.”
The diploma programme warmly welcomes fresh graduates, mature educational pursuers, along with individuals from business, industrial or smaller practice fields who haven’t undergone formal training thus far.