In 1997 I started my degree course at the University of Glasgow. I had a burning interest in the world, and no idea about the way in which academia (or indeed most social institutions) operated. I was accepted to read English Literature. Glasgow University offered a flexible degree course, with students initially taking three subjects and specialising after their second year. At the advice of my director of studies, as my third subject, I took ‘sociology’, though I was unsure what it was really about.

Starting to engage with this subject it was as if the scales fell from my eyes. Finally the absurd, complex, multi-layered social world around me could be actively scrutinised, rendered visible and better understood. It was a revelation to me that everyday social institutions, practices and behaviours that we take for granted could be understood as socially constructed – knowledge that seemed both utterly obvious yet also exhilarating.

Sociology, was, and is to me about attempting to understand systematically the way societies are organised and how we and others experience life within these social structures and are affected by them. Most sociologists go on to develop particular theoretical or empirical areas of expertise to which they apply their sociological understanding. The ability to conduct social research, generate and interpret data about social phenomena, and communicate clearly the insight this leads to are also key skills of a sociologist.

After my first two years at the University of Glasgow, I went on to specialise in sociology, focusing on feminist theory and criminology, alongside research methods. Wonderful lecturers, such as Michelle Burman, and Paul and Barbara Littlewood informed my passion for sociology. Drawing on the courses I had already completed and at the suggestion of my supervisor, my undergraduate dissertation focused on the policing of sexual assault, interviewing specialist police officers working in Glasgow. So my first piece of advice: find a supervisor whose work you admire and then take their advice.

Following my first degree I went on to complete an MSc in social research at the University of Edinburgh, learning a great deal from my cohort of fellow students, and then a PhD from Glasgow University, focusing on transitions through homelessness. This was research in which I explored lives coloured by traumatic experiences and interpersonal abuse.