Thank you to Cheryl Coby Gaskill who has written this reflection of their experience of ECADOC 2026 in Dublin. Cheryl is a Doctoral Researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University exploring the career consideration processes of young people on vocational hairdressing courses, at the college to work transition phase. Cheryl also works with young people as a Careers Practitioner, supporting the transference of research into practice.

It was my first experience of attending ECADOC – a 5 day European summer school dedicated to supporting doctoral researchers in the field of Careers Guidance and Counselling. It proved to be inspirational, motivational and thought-provoking.

The summer school consisted of: diverse workshops, introducing new research concepts and supporting the development of existing practices; panel discussions, speaking of research impact and getting published; guest speakers, to stimulate thoughts and provide valuable insights into their areas of expertise; and Collective Academic Supervision (CAS) sessions, providing a safe space to share ideas and concerns about research, gaining invaluable feedback from peers and academics.

But to provide some of my own reflections on the week, and the value it gave to me:

« To quote the words of Professor Conor Mc Guckin, offered during their opening speech ‘ … try to write 50 good words a day …’:

there were many words of wisdom offered by Conor during ECADOC, but these particularly struck a chord. It can be challenging to begin moulding thoughts into words, especially on paper, and what can seem like an arduous task was succinctly reduced to something manageable, providing a small, but precious achievement. Something for me to take forward – thank you Conor.

« Research is as much about you as it is about your participants:

A point I had, until ECADOC, not considered. I was so caught up in ‘wanting to make a difference’ to my participants, to focus on the outcomes and the impact on them, that I had completely forgotten that I am also being impacted and changed through my doctoral research journey. This has allowed me to reassess how I record my reflections in my Reflective Diary, taking a dual approach to incorporate the thoughts and feelings of both me and them. This light-bulb moment is particularly attributable to the workshops I attended, facilitated by Anne-Mari Souto and Kirsi Raetsaari (‘Negotiating access, positionality and safety in participatory and ethnographic research’) and Anna Bilon-Piorko and Sanna Toiviainen (‘Diffractive reading as a post-qualitative methodology in career guidance inquiry’).

« Fostering a community:

ECADOC has allowed me to become part of a welcoming community of like-minded career researchers, who see the value and impact that work in this area can have on lives beyond our own, and constantly strive to empower individuals to question, make informed decisions and improve their lives. The networking opportunities provided at the summer school, both formal and informal, has enabled me to build a strong circle of support, both gathering and providing assistance and encouragement.

Most importantly, my week in Dublin, at ECADOC, gave me permission to just be a Doctoral Researcher, to step outside my other roles which make up my life. It was a rare gift. ECADOC also came at precisely halfway in my research project, and so the time I was given to pause, reflect and consider the next phase of work was particularly timely. Whilst gazing across the awe-inspiring rooftops of Trinity College I had the space to muse, wonder and plan. My sincere thanks to all involved in the planning and delivery of the Summer School, and also to my talented doctoral colleagues for their encouragement and reassurance.