My Career Goals
I want a career that combines focused, solitary concentration (i.e. research) with a social and helping role (i.e. counselling or teaching). In addition I want a career that offers opportunities for some degree of influence over others, the independence to do my work how I want to, respect, and a chance for life-long learning. I love presenting new ideas to large groups of people and have frequently heard from others that I have a natural ability for public speaking. Finally, I want a career that will call upon me to simultaneously work on a variety of different projects. All of these factors contribute to my goal of becoming a university professor.
In the interim I am focused on the short-term goals necessary to reach this position. I plan on finishing my master’s degree in the spring of 2014 before continuing on to a Ph.D. or second master’s program. I plan on applying to both programs in neuroscience and clinical psychology, hoping to combine my backgrounds in biology and mental health studies. My research interests lay in investigating the biological correlations of mental health difficulties. With much of current conceptualization of mental health difficulties based on the descriptive factors of the phenomenon (i.e. clusters of symptoms), I feel there is an important place in the field to explore more objective factors such as the genetic, neurological, and endocrinological bases of mental illness. Throughout this time I hope to continue gaining experience in both the scientific study and treatment of mental health issues as well as passing on my knowledge to the next generation of university students.
In the interim I am focused on the short-term goals necessary to reach this position. I plan on finishing my master’s degree in the spring of 2014 before continuing on to a Ph.D. or second master’s program. I plan on applying to both programs in neuroscience and clinical psychology, hoping to combine my backgrounds in biology and mental health studies. My research interests lay in investigating the biological correlations of mental health difficulties. With much of current conceptualization of mental health difficulties based on the descriptive factors of the phenomenon (i.e. clusters of symptoms), I feel there is an important place in the field to explore more objective factors such as the genetic, neurological, and endocrinological bases of mental illness. Throughout this time I hope to continue gaining experience in both the scientific study and treatment of mental health issues as well as passing on my knowledge to the next generation of university students.