PhD topic:

Cognitive Psychology (Implicit Learning)

Stage:

Final year (2000); Accepted thesis

Degree/s completed:

BSc(Psychology)Hons (First Class) (1995)

Why do a PhD?

Ben chose to do a PhD because he felt that he had ‘further to go’ with the area that he had worked upon for his Honours thesis. He was sufficiently stimulated and interested in experimental (especially cognitive) psychology, in order to devote a further 3 years towards the area. He remains interested in this particular field of psychology.

PhD area:

Ben has conducted his PhD in the area of implicit learning. He is fascinated by the concept of unconscious learning and what it can tell us about the role and function and basis of consciousness. Ben has since discovered that that this is a difficult undertaking. However, investigations into implicit learning can still reveal a great deal about non-intentional and intentional processing of information. His ultimate goal was (and still remains) to apply what we can discover about implicit processing in the lab to ‘real world’ learning situations.

Career/study path:

Ben graduated from Nottingham University (UK) with a first in Psychology (BSc) in 1995. He then worked as an English teacher in a Japanese high school for two years (1995-97). While in Japan he contacted his current supervisor directly at UNSW and discussed the possibility of doing a PhD. He then secured a place at UNSW and won a Commonwealth Scholarship to fund his PhD in Australia. He then returned to the UK (from Japan) for 6 months and worked in the Training Department of a large utility company. In February 1998 he began his PhD at UNSW, in Australia. He has recently completed his PhD (2000).

Skills and knowledge acquired as a result of doing a PhD:

Advantages of doing a PhD:

The PhD offers several benefits. By doing a PhD, Ben has developed the ability to take the initiative and to work both independently and alongside other researchers and team members. Moreover, he is not intimidated by large projects. The PhD also facilitates the capacity to work to deadlines, and fosters the development of problem solving skills that are transferable to many domains.

Sources of motivation and inspiration:

Ben is constantly motivated by the discussion and acceptance of his ideas amongst peers, through various means such as publications and conference presentations. He also derives satisfaction from being able to contribute new findings to a vast existing amount of knowledge.
Balance of work and personal life:
Ben has maintained an effective balance between his work and personal activities. He emphasises that it is important to treat the PhD as a job, not as a continuation of undergrad-style university life. He tries not to take work home with him, and not to work on weekends. He also sets realistic deadlines and meets these deadlines.

Ben also ensures that he has an active social life and non-academic interests. For example, he has held Vice President and President positions with the university scuba diving club for the first 2 years of his PhD.

Maintenance of skills and professional knowledge:

Ben subscribes to several major journals, email discussion lists and special interest groups, such as the Australian Learning Group. He also regularly attends conferences and frequently visits the library, in order to scan additional journals. He also uses the internet as a tool for literature searches within his fields of interest.

Career goals and strategies:

Ben aspires to further utilise and develop the skills and expertise that he has acquired both in an academic or non-academic (e.g. training and development consultancy) arena. In order to achieve his goals, he plans to apply for lectureships, postdoctoral positions and will re-establish his contacts in the training sector.

Final words of advice:

“Have an inquisitive mind, be confident that you can be highly self-motivated, treat it as a job, do not become all-consumed (it is not that important), have fun!”

PhD topic:

Binge eating (Health Psychology)

Stage:

One and a half years completed

Degree/s completed:

Bsc(Psychology)Hons (Class 1) (1998)

Why do a PhD?

Kylie is currently doing a Combined Clinical Masters and PhD, in the area of Health Psychology. She completed a BSc (Psychology) Degree at UNSW, before embarking on her Postgraduate studies. She chose to do a PhD in Psychology, due to her interest in research, and the particular topic area, and also to enhance her career opportunities. Through her research, Kylie is examining the topic of binge eating. She chose this area because she was motivated by the research from her Honours thesis, and wanted to further explore this topic.

Skills and knowledge acquired as a result of doing a PhD:

Overall, Kylie feels that she is able to apply such research skills to any area in a competent fashion.

Advantages of doing a PhD:

Doing a PhD also provides additional benefits such as increased employment opportunities, enhanced personal development and the ability to work in an independent and autonomous fashion.

