Magda Lechowicz
A volunteer placement during fourth year helped Magda Lechowicz to gain a clearer idea of what type of career to pursue. As an Innovation Consultant, the psychology graduate draws on her creativity and people skills.
Name |
Magda Lechowicz |
Degree |
MA Psychology |
Year of Graduation | 2012 |
Your time at the University
My final year at Uni saw me clutching at straws to figure out what I wanted to do once I graduated.
Following a friend from my course, I signed up as a volunteer with Alzheimer’s Scotland and ended up spending most of my Wednesdays helping out at a day centre for people with early onset dementia. It was a testing experience, my first immersion into cognitive disorders beyond the text book.
Interviewing people affected by dementia and academics in the mental health field has been a fantastic experience and I truly appreciated my degree and my volunteering experience in Edinburgh.
Your experiences since leaving the University
Upon graduating I was fairly certain I did not want to pursue a challenging career hooked around helping people with mental illnesses. I decided against carrying on working with people with dementia, taking up a psychology assistant job or doing a masters in this field.
I wanted something more light hearted, something more creative and fun. I wanted to move into a field in which I could meet and work with a lot of peers. I ended up as an Innovation Consultant, working with big brands, the public sector, and then charities.
My most recent project happened to be with Alzheimer’s Scotland, which triggered lots of positive and rewarding memories from my University days. I helped the team come up with ways to help care home staff understand and address the sex and intimacy needs of residents with dementia. Interviewing people affected by dementia and academics in the mental health field has been a fantastic experience and I truly appreciated my degree and my volunteering experience in Edinburgh.
Alumni Wisdom
Trust your gut feel, do more of the things you enjoy and less of the things you dislike. You can change your mind and go round in circles as long and as many times as you like.