I’m Back: Where Have I Been?

It has been a long time.

My last DibsHR post was back in July 2025, and if I’m honest, I never expected to be away for quite so long.

A lot has happened since then. Life, quite simply, got in the way.

I went through a breakup that completely broke my world for a while. At the same time, I started my Master’s degree in Human Resources and Organisational Development, whilst continuing to juggle everything else life was throwing at me.

And now, somehow, I have just submitted my final assignment.

My Master’s is done. I cannot quite believe I am typing those words!

Four years of university study. Three years of undergraduate study, finishing with a First Class degree and five university awards, followed by a Master’s in HR and Organisational Development, where I have been working towards that elusive Distinction.

I am now waiting for my results.

It feels incredibly strange to write that.

Alongside university, my professional life has changed too. A project I was heavily involved in: testing, implementing and supporting the introduction of a new payroll system, including training managers to use it, came to a close. Thankfully, it was a huge success, and seeing something I had worked so closely on go from testing to successful implementation was incredibly rewarding.

And, amongst all of that, something rather wonderful happened too.

I found someone who genuinely makes my life better. Someone who loves me for who I am. After a period of my life where I felt like everything had fallen apart, finding someone who makes me feel valued, loved and accepted has been rather special.

So, whilst the last year has been chaotic, difficult, exhausting and at times overwhelming, it has also brought some pretty incredible things. And now I find myself at another crossroads. I am looking for my next opportunity in HR. After four years of studying, I am ready to put everything I have learned into practice and, finally, focus on progressing my career.

Because HR really is my passion.

I know HR can have a bit of a reputation. There is a common perception that HR exists purely to protect the organisation, or that HR is simply there to serve the company's best interests. I don't see it that way. For me, one of the most interesting things about HR is that we sit in the middle. We have a responsibility to protect the organisation, but we also have a responsibility to protect and support its people. We have to understand the needs of the business whilst recognising that, ultimately, organisations are made up of people. That balance isn't always easy and I think that is exactly what makes HR so interesting.

There are difficult conversations, conflicting priorities, legislation, policies, organisational pressures, employee experiences, culture, engagement, wellbeing, performance and an endless number of variables that can make every day different. But that is what I love about it. I love that HR sits at the intersection between people and organisations. I love learning about why people behave the way they do at work, what makes organisations successful, how cultures develop and, most importantly, how we can create workplaces where both people and organisations can thrive.

So, after a rather long absence, DibsHR is coming back. And I think it is fitting that my first few posts back won't be about looking forward.

They'll be about looking back.

Over the next few posts, I'm going to reflect on the last four years of my university journey — the subjects I studied, the things I learned, the topics that fascinated me, the ones that challenged me, and how studying HR at both undergraduate and postgraduate level has shaped the way I now think about the profession.

Four years is a long time.

I've changed a lot during that time. My understanding of HR has changed. My career ambitions have changed. And, perhaps most importantly, I've developed a much clearer idea of the kind of HR professional I want to become.

So, welcome back to DibsHR.