PG Certificate in Research Development - reflective essay
Introduction
Metaphorically, research journey during PhD is often compared to as a marathon and not to a 100 meter sprint run. Undergraduate and MSC courses can be described as a series of short-term goals with specific objects throughout entire year. Journey of completion of PhD, however, is not of such a short term goal and nobody will give me a clue of what is the mission of today. It could seem like having the luxury of time to someone but soon it will become an anxiety trap for PhD students. The question which could be asked is what could be the best way to avoid the common pitfalls? Discover additional insights on electronic assignment help for academic purpose to our other resources hub.
Knowing yourself to improve yourself:
Self-analysis could be a first step and will allow PhD students to find their strength and weaknesses. Throughout the PG Certificate in Research Development and OPD induction, Curricula Vitae was one of the tools which we could use. Wheel charts and activity cards have been divided with domains and sections for the purpose of making it easy to identify our strengths and weaknesses as a researcher.
Strengths:
Key element is helpful to improve my personality where I am never afraid to take the chances and challenges. Abilities to critically analyse the issues and tackle them with no hesitation are also gained throughout the years of experience in animation and VFX industries. As I am working as a school support specialist in 3D animation and visualisation, abilities to find an efficient way to deliver tutions and support could be my strength as well.
Weaknesses:
Most of the weaknesses, I chose, were mainly skills related to academic and research. My degree from undergraduate and master in art college were heavily project focused rather than research focused. Core academic skills such as research strategy skills and academic writing skill can be my weakness as compare to science and engineering PhDs and researchers. Furthermore, skills such as project planning and delivery (C2.2) and income and funding generation skill (C3.1) are not a skill set for PhD students in early stage. However these are the most valuable skills for researchers and it is my ultimate goal to learn these skills throughout my PhD. Another weakness apart from academic skills is ability to set a boundary between work and life (B2.5). In my opinion, this weakness possibly influenced me by South Korean working culture. As a part-time PhD student who working full time during a day, it is critical to set a solid boundary in work-life balance otherwise it will turn PhD journey to misery.
Conclusion:
Journey of PhD can be tough as marathon run. To finish this long tough journey successfully, it is absolutely necessary to plan the journey carefully in order to enhance the strength to overcome the weakness.
OPD Post Graduate Certificate in Researcher Development induction was really valuable experience which especially helps me to realise that there are many great supports I can get from university and they are key elements to build successful career from PhD. Furthermore, workshop provides opportunity to discuss my research topics with PhD students from different departments which allows me to look at my research with fresh perspective.
Action plan:
