I had a Master of Science. Why didn’t I see myself as a scientist?

I have a Master of Science in Applied Psychology. Yet I didn’t readily see myself as a scientist.

Writing that down makes the contradiction obvious. I had studied human behaviour through a scientific discipline, worked with research and evidence, and achieved a postgraduate qualification. Somehow, ‘scientist’ still felt like a description of somebody else.

An MSc doesn’t automatically make someone a practising scientist. But why was it so difficult to recognise the scientific part of my own education?

It made me wonder how often our picture of who we are fails to catch up with what we have learned and demonstrated.

“Can I do this?” and “Is this for someone like me?”

While planning a workshop on the psychology of confidence, I kept returning to the relationship between action and belief.

We often wait to feel confident before we begin. Yet doing something, receiving useful feedback and recognising our progress can help us build that confidence.

Psychologist Albert Bandura described self-efficacy as our belief in our ability to carry out a particular task. Those beliefs can influence the goals we pursue, the effort we invest and how we respond when things become difficult.

But my experience raised another question. I had evidence that I could study science at master’s level. Why didn’t I feel that the identity fitted?

“Can I do this?” and “Is this for someone like me?” are different questions. We need to pay attention to both.

The people we picture

When you hear “scientist”, who comes to mind?

What about an engineer, a builder, a business owner or a leader?

Our pictures of these roles come from somewhere: the people we meet, the stories we hear and the representations we encounter. Some help us imagine a future. Others can make that future feel distant.

Perhaps my own picture of a scientist had been too narrow to include the work I had already done.

Research offers a useful connection here. Studies introducing students to a wider range of scientists through their work and personal stories have found shifts in stereotypes and science identity. Seeing different people in a role can help learners reconsider who might belong there.

What this means for motivation

In education, we often ask how to motivate young people. How do we encourage participation, raise aspirations or help them see the relevance of learning?

Alongside those questions, I think we should ask:

When someone seems unmotivated, have we helped them see a place for themselves in what we’re asking them to pursue?

Confidence and belonging won’t explain every difficulty. Young people also face practical barriers, unequal opportunities and competing pressures. But knowing that an opportunity exists is only part of the picture. Being able to imagine yourself taking it matters too.

Giving possibility some evidence

This is one reason I value bringing workplace contexts into curriculum learning.

A learner might hesitate to describe themselves as someone who could work in construction. Yet they may be able to read conflicting information, discuss a problem, weigh up evidence and explain a decision.

When an employer shows how those skills matter in their work, the connection becomes more concrete. The learner has something they can recognise in themselves.

The Site Challenge™ starts with that opportunity: to practise curriculum skills within a realistic workplace problem, then explore where those skills could lead.

The reflection afterwards matters. What did you contribute? What did you work out? Where else might that ability be useful?

My own experience reminds me that qualifications and achievements don’t always change the stories we tell ourselves.

Sometimes we need help to recognise the evidence already in front of us — and to widen our picture of who we could become.

Ruth Bennetts, Founder, True North Consultancy Solutions