Last month I made a trip to the fashion city of Italy, Milan. No, I was not there for any fashion show but to attend an international conference where researchers and experts in the area of workplace bullying congregate to share their insights.
It was a 3-day event (with an extra day for PhD students – which I attended as I will become one in Sept). Before the event, I have been reading articles about workplace bullying, as this is the area I am researching in my PhD thesis. It was nerve-racking, to say the least, as those names I read about from all the research articles, I was seeing and conversing with them face to face.
It was also a good opportunity to see what other people are researching and have gained lots of insights into the issues they faced while conducting their research. Of course, I have also made some new friends and network (as I do) with academics (hoping to look at future collaboration). What was interesting was the fact that almost all the people I met were passionate about the subject and were willing to share. This is something, I missed, especially now when working as a consultant. People who work in consultancy firms are rarely willing to share information, which can be understandable. Attending the conference has reignited my passion for absorbing knowledge, and to have the ability to hypothesise this helps to be placed in a positive frame of mind before my PhD study.
The next 3 years will be dramatically different for me, as I will be juggling my PhD full-time and consultancy work. However much hard work and grind, I believe I will benefit a lot more from being exposed to the academic world again. I hope in the course of my study, I will be able to adapt and use what I learn in my current work so that I will be able to provide my clients with better service and insights.