Thoughts of a trainee at Research and Project Services

Three delightful months have gone by since I started as a University Trainee at the Research and Project Services unit and walked into a room full of people who turned out to be the most wonderful and helpful co-workers.

Like most people starting at a new job, I too was nervous. I had genuine interest in science and research but I was unsure what it exactly was that the unit of Research and Project Services did. Doubts clouded my mind: What if I was the wrong person for the job? What if I didn’t have the required knowledge or the skills? What if I was a con artist who had cheated everyone and stolen the job from someone actually qualified?

To my relief, my fears turned out to be groundless. My colleagues understood that everything was new to me since the research administration work is not visible to students nor is it taught in courses. Our unit’s role is to support researchers, so it was natural that a student such as myself would be unfamiliar with the work. One of the best – and at the same time one of the most stressful – aspects was the fact that the subject matters, such as research funding programmes, were entirely new for me. Even if it was a bit daunting to begin working in areas outside of my expertise, it was also very rewarding because it offered me an opportunity to study and learn something completely new.

Consequently, studying was one of my main work tasks in the beginning. I got to familiarize myself with different research funding programmes while also assisting my colleagues with practical matters such as event organizing and communication tasks. The amount of new information was vast, but nobody expected me to absorb all of it at once. And over time everything gradually became more understandable.

I appreciated the chance to influence and shape my own work tasks. Since finance and budgets are not my forte, I did not have to spend my time creating budget spreadsheets. Instead, I got to put my language and communication skills to use by creating and revising content for newsletters, intranet and project handbooks, for example.

In a short period of time I have gained a huge amount of knowledge about research funding and bureaucracy surrounding the research projects. It has been refreshing to learn about subject matters that are completely different than my field of study. And it has been great that despite the differences in substance I have still been able to apply the skills and knowledge I have gathered from my own field during my university studies.

The reason why I have been able to learn so much is the people I work with. They have generously shared their knowledge and insights about the world of research funding and research support services. From the get-go they invited me to various events, meetings and trainings, and that helped me tremendously in getting accustomed to the job.

My summer at the Research and Project Services unit has helped me in clarifying my own personal future plans. I have gained a deeper understanding about what it is that I’d like to do with my career and I have also identified what kinds of tasks are less interesting to me. In addition, my colleagues have offered me tips about potential career opportunities. Working on research-related matters has also sparked an interest in a potential researcher career of my own. At least I know that ample proficient support is available to the researchers if I am ever to become one.

Now the summer is coming to an end and so is my traineeship along with my studies at the university. It’s time to step from student life to professional life, and I feel more confident doing so with the experience I’ve gained during my summer as a trainee at Research and Project Services. I recommend this traineeship to everyone, and I believe it will help you no matter what field you are interested in.

Elias Törmälä