LinkedIn post there were those that said it couldn’t be done

 I haven’t always described myself as Dr. Bigg. Having come up through various technical and scientific roles which were all very hands-on and manual I didn’t want to be mistaken for an academic. It was important to me to carry the physical dirt, the calloused hands, The real life know-how of the worker I have always been. And Being a woman in a male dominated profession came With so much prejudice The last thing I wanted to do was pander to People who presumed I spent my days in an office.

Becoming Dr Bigg was a Turning point in my life. I have always lived with imposter syndrome. At university as an undergraduate, I believed I must have got there by mistake. It was an accident. It was not until coming top of my year in mid-sessionals, 18 months in, that I believed I belonged. It took until the head of my university course was shaking my hand to believe I was good enough to go to university the first time.

Before starting my degree I worked at a petrol station. Here I had the space to study for my A-levels. I was responsible for opening up, For lifting manholes, measuring fuel volume in the storage well with a dipstick, remotely activating the petrol pumps and the diesel pump manually, customer service, taking cash, tacho readings, stocking the shop and cashing up. I also worked at a bank and a vets. I Commuted for an hour daily each day into London and back, Often standing both ways. And in all my jobs I met with sexual harassment and prejudice.

I Paid my way through university with a wide variety of work, including a joinery, A number of factories, Factory cleaning, Including cleaning toilets and a Hospital laundry. The Factory canteen was one of my favourites, Partly because I got to eat When I worked there. and they allowed me to take all of the stale bread home at the end of the day. I’d never go straight home, Because there was evening work available, cold calling sales for a kitchen company.

Working in fast food, insurance and a hospital after graduation added to my skill set, Enhanced my humility, my ability to work with a wide range of teams and my work ethic. 3 years in industry followed before I started my PhD. This paid enough to cover my mortgage, my bills and my daily commute. And I worked while writing up.

I wanted my professionalism, my diligence, my conscientiousness, and my ability to speak for itself. And that is why I didn’t use my title.

And then I joined a commercial consultancy. The business was dynamic and growing. Business development was essential. Reputation, authority and expertise needed to be conveyed and needed to be immediately apparent for potential clients to see the value of employing me as a consultant. Over the years I had added so much more to my academic title, Which itself had simply been an addition to my work experience to date. By now I was not only Dr. Bigg, but I was also a chartered engineer. I Had the competencies and experience of a professional engineer and was recognised as such. And this is the point of which I needed to use my title and the letters I had earned after my name.

More than that; in this role I found I was able to draw on life’s experience to be a leader and a mentor.

 If you’ve read this far, I would ask you to always look beyond academic titles and professional letters. It feels perhaps that there should be a pre or post nomial acronym to show that the person has earned their stripes, worked up from the tools and been through the university of life. Just because there isn’t, it doesn’t mean that they haven’t.