I’ve been in the EU for about 7 years now, going on 8. Wow…just now coming to the realisation that it’s been a long time. I’ve literally spent my 20s here. It’s been full of ups and downs, highs, and lows – everything. In this time, I’ve followed a particularly interesting academic career path.
Some of the decisions I’ve made have had absolutely no afterthought, just some simple in the moment decisions that have really shaped my career to what it is now. One thing I can tell you though, is I never thought I’d stay in academia as long as I have. It’s been rewarding, sure, but I do wish I knew some things ahead of time. Here’s my story and a bit of advice.
First things first, I did my bachelor’s degree where I am. I was paying for that, about 3 grand a year (€3000). This was a pretty fair price for the type of university I attended and the general quality of education and opportunities from it. During my bachelor’s degree, I started working as an English Language Teacher. This was a very educational experience for me. I had had an opportunity to work in education before I left my country, so watching over kids and teaching them a couple of things wasn’t new territory.
However, teaching adults was. I was working with people 2 or 3 times my age – it was such an adjustment. I enjoyed it though. I did this a couple of hours a week, teaching kids too along with completing my first degree. It was hard on time management, but I made it work. All the while doing that, I was active in university – joining several university clubs and groups and participating as often as possible.
I was working on building my CV and pushing to be an “all-rounder”. I believed it would help me somehow in the future, so I was willing to do the work. And boy, was I right. After I completed the degree, the university literally offered me a free master’s degree. I genuinely wasn’t intending on furthering my education, but it made sense. It also helped me maintain my legal status within the country – and actually start to build my years towards a Permanent Residence (wish I should apply for in the coming year) or a Citizenship (which I’ll be eligible for in 2 years).
So, first degree done, Master’s lined up and guess what? I got my very first official job offer. Where I’m at, it’s generally easier to get a job when you have a first degree. So, I started working in this company and was promoted within about a year. This was fantastic! I enjoyed the job, and they were so kind to be a little flexible with my schedule to accommodate my master’s degree. Once done with the master’s degree, a PhD literally fell into my lap.
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Again, it was so simple to get a supervisor onboard and accept me as a student, all because I did the groundwork with my university and built a reputation people at the uni could rely on and trust I’d be able to do the work. And guess what? A PhD comes with a scholarship, a monthly stipend which is like a salary that you can use to support yourself during your stay. And again, this helps you accumulate the years you need to get to a citizenship in several countries in the EU.
Academic Career Path Personal Advice
Currently, I’m still on the PhD step. I’m in my third year of the four-year degree and am yet to see what my next steps after I complete the PhD. Here’s a list of the advice I have if you’re considering following through with academia:
- While doing your bachelor’s degree, be proactive and find activities and clubs you can join.
- Try publishing some research work while you’re still doing your master’s degree.
- Be involved in the university research departments or even administrative areas as well.
- Continue to build your CV with work (that you could sometimes find at the university or in companies).
- Work hard to achieve your goals.
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Till the next read!