The Anxiety of Fulfilment
The Constant Question
During my placement, I found myself consistently evaluating my levels of fulfilment from each task I would do. Whether this was anonymising data or doing some qualitative analysis, each task I completed helped me to build a stronger understanding of what fulfilled me in a working context. I found the general academic approach to be somewhat limiting and uninspiring. By working on a piece of active research and communicating with the authors about the direction this was going in, I felt underwhelmed.
“I found the general academic approach to be somewhat limiting and uninspiring”
Completing the self-efficacy career confidence scale previously has allowed me to have a unique insight into how I have changed since the start of my work placement. Previously I had stated that I was unsure about making decisions for my future, but throughout the length of this placement I have come to a rather important revelation. The academic side of psychology, as interesting as it is, is not a fulfilling career path for me. By working on this placement, I have realised that what I had previously assumed would be an interesting career is in fact not something that I could get long term fulfilment from.
“I felt underwhelmed”
“not something that I could get long term fulfilment from”
Did I really know what I wanted?
In reflection, as much as there were aspects of my work placement that I thoroughly enjoyed, such as directly working with patients and forming a rapport with them, there were aspects that I didn’t enjoy as much, and this was definitely reflected in the amount of effort I would put into those tasks. It is therefore important for me to be engaged with my work in a meaningful way otherwise my mind can tend to drift and lose focus on the task at hand.
I strongly believe that this short work placement and the self-evaluation tasks have given me the confidence to work collaboratively in similar environments. Previously, I had a lot of anxiety when having to deal with more authoritative figures, for fear of letting them down. Throughout my work over the past few months, I have achieved a newfound confidence in my communication skills and in the quality of work I can produce. These skills are invaluable in the workplace and I hope to be able to put them to effective use in the future.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
My outlook for the future has now improved significantly, and I can see a fruitful career in psychology as long as I am honest with myself and what truly fulfils me. I now believe that after this placement, I am both much more employable and ready for the workplace due to the skills I have gained and cannot wait to apply them to some work that truly fulfils me.