If you really like working with children and family, 
and solving problems,
I think it's a really good profession to get into.
I did know through my high school studies
 that this was the field I wanted to go into
and so when I applied for university
this is my end goal.
You've got your undergraduate degree first.
So I did a Bachelor of Arts and majored in psychology
and minored in sociology
and that really set the foundation 
for my post grad studies.
After that I did a two year 
Masters in Educational Psychology
I studied in Otago for two years with a 
Bachelor of Psychology, minor in education
And then I did one year abroad in America, 
in the States,
and they were really focused around child psychology.
And I really enjoyed that line of work 
so I went back to Victoria University
and studied my Masters in Educational Psychology.
I started my Educational Psychology Degree
 as a post graduate programme
and then after that as a Masters programme.
The grades we need are relatively high
 so kind of a B+ to A- range.
Certainly the higher you get the more chance, I guess,
you have of getting an interview
and then onto the Internship year.
You also need a number of psychology courses
 to get into the Masters programme as well
and then to go into the internship.
And the final year is the internship 
which I'm currently doing.
And that's very different again 
because you're in the job
and it's practical, it's not too much theory 
and written work
like my previous studies have been.
- Last time when we talked
 you briefly mentioned that there were some
behaviours that were a bit concerning.
An important part of educational psychologist's work
is to be able to work with 
the adults around the children,
to be agents of change in supporting the adults
 in supporting the child.
We work within an ecological framework
 so we don't see child development in isolation.
We know that their home life, their school life,
 their friends, their cultural identity,
all of that contributes to their development.
So, when we're looking at how
 a problem might be impacting their learning,
we take all of that into consideration
and we get everybody's perspective and
bring that lens to the problem
 and then work out how do we solve this
to ensure that the child can access the curriculum.
I'm really happy that I chose 
educational psychology as a career.
It certainly impacts on my life 
but I still have so many opportunities
to engage in sports activities and play music
 and I still keep my hobbies up so
it really gives me that work/life balance in terms of
 my Saturdays and Sundays are free
and I'm also able to play sports and keep up
 with things that I'm really enjoying.
It's more than a job. It is a dream job for me.
That does sound a bit cheesy
but I love what I do every day.
It's not hard to get out of bed 
and come to work.
I feel lucky.
I feel very lucky to be amongst people who've been doing it
 for years and years and years.
And, picking their brains everyday, asking them,
"How did you do it?"
"What do I have to do to be like you?"
