STRICTLY FOR STUDENTSName: Euan HairOccupation/position: Final-year BScHons – Sports Biomedicine Student,University of Dundee.Q What experience did you secure/create alongside, or following, yourstudies?Alongside my studies, I have participated inthree internships provided by the course.These were:1) Sports performance analysis (third year ofdegree).This involved physiological assessment andeducation of elite athletes and spanned allareas of performance. It was a fantasticexperience working with performanceathletes and coaches, and equipped me wellfor presenting data and information in adigestible format.2) Gym internship.This allowed me experience of working withless highly trained people, enlightening me asto the vast rewards people can get fromengaging in an exercise programme. It alsoallowed me to become a qualified personaltrainer and opened my eyes to an alternativecareer route, post-degree.3) Strength coaching internship.The strength coaching internship providedme with invaluable experience and presentedme with an area of sport science that hassince become my passion. I have witnessedhow simple strength training techniques canelicit great improvements in the performanceof athletes, and have obtained valuablecontacts through my work in this area.Outside of university, I approached a strengthand conditioning coach who works withboxers and obtained work experience in hisgym. The most valuable aspect of workingwith someone from a different sport-sciencebackground has been the ability to constantlyquestion techniques and, as a result, myself.Q How did this come about?I secured the sports performance analysisinternship through an application process.However, it is likely that I was selectedbecause I had volunteered to assist withnumerous performance analysis sessionsbefore the internship was established and Ialso tended to pester the lecturers on mycourse to help me further my level ofexperience.The gym internship was also through anapplication process, but this required a Level2 gym instructor certificate. Again, this wassecured by my keen interest. I wouldrecommend any undergraduate to develop agood pestering technique at university, aswithout the experience I obtained throughthese internships, I would have taken a verylimited amount from my university course.The strength coaching internship wasprovided by the university for myself andanother student who also showed a keeninterest. The acquisition of this internshipfurther substantiates how important it is tomake lecturers aware of your interests, as, inmy experience, they will try their best toprovide you with opportunities to developyour knowledge base in specific areas.Q Are there any otherqualifications/CPD/experiences you haveachieved that you feel have wellequipped you for your current position?Following my gym internship, I trained tobecome a qualified personal trainer. Thedifferent experience I gained from eachinternship has helped me develop the serviceI provide to clients. I believe that, bycontinually applying my sport-scienceknowledge, I offer a very different servicefrom the norm, and it is to this that I attributethe number of clients I have acquired.I recently presented my honours project atthe <strong>BASES</strong> Student Conference. I havealways found presenting a daunting prospect,but I thought if I am ever going to get overthis fear of presenting then I have to keepdoing it at every opportunity.Q Are there any difficult decisions youhave had to make on your way togetting where you are?A difficult decision I had to make was toreduce the number of hours that I dedicatedto internships and personal training in my finalyear of my course in order to concentrate onmy studies.This decision has proven beneficial, as evendedicating just a few hours to work andinternships provided me with considerableexperience.Q What advice would you give tostudents starting out and to thosenearing the end of their undergraduatedegrees?The advice I’d give to someone starting theirundergraduate degree is to get stuck in.Opportunities to develop experience arealways available even if they aren’t explicitlypresented. Approach lecturers, local gyms orlocal hospitals and apply for external courses;you will soon find that there is no limit to theexperience that you can obtain. If somethingdoesn’t appeal to your particular interests, stillgive it a go; from my experience, this iswhere I gained my most valuable experience.If you are at the end of your undergraduatedegree, find out as much as you can fromyour lecturers and career advisers about yournext step. They’ve been there so they canreally help you with difficult decisions.Q What is the best piece of advice youhave ever received?I was told by a friend who had already gonethrough my course to “Get stuck in!” It’s asimple piece of advice, which has served mewell so far. Q Any other pertinent qualifications/CPD/experiences youachieved that you feel well equipped you for your currentposition?Supervised Experience was a great opportunity to work on my skillsand abilities which resulted in <strong>BASES</strong> Accreditation which has beenvital for the applied work that I do.Also, presenting at <strong>BASES</strong> conferences provided me withpresentation skills that have been beneficial for interviews, deliveringworkshops and lecturing.Q Any difficult decisions you’ve had to make in the past onyour way to getting where you are?Moving far away from home for my job to a place I knew nothingabout may have been a barrier for some people, but I was excited tohave found a job I was really interested in. I would advise people tojump at opportunities that come their way.Q What advice would you give to students starting out on anundergraduate degree, and to those nearing the end of theirundergraduate?Take on any opportunity available for experience as you never knowwhere it might lead. Also believe in your abilities. Although there arethousands of sports science graduates, think about what can you do toput yourself ahead of the crowd and increase your job chances in thefield. You can do this through enhancing your CV with qualificationsand experience as much as possible, as soon as possible.Q What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?To keep working hard to get a job that I really wanted and not togive up on it after getting some knock backs. It’s so easy to getinvolved in a career that you’re not really suited to because it’s aneasier option, but you need to persevere. If you really want to getthe job of your dreams, you will. www.bases.org.ukIssue 21 l Sept 2009 l The Sport and Exercise Scientist l 23