Charlie Roadhouse's Graduate Story

What is it like working in your field?

“Because I came from my masters degree it didn’t feel like too much of a shock in terms of the work that I was doing. I think the biggest shock was the structure of the PhD, since you are working on your own time, whereas throughout both degrees I was working around a schedule from the university.”

What does your day-to-day life look like at work?

“I work independently most days unless I need to go in to help work as a Teaching Assistant. There’s always time to catch up with tutors about the current research and many opportunities to help with interesting projects. The rest of the day is usually spent programming, reading, and writing papers.”

What skills or experience did you learn at Manchester Met that are key to your work life?

“The main thing that helped me was my bachelor’s and masters thesis since they mimic the PhD process of independently working on a major project while being guided by staff. I gained time management skills and what works for me when organising myself for a big project like this. They also helped me learn a good method for reading and reviewing literature.”

What advice would you give students looking to get into your field of work?

“The main advice I would give to someone who is thinking they want to undertake a PhD is to make sure that they enjoy the subject that they are going to be working on. It’s also normal to feel like you are an imposter, but don’t worry because people will always feel like this. Finally, I would say find a system that works for you when it comes to working with papers and research, you want to be able to find what you are looking for with little effort.”

Do you think you could have done anything differently during your course which could have better prepared you for working life after graduation?

“My course prepared me well for the role that I am currently in. I wish I had applied for more jobs during my time in university, and I also wish that I had networked more in the industry as I am having to catch up in that area more now.”

If you could give one piece of advice for those starting their career journey, what would you say?

“Make sure you take as much advantage of your time at university to improve your soft and hard skills. For anyone that wants to go into tech make sure you work on a portfolio on the side.”