The common theme through my career is that I need the stimulation of learning new skills and develop continually.
While finishing my Masters` in Psychotherapy, I started a Bachelors in Journalism in Communication. For the next decade, I worked a 9 to 5 job as a magazine chief editor and the other, after hours, as a relationship counsellor.
Growing up in conservative Romania, I heard a lot that technology and science are `boy fields`, so when I moved to Ireland, I knew it was time for a change. I was given a chance in a small charity as a Moodle administrator and had to self-learn everything. I went from never having seen a site administration menu, to developing eLearning content and doing sys admin work.
A year later, I was joining the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, managing a small Moodle platform for one of our schools. I had the opportunity to learn from different stakeholders, working directly with academic staff, students, software developers and after two years, I wanted to develop more. I loved working with Moodle and doing IT support, so when an opportunity arised in the main IT department, I took it. I`ve been here for 3 years now and I am still learning new skills and developing.
My biggest obstacle in learning IT skills was my own self-doubt, which is why now, whenever I deliver training across the university, I encourage participants to befriend and use technology and I 100% believe that they can learn anything!