Destined for Digital Humanities?
The decision of what to do after college is something everyone faces during their final year of college. As I’m on my way to finishing my undergraduate degree in Digital Humanities, I’m in the same position as many other students have been at this point of their study.. What’s next? This had me wondering through the internet, researching positions, masters degrees or graduate programs that suited my skills, abilities and interests. About an hour into this search, I stumbled across CareerExplorer.
Who can resist quizzes like this? Well I for one, could not.
I have always thoroughly enjoyed studying Digital Humanities in UCC. Not only because of the course content but also because of the incredibly supportive, encouraging and caring lecturers I’ve been lucky enough to have throughout the years. There’s no doubt in my mind that without the people who carry this department, my experience would not have been the same. That being said, I’ve always had a huge interest in everything we have been taught in our modules which has made the assignments, projects and exams feel less like struggles and more like opportunities to learn.
The first time I had to smile to myself when doing this quiz, was when I got my first pop up saying my top areas of study were computer and information sciences, liberal arts and humanities, history, business and social sciences. What a blessing that I have been exposed to all of these areas throughout my undergraduate degree.
As I continued answering various questions, I became increasingly appreciative of the fact that I at a young age, due to my love of research, I spent a considerable long time deciding what undergraduate degree I wanted to pursue after my leaving certificate. Regardless of the points needed, location or postgraduate opportunities, I knew it was essential to follow a path that I was truly interested in. Following the advice that I had been given from a young age from my father, to make decisions and follow my aspirations as an individual regardless of what society dictates.
I researched every possible path, from veterinary nursing to law, however, I knew I had definitive areas that I loved.. Information technology, academic research and behavioural economics. When I found that there was a new degree emerging, only taught in two universities in Ireland, which allowed you to study both computing and humanities as well as taking an economic elective, I was over the moon. I didn’t think a degree like this existed, well, I guess the fact that it didn’t a couple of years ago is why I’d have that assumption!
My experience of the course has been wonderful from the beginning, although I had not committed myself to my academics until second year as the college experience regrettably seemed to be my priority before that. Regardless of this, I was determined to pursue the degree to the best of my ability going forward. I took on part time work that related to my degree, researched trends and developments within the discipline in my spare time and involved myself as much as possible in seminars, workshops and events. Which has led me to have incredible opportunities in Google, VMware, Workday, IBM and Facebook as well as starting my own Web Design & Development business.
As well as the career opportunities, Digital Humanities has impacted my viewpoints across loads of areas of my life. I find myself critically thinking about information, monitoring my digital identity as well as subconsciously evaluating sources online. Definitely behaviours I didn’t anticipate when choosing to pursue this degree. Nevertheless are welcome aspects to having learned everything I have learned over the past 3 years. It’s not often that people can be in a position where they find a degree that is able to provide them with everything and more than they need to satisfy their natural curiosities, interests and passions.
Continuing on to the “personality archetype” section of the quiz, I get the pop up “You are a Humanitarian” which caused me to smile to myself for the second time. As well as the note that it’s considered “very rare”. It reinstated the belief that I was in an area that was right for me, which is a comforting thought. Although I recognise that the question and answers type of categorization can be flawed, it still brings reassurance to the fact that I’ve chosen a suitable area of study.
Going forward, I have a strong idea of what I’ll do next but remain open minded about opportunities or changes to this plan. Regardless of what happens next, I remain very grateful for the academic path I’ve taken and especially to those who have made this path possible. The work being put into the Digital Humanities department in UCC is inspiring and doesn’t go unnoticed, coming from the perspective of students, who ultimately reap the benefits of having such hard working, dedicated people there supporting their academic journeys.