From the day she was born, Barbs knew she wanted to be a scientist.
Her parents were both university graduates; her Mum was a scientist, and her Dad was an engineer.
Barbs studied hard, and with the love and encouragement of her parents, she was accepted into a degree program at the University of Oxford.
She loved university and stayed through to PhD.
Then post-doc.
Then lectureship. Until she finally realised this was not all it first appeared to be and left to venture into new territory. Barbs became a science marketer.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -
In another universe, Barbs sat quietly in her room, wondering if it was safe to venture outside. She could hear her parents shouting, so she sat anxiously for hours, too scared to even move.
She often thought about escaping. But university? Well, that wasn't for people like her. There would have to be another way out.
Barbs did get out. She had children as a teenager and stumbled through the world taking any job that paid the bills.
After years of this, a kind woman encouraged Barb to go back to school. "But university isn't for people like me", Barb cried.
It turned out, it was.
You see, Barb was accepted into a degree at UEL.
It didn't matter that it wasn't Oxford or Cambridge or Imperial or UCL.
All at once Barbs' world became bigger and brighter and so beautiful. She revelled in the realisation that university was for anyone who wanted it.
She loved university and stayed through to PhD. She realised that academia was not the right place for her at this time and left to venture into new territory. Barbs became a science marketer.
You see, Barbs 1 and Barbs 2 are the same Barbs living in a parallel universe.
The same Barbs with the same ending.
The only difference was the beginning.
➡ No one should be defined by the university they studied at.
This is a polite reminder because it appears many of you still need reminding.
