First-Gen Geoscience Community Blog
I was the first person in my family to go to University and get a degree. My mother has a diploma in teaching, but that was at a time when teacher training was not linked to University degrees. My parents supported me a huge amount through University and I worked various jobs throughout to support myself too. I also had a maximum student loan. I finally paid this off this year (19 years after starting my undergraduate degree). I know I am one of the lucky ones, I don’t ever take this for granted, nor the support I received from my family to get through this.
I am now Head of School for Geosciences at the University of Aberdeen and I love it. I have always wanted to work in academia, but had a bumpy road to get here. After my PhD I could not find a related job and of course needed income, so I worked in sandwich shop and even for Apple for a time. I eventually found geoscience work in industry and then a teaching opportunity came up at the University – I have since stayed and worked my way through to where I am now. We need to do more to discuss the complexities of how one reaches certain jobs in academia; we need to do more to support those from underprivileged backgrounds. Like I said, I am one of the lucky ones and don’t ever take that for granted.
Dr. David Muirhead, Head of School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, UK (@DrDaveMoo on Twitter)