And that’s a fair question really.  It’s not exactly one of those careers people grow up talking a lot about. Everyone knows what a doctor does. Nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists… no explanation needed about those dreams and aspirations, but Biomedical Scientists? There’s a good chance you’ve never really thought about who they are or what they do. Truth be told, not awfully long ago I probably couldn’t have given you anything more than a vague approximation of an answer to that either.

I didn’t go looking for Biomedical Science, it just kind of snuck up on me. When I applied for my HNC in Applied Science, I wasn’t working on a detailed five-year plan or sitting there with a flowchart mapping my route to university and a high flying career beyond it. I just knew I wanted to study science. I wanted something completely different to dedicate the second half of my working life to, maybe “in a lab somewhere”. I wanted something that challenged me and made me use the old grey matter… At that point in time, that was all I needed to know.

On the first day of the HNC, the tutor for the Data Handling/Maths module asked what our plans were. Where we wanted the HNC journey to take us. I was surrounded by full-timers (1 Year students – I was the only part-timer taking the course over 2 years so I could still work alongside my toe-dip back into education), who had grand plans in so many different fields: Mental Health Nursing, Archaeology, Veterinary Nursing, Paramedic Science, Physiotherapy, Dental Hygiene… my answer? “I’m just hoping to make it ‘til Christmas and we’ll see after that”. I wasn’t even joking.

The further into the HNC I got, there were certain topics I suppose I just couldn’t get enough of. In year one it was Microbiology (Sorry Maths, Chemistry and Lab Techniques!).Then in year two Anatomy & Physiology and Cell Biology were the winners (Again, my apologies go to Biochemistry and Regulation & Quality). For these new-found favourite topics I wanted to learn more than the assignment actually required – disappearing down Google rabbit holes, asking questions that weren’t on the worksheet. I’d find myself reading things because they were genuinely interesting. I didn’t just want to know the basic mechanics of the thing – I needed to know how it worked, why it worked and exactly what that meant for all the other things that were connected.

Then there was UniStem Day. Twice.
If you’ve never heard of UniStem, it’s a global event focused on stem cell research with the goal of bringing together pre-university students and current researchers to explore exactly what’s happening in the world of stem cell research.

SERC were the only FE college invited to this event at QUB so I went during my first year and absolutely loved it. Who knew Belfast was such a player on the world stage! Being a lucky old part-timer I had the chance to go back the following year, so of course I jumped at it. Listening to researchers talk about their work, seeing first hand how it had progressed in one short year and seeing the possibilities of biomedical research so tantalisingly close to home made everything feel real. And possible. This wasn’t just information in a textbook or breakthroughs happening in some far-flung corner of the world…These were real people working on real problems that could genuinely improve lives, RIGHT HERE….. (yes, that’s me you see, drifting off into the realms of possibility, hopes and dreams!)

Open Day
At the very beginning of year 2, I let myself toy with the idea that I could apply to Uni. The talk around college was all about UCAS and signing up and making choices… everyone else in the class was doing it, so why shouldn’t I?* Nothing is decided or set in stone… it’s just an application… (*Alright kids, small interjection here – This attitude is acceptable here, but sensible decision making is advised. Don’t jump in the fire just coz your bestie did it…)

I knew with a family, mortgage and all that other pesky responsibility stuff that comes with being a grown up, that my choices would be limited to Ulster and Queen’s. We weren’t in the business of relocating our entire lives for a pipe dream… so, I went to the QUB Open Day on the first or second Saturday in September. On my own. I think at this point it was very much still “my secret dream”. If I committed too hard to actually WANTING it, I’d only be disappointed. Or if I told anyone outside my immediate family, it would be a smirk, a giggle and a “what are you on?!”

But anyway, open day… I deliberately sat in on three different subject talks:
Biological Sciences – my thinking being variety is the spice of life! This had loads of optional units in a diverse array of subject areas. But, I wasn’t overly interested in the “plant stuff”. I was really interested in some of the human based modules, but *shrugs* not completely sold. Microbiology – I loved this in first year. Would it translate to 3-4 more years? Maybe. And Biomedical Science – with the option to change between Biomed and Human Biology after 1^st year, it seemed like a very “me” option. I sat in because I wanted to be sure.

By the end of that open day, I was. Biomedical Science just felt… right. It combined everything I’d found myself drawn towards throughout the HNC so far (and stuff I was still to study and ultimately enjoy). It wasn’t that the other courses didn’t interest me, it’s just that this one felt like I had finally found my “thing”.

So, yeah…It wasn’t one big lightning-bolt moment. It was lots of little ones –  A topic of study where I just couldn’t get my fill of knowledge, a lucky coincidence that my class were invited to a UniStem event that left me inspired by the real-world work and an Open Day that confirmed what I think I probably already knew. Before I even realised it, I’d stopped wondering what I wanted to study and started wondering how soon I could begin. (You know it wouldn’t be me without a healthy dose of stress and turmoil thrown in for good measure, but that is a story for another day!)