Five things I learned in my honours year
Whether it's a love for research or an unexpected career path, you're bound to discover new things about yourself during an honours year.
1. 听I actually like doing research
鈥淚f you asked me before if I would ever have considered a career in research, I probably would have said no way. Honours opened my eyes to what research actually was 鈥� for once I was doing a job that I actually enjoyed.鈥� Mouhamed Reslan, pharmacy.
鈥淔or me, the challenge wasn鈥檛 necessarily in the activity or project I was undertaking; it was about finding the confidence to undertake it in the first place. For all students, I say follow every opportunity. You never know what you will achieve.鈥� Senthorun Raj, arts and social sciences.
2. 听I could make it my own
听鈥淚 most enjoy the fact that I鈥檓 able to take control of what I鈥檓 looking at, it enables you to use lateral thinking and be creative in determining the outcome for your own research proposal.鈥� Minass Semerdjian, nursing.
鈥淚 think the best thing about honours is that it鈥檚 your project and you actively choose to pursue this area of research. You don鈥檛 actually feel like you鈥檙e doing work, you鈥檙e pursuing your passions.鈥� Neeraj Hansji, health sciences.
3. 听I can make a difference in my field
鈥淚 studied honours because I wanted to be a part of the research process and contribute to best practice in my field. My research is looking at medicine switching in multiple sclerosis, so it can have an impact on the disease progression of these patients.鈥� Minass Semerdjian, nursing.
鈥淚鈥檓 interested in paternity leave and parental leave because it鈥檚 a pertinent issue for our government to address 鈥� we lag behind every country except the US. I鈥檓 finding that employers generally find it acceptable for fathers to take a few weeks off following childbirth.鈥� Leo Gordon, commerce. 听
4. 听Honours didn鈥檛 ruin my social life
鈥淵ou develop great friendships with people in the labs. The social side of research is still one of my favourite parts of my job, which is unexpected as scientists are always portrayed as anti-social nerds but this couldn't be further from the truth.鈥� Kate Quinlan, science.
5. 听It led me in unexpected directions
鈥淏ecause of honours, I was given the opportunity to understand what occupational therapy was all about. That鈥檚 what inspired me to then pursue a degree and career in occupational therapy 鈥� I鈥檓 currently on placement.鈥� Neeraj Hansi, health sciences.
鈥淥ne of my proudest achievements to date was being awarded both the University Medal and the Australian Gay & Lesbian Archives Thesis Prize for my thesis. The combination of my voluntary and academic pursuits empowered me to apply for the job with the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, where I am in the extremely fortunate position of being paid to do what I love.鈥� Senthorun Raj, arts and social sciences.
鈥淢y honours thesis on MySpace gave me a lot of new investigative skills. I鈥檓 now the social media coordinator at the ABC. I鈥檓 glad I was able to translate my academic interest in social media to a practical one.鈥� Rhiannon Sawyer, media and communications.
Last updated 2 December 2020
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