Sources of motivation and inspiration:

Kylie is constantly motivated and inspired by being able to link research findings, examine the outcomes of her own research, and effectively compile a “story” of her own PhD.

Balance of work and personal life:

Kylie tries to balance her work and personal life by trying to confine her work to allocated work hours, and only working on weekends when she has to.

Maintenance of skills and professional knowledge:

Kylie maintains her skills and professional knowledge by subscribing to various journals, attending conferences and acting as a member of professional associations. She also constantly does literature searches to keep up to date with current research findings.

Career goals and strategies:

Kylie plans to work in a clinical setting, doing research. As Kylie is currently studying a combined Masters in Clinical Psychology and a PhD, she will be well equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge and qualifications for achieving her career aspirations.

Final words of advice:

“Keep organised…. write up as you go… and maintain a life outside of university.”

“ In order to maintain sufficient motivation and interest, you need to have a solid reason for doing a PhD.”

Current place of employment:

NSW Commission for Children and Young People

Degree/s completed:

B.Sc. (Psych) Hons (Class 1)
Completed PhD in August 2000

PhD topic:

Social Psychology-Stereotypes of young people

Why do a PhD?

Melissa wanted a career in research, and therefore chose to complete a PhD in order to achieve her goal.

PhD area:

Melissa examined stereotypes of young people and the way those stereotypes influence the propensity of young people to engage in delinquent or criminal behaviour. Her research aim was to suggest strategies for juvenile crime prevention that involve members of the broader community, not simply young people themselves.
She chose this area of research because she considers herself to be a youth advocate and planned to work as a researcher of youth-related issues upon completion of her PhD.

Career/Study path:

Before beginning her PhD, Melissa completed a BSc (Psychology), and did an Honours research thesis that examined the factors that are associated with engagement in adolescent delinquent behaviour. She also worked as a research assistant on a qualitative study that examined the major influences on young people’s engagement in criminal activity.

Current place of employment:

Melissa has recently obtained a position as a Research Officer at the NSW Commission for Children and Young People. She is currently managing a research project into youth suicide, self-harm, and risk-taking behaviour.

Skills and knowledge acquired as a result of doing a PhD:

Advantages of doing a PhD:

“Doing a PhD is a necessity if you want a career in academia and a huge advantage if you want a career in research.”

Are there any disadvantages?

“Having a PhD can never really be a disadvantage.”

Sources of motivation and inspiration:

Melissa is deeply committed to her area of research. Consequently, her research topic provided her with a great source of motivation and inspiration.

“In my opinion, a strong belief in your research area is essential to get through a PhD.”

Balance of work and personal life:

Melissa treated her PhD like a job, by aiming to work from Monday to Friday, while having her evenings and weekends to herself. She managed to maintain this work practice for most of her candidature, but also notes that, like any job, there are busy periods where she was required to work some evenings and weekends.

Maintenance of skills and professional knowledge:

Melissa subscribes to the journal; Youth Studies Australia, which keeps her up to date with youth-related areas of research. She also attends several conferences each year.

She has also attended several statistical workshops (e.g. structural equations modeling, qualitative data analysis courses), which have provided her with useful skills for research applications.

Final words of advice:

“I think it is important to have some idea of where you see yourself in terms of your career. If you foresee a career in academia or research then a PhD is a good way to go. It is also important to know yourself in terms of work habits and personality. A PhD requires enormous amounts of self-motivation and discipline. If you lack these qualities, you will find it very difficult. In other words, it is important to realise that you are ultimately responsible for your success. Your supervisor will hopefully guide you, but it is your work and so you need to set yourself milestones and targets along the way.”

“I also think that the strategy of treating a PhD like a job is useful. That way, you have plenty of time for your personal life, which is extremely important if you are to survive a PhD.”

“Finally, it is also helpful to share your experiences and ideas with fellow PhD students. Apart from providing company and friendship in a sometimes very lonely environment, this helps to put the difficult times in perspective, as you realise that everyone goes through rough periods.”