From disillusioned to determined

Interviewing Han

Over the period of a month, journalist Megan Brownrigg followed Han’s experience of Career Accelerator and the powerful shifts in her mindset.

Today, Han is Research Lab Manager in UCL’s Department of Chemical Engineering. She holds onto the research element of her role but acknowledges that there are limited routes and opportunities for technicians like her to progress.

She wanted to know there was still hope. And she was not alone.

Han was one of several technical staff who arrived at Career Accelerator feeling that their progression was, at best, limited and, at worst, non existent.

Keen to understand whether WHEN’s programme could make a genuine difference to women experiencing these barriers, Megan followed Han’s journey across the two days at UCL and through to her follow up Growth Environment sessions a month later.

Her first interview with Han took place on day two.

1. What brought you to this course?

I was never one to believe that there is such a thing as a dead end.

When I first started as a researcher doing my PhD, my vision was that anything was possible. I was trying to change the world.

When you help to develop new drugs, you’re doing it because you want to make a change. You’re always doing something totally new. That’s how research works.

So even when I had my second baby, wasn’t successful in getting a fellowship and accepted a permanent technician role, I didn’t listen when people told me this was a dead end.

But 15 years later, I feel frustrated knowing there’s nowhere for me to progress.

I still firmly believe there’s scope for technicians to thrive. But currently, in reality, the opportunities are not there.

2. Can you explain some of the issues technicians are facing?

There is just nowhere to go for a lot of us.

There are more technicians than there are job opportunities.

Most of us also have very specific skillsets, which makes us a bespoke product in our own right, but it can often mean that our knowledge isn’t transferable to the roles being advertised.

So I’ve felt frustrated.

I need clarity and I need to know what the future holds for me.

3. Do you feel differently now from when you walked through the door yesterday?

To be honest, I feel overwhelmed, but I feel very, very positive about it.

There is no direct answer or current framework for technician progression. But I’m not seeking an immediate answer anymore.

I want to make sustainable change.

I came on this Accelerator to learn about myself and make discoveries that I can bring back and share with my colleagues about what we can do and what opportunities we can pursue.

4. How has the programme helped so far?

It covers so many topics that feel closely related to me, and there’s so much shared experience among the women here, which feels beautiful.

Hearing all the advice and stories is helping me to see a way forward.

I want to emulate some of the personalities here: being of firm mind and knowing exactly what I want from my future.

5. What is one thing you will do as a result of this programme?

Firstly, I’ll find a mentor scheme because this programme has shown me what I’ve been missing in that sense.

Secondly, I’m going to keep thinking about the things that are in my power.

Career Accelerator offers self reflection, something I never usually do because I don’t make time for myself.

It’s really helped to highlight where I should focus my energy.

6. How are you feeling, having had that reflection time?

I feel fully supported and I feel part of a community.

That was my first impression of the Accelerator.

Normally, on other courses, people say, “My name is XX, my job title is XXX,” and that’s it.

But people here were open, honest and warm straight away.

It’s felt like a safe environment to talk about anything.

It’s easy to feel like an isolated island when you aren’t getting positive feedback from your peers, but here I feel like I’m in a family again.

7. Where do you see your career going from here?

My big vision is that I want to be the technician representative for UCL, because I relate so strongly to technicians and the problems they experience.

I can see so much that I can do for them.

For example, a lot of technicians are shy people.

I was so shy when I started. I couldn’t even speak English properly. It was always a barrier for me, and I want to make change for other people who feel the same way.

We can all be ambassadors and role models.

I want to be that for them.

8. If someone said they were thinking of doing this programme but they were too busy, tired or nervous, what would you say to them?

You have to go.

This is a unique time to think about you: your career development, your vision, your achievements, your family.

It’s time for you.

And there’s no judgement.

And you will love it.

One month later

Fast forward one month and Han attended her second follow up Growth Environment lab with WHEN.

These are two hour facilitated sessions for small groups of participants to reflect on the professional issues they are tackling, share progress and maintain momentum.

In her first month after the Career Accelerator, Han had already:

• secured conversations with her line manager to discuss her progression, including travel grants, research grants and training
• started writing a proposal for seed funding that would help her challenge limiting cultures
• completed another leadership programme

But perhaps the biggest change was in Han’s outlook.

“I want to be known as a scientist,” she said, reflecting on her professional identity.

“And a role model.”

Han was also determined to drive change within her current institution and champion the role technicians play in research culture.

Before Career Accelerator, she had started to believe she had reached the ceiling of her career.

“I think before this event I’d accepted that this was it. I’d reached the ceiling of my career and there was no point trying to break it because I’d already tried and failed.

The system was not allowing me to progress, especially as a woman.

To be honest, I joined the WHEN programme just to tick a box for my appraisal form. But it’s been eye opening and heartbreaking.

I feel like my heart is beating again and I’ve finally found my community.

I haven’t been forced to do anything, but I’ve been able to think about what I want to do, and it all came from me.

The best thing about this course has been changing my vision, my view and my conclusion.”