The future is yours to write, so why not be creative?
I was one of those kids that thought they knew what they wanted to do; however, life has a funny way of steering us onto unplanned paths. I always wanted to be an astrophysicist, researching the wonders of the cosmos after having been mesmerized by the night sky as a child. During my PhD, I had a realization: I loved teaching astronomy and physics and sharing my wonder with others. Armed with my newfound passion, I could have felt stuck; a path to a career in teaching when I’d been trained as a researcher was not straightforward, but it was also not impossible. I made a plan to upskill where I could and gain more valuable teaching experiences. My efforts were rewarded with a position as an Education Focused Lecturer at UNSW. I am a firm believer that while it is so easy to follow what is “tried and true”, you must follow what you enjoy and forge a new path, even if you can’t easily see one ahead!