Hey now, you're a rockstar! (The importance of industry engagement during your PhD)

Clinical dietetics is perceived to be the most glamorous area for dietitians to work in and no doubt it is fun. There is a sense of urgency and adrenaline that you only find in a hospital setting that can be invigorating.

Community dietetics involves dealing with groups of people to empower them to make important changes to their health and wellbeing. That's pretty cool and important.

Foodservice dietitians are the least visible and perceived as the least glamorous, a rare few want to spend their days dealing with food safety plans. In fact just recently, at an industry event, someone asked me why, after going to University for four years, would I go into *that* side of things.

But that's kind of my bag. I like problem-solving.

When people have nutritional problems it's complex and multifactorial. Often the solution is to address something out of their control and that just makes me feel powerless. Conversely, foodservice systems are like a puzzle wherein problems often have a practical, and actionable, solution.

Research dietitians land in among that hierarchy depending on their field of expertise. I'm researching foodservice so I'm right at the bottom. Most people find my project to be terribly dull. Even other researchers glaze over and appear disinterested (you mean you're not solving the obesity epidemic)? *sigh* No. No, I'm not.

Recently I had the pleasure of attending an industry event hosted by the Maggie Beer Foundation. I was shocked and amazed at the reaction I received from the twenty cooks and chefs that were present at her Masterclass. When I explained my project to them I saw their faces light up. To them, I was a rockstar.

One chef said with enthusiasm, "Finally, someone who gets it!".

Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to be researching in the field that I am but it was so nice to see first hand the impact that my research will have on the people that it is relevant too.

For the first time, I felt a little less like this...

and a little more like this...

This is why industry engagement is so important during your PhD process. It's very easy to get lost in the dry dusty world of data but, if you do, there is a danger of losing your perspective. Of losing sight of your own value. Of losing your enthusiasm and that, my friends is how you end up in the valley of sh*t.

There are people out there who think you are a rockstar. There are people who value your work, who will be impacted by your work, whose lives will be changed by your work.