Herschel inspires Sarah Jane Goodwin to build self-confidence and feel fulfilled in her new technical role
“I’ve never been on a course that stayed in my mind for so long, where I thought ‘Wow, that was really good’.”
The 2022 pilot of the Herschel Programme for Women in Technical Leadership came along at the perfect time for Sarah Jane Goodwin from University of Salford. The opportunity to participate in a leadership development Programme specifically aimed at women technicians felt too good to miss.
After just a couple of months on Herschel, Sarah Jane used the skills and confidence she had already gained to apply for a secondment role as Media Asset Management Administrator in the School of Arts, Media & Creative Technology. Now in the role on a permanent basis, she enjoys helping students, facing new challenges, and feels fulfilled and empowered in her technical role.
Why choose the Herschel Programme?
Sarah Jane’s role within the creative media equipment store team at University of Salford had changed following COVID and she was feeling at a standstill when her former Technical Team Manager sent through information about the pilot Herschel Programme.
“My initial feeling was not to apply but I told myself to stop resisting and just do it, especially as these opportunities don’t come along very often.”
Her natural shyness, and tendency to remain in the background, was something she felt the Herschel Programme could help with.
“I had suffered with anxiety, and talking in meetings or with groups of people was always very difficult. So, I felt the Herschel programme would give me the chance to go outside my comfort zone through the Action Learning Set activities and breakout rooms in the modules.”
Working in a predominantly male team, the opportunity to talk with and hear from other women working in technical roles was also a particular attraction for Sarah Jane.
Herschel Experience
Before the Herschel Programme Sarah Jane would often question herself, so one particular Programme module – Confidence & Empowerment – really stood out.
“I was dreading this module a bit, but this was the one that really stuck with me. I’ve still got the module slides and I look back at them regularly to refresh my learning and give myself a boost.
I found I didn’t need to force myself to participate [in the session], I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask and at the end of the session I thought, ‘my goodness who was that, was that actually me?’”.
Gaining a clearer understanding of leadership and management styles through the You as a Leader module was also insightful, and the opportunity to talk to and hear from other women technicians was a particular Programme highlight for Sarah Jane.
“Meeting so many other women in tech was inspiring. I could relate to so many of them and it made me realise I wasn’t alone.”
At the end of the programme the full cohort met in London for the programme celebration event to continue their networking, reflect on their Herschel journey, and consider next steps. For Sarah Jane this was another important element of her Herschel experience.
“The celebration event was magical, it was a lovely end to my new beginning – a nice ending to the old version of me and the beginning of who I am now.”
Herschel Impact
Through the Programme’s taught modules, and the inspirational impact of the women she met along the way, Sarah Jane has grown in confidence, enabling her to build better relationships and a broader network which help her deliver a better job.
“I used to always overthink things and worry about what to say, so I would stay quiet and in the background. I find talking to people much easier having had the opportunity to talk to and listen to other technicians on the Herschel Programme. In my current role, I have lots of conversations with the students I support, and I use my own experiences to better understand their concerns and challenges.”
Herschel also supported Sarah Jane to overcome imposter phenomenon as she started her new role.
“I had to learn new tech, deal with new challenges, and an increased level of independence – it was quite daunting and there was always a bit of me thinking ‘maybe I’m not cut out for this?’ But I focused on the tools and techniques from the Programme and found ways to make these personal challenges easier and improve the student experience.”
Sarah Jane found the opportunity to hear from other women technicians also helped her better understand her own career aspirations.
“I realised I enjoy leading in a role without necessarily having the word ‘manager’ or ‘leader’ in my job title. I am now in role where I get to lead myself and support students.”
What Next?
“Now that I’m more settled in my role, I am keen to complete further CPD and get more involved in activities outside my direct team. “I used to overthink these kinds of things, but I find with this role I feel fulfilled and am happy progressing it to help more people, better support students, and see where the future takes me.”
Go back to Herschel