My placement year was my first work role strictly related to science, as opposed to a summer job – it taught me a lot about work-life balance. My attitude throughout my placement was to say yes to every opportunity and to throw myself in at the deep end, however not at the cost of burn out. It can be important as a graduate, typically when you want to impress your managers and those above you, to remain practical and realistic in your expectations and output.

Placement greatly increased my confidence in both my scientific skills but also my creative and communicative skills. During my time I was given much more independence than I anticipated and thus as a result my confidence in these avenues grew, as I was able to practice them daily.