2019 has been the year where I have left my student status behind and jumped head first into the real world and attempts to actually adult – starting with getting myself my first proper full time job as a science communications officer.
I am a few months into my role now and think I am finally getting used to my new routine and thought it was about time that I shared a little insight of what that is with you all as I get lots of questions asking about my day job. So, in order to do that I thought I would re-brand my ‘day in the life of’ posts and switch from showing you what my PhD days were like to now what my scicomm career days involve. So, let’s introduce you to the first chapter of my new life.
You can now see more chapters in this series here:
Chapter 2 – Chapter 3 – Chapter 4 – Chapter 5
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06:32 – Days start much earlier for me now as I commute back and forth to London every day – much to my annoyance as a night owl. It’s not my ideal scenario, but it means I get to do a job I am excited about and I can always catch a few zzz’s on the train.
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08:06 – Made it to the capital but my commute isn’t over still. A short tube ride or two first.
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08:44 – After a brisk walk to stretch my legs and after a few hours of travelling, I finally arrive at work to get started on today’s To Do list.
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09:12 – I had only recently taken over the social media channels for the MRC LMS – aka where I work – so a nice gentle start to my week was scheduling all the social media posts to come out this week
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11:41 – I usually block off at least half a day to get up to date with social media scheduling, creating graphics – hence the need to check out the brand colour palette – and an analysis that needs to be done on our posts. I really like being able to block the same time out each week so I know what I’m doing and when. I have a feeling though these half days are going to turn into full days with the big plans I have.
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12:28 – Time to take a break and re-fuel and of course spend some time listening to one of my new favourite and hilarious podcasts. Any other fans reading this of ‘My Dad Wrote a Porno’? If not, you should check it out.
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13:07 – Mondays are social media days but also the time where I get a 1 on 1 catch up with my manager – who is amazing btw 😛 This is the time where I share updates on what I’m up to, whether I need any help, identifying what is coming up on the horizon, discussing ideas and talking about what training I need or would like to be able to develop and progress. I always feel confident leaving these meetings and happy with everything that is going on – and the view over the capital isn’t bad either!
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15:02 – As well as all the core parts of my role, I am also there to support with any communication needs for other projects and meetings that the researchers in the institute are involved with. So my job on this particular afternoon was to redesign a poster for a scientific meeting that one of our researchers was organising. I support other projects not just in design, but with social media and digital strategy and all in between.
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17:27 – Home time! Well at least journey home time! Although I have a long commute to and from work every day, I am actually enjoying the opportunity to get a good walk in each working day and actually leaving at a normal hour – that didn’t happen in my PhD years very often.
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18:26 – Back on the train ready to make my way home. Another good thing about my travelling is that I can use this time to do all my blogging, freelance work, reading or binge watching my crappy TV programs. It has actually helped me become more productive by compartmentalising my time. I keep blogging to this time and then the time I have at home is mine to enjoy freely then before doing this all again the next day.
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So, that was your first insight into what a day in the life as a scicomm officer looks like for me. I have only been here a few months, but my days are already so varied as I have lots of different responsibilities but also have lots of room for creativity – so stay tuned for many more posts like this soon to give you a flavour of what my days involve.
Check out the other chapters here:
Chapter 2 – Chapter 3 – Chapter 4 – Chapter 5
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If you have any questions about anything you have seen in this blog, or about my career in scicomm generally, please ask me in the comments all of your questions!
Is this what you thought a day in the life of a science communications officer would look like?
I’m also thinking about making these style posts into video form – so if you would prefer that or would like that as well then I would love to hear your thoughts.