Embarking on my first individual research project has been filled with challenges, changes and confusion! But the process so far has also been exceedingly rewarding, both academically and personally.
Challenges
Within all projects despite careful planning and preparation, challenges can still occur. However it is often the case that the processes undertaken to overcome these challenges are the most rewarding.
When carrying out my first individual research project, challenges were to be expected. Within a 10 week research project it could be presumed that I was going to be faced with challenges both academically but also personally. One of the first of these challenges that became apparent was the challenge associated with time management. Effectively planning my time throughout the project so far has been essential to ensure the productive completion of the project. Despite developing time management skills throughout university, the 10 week time frame has required a different more lenient approach to organisation, as new leads and areas of interests that couldn't be predicted are constantly evolving and changing the research direction.
Changes
In the faces of challenges, changes have to be made to allow for effective development. It has become clear to me that one of the key attributes needed when carrying out a project such as this is flexibility. Whether big or small, changes have needed to be made throughout my project experience so far, to adapt to various challenges. One of the most significant changes made to my project so far was the decision to abandon one of the methods I had previously outlined. Following industry research and the thorough investigation into academic literature exploring methodology, I began to question whether or not a survey may be best use of my time within the project. On reflection it became apparent that carrying out a survey would most likely not produce findings relevant or detailed enough for this project, and would therefore not benefit the achievement of any of my pre-selected objectives, and the decision was made to discard the survey and focus instead on developing my content analysis, observations and interviews.
Rewards
Although there have been challenges, the project so far has undoubtedly been rewarding. Everyday I am understanding more about the importance of research and the role it plays in encouraging innovation. This project has also provided me with the opportunity to really understand the knowledge and skills I have developed over the last three years, and highlighted just how valuable these can be when put to use within an industry setting.
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