Following his graduation, we caught up with Doug Cooley to chat with him about his time as a students on the MSc in Public Policy programme.
What was it about the programme that attracted you?
Firstly, it is something I am very interested in. I am a bit of a nerd for Policy! Secondly, I was thinking about a career change. Understanding Policy means that you get to be a bit more strategic and closer to the big decisions.
In my current job, I have experienced some of this, but I have a more technical perspective than decision-making I am interested in what really goes on in Government and who is making those key decisions. This degree is a chance to start a new direction for myself.
Tell me about your plans for the future
I was working for four years in local government, prior to enrolling in a Masters degree. My role was concerned with internal audit, looking at different processes and how they can be done better.
I returned to my job after completing my degree but am now looking to do something more policy driven.
Ultimately, I would like to pursue a PhD. I find Economic policy very interesting and, I think there are certain areas within the Global Financial System which are under-explored in the current literature.
I would like to look at some of the softer policy around banking. For example:
- How does the policy get made?
- What are the key drivers?
- Who are the key influencers and what conversations are taking place?
- What sources are they listening to when they are making that policy?
Much of the research in this area is harder edged so l would like to look at the ‘soft policy’, speaking to people, interviewing them. I think this would make for an interesting PhD.
Doug Cooley
What is your one key takeout from your experience at Bristol?
The people. There are a lot of interesting people I met both within the cohort and amongst the lecturers with different interests and different passions. I enjoyed getting to know people and share in their ideas.
It was inspiring to see the different pathways people have taken, particularly amongst the staff who have developed a niche in their subject area.
Any advice for people thinking of taking a Postgraduate degree?
Use your time wisely and know what you want to get out of the year. If you want a time away from your job to develop your knowledge, then go for it. But, if there is a particular direction you want to take your career, and you want to use the Masters degree to follow this, make the most of the softer opportunities outside of the programme learning.
Maximise your new network by exploring the different careers that people have gone in. The lecturers love to talk about their research interests. They aren’t going to say no if you ask for half an hour of their time.