Dr Kate Harland
Kate Harland: Taking on tomorrow.
Kate Harland is shaping the future at one of the North East’s most iconic institutions. As a Marketing lecturer, it’s the knowledge that she gets to impact new generations each year that makes her love what she does. That, and reimagining her childhood games of playing teacher and taking registers. We spoke to Kate about her passion for academia, the rituals that help her work, and how she stays focused as an easily distracted person.
Edited by Ruby Guyler Photographs by Christopher Owens
Tell me about your background and career. What does a brief history of you look like?
My career began accidentally - I took a chance on an undergraduate placement while at university which turned into a 14-year career in hospitality sales and event management roles. That all changed in 2017, when I took the leap and moved to academia.
I always loved teaching, training and sharing knowledge, and it was my long-term goal to get into academia. Through a lot of hard work, and gaining a PhD, I’m finally where I want to be. I now get to pass on all of my experience and knowledge to the new generation, which is super exciting!
Tell me about the place you work for.
I’m a lecturer in Marketing at what is currently the University of the Year! Always great to say that. Northumbria University has a special place in my heart - it’s where I did my undergrad as a first-generation student, and it’s where I currently work as a lecturer.
I now work with some of those who taught me years ago, which is a complete full-circle moment for me. As a local lass and a very proud Geordie, I also love being part of such an iconic North East institution.
What do you love most about what you do every day?
There’s a tagline that Northumbria University uses - Take on Tomorrow - which really makes you feel part of something special. Seeing a fresh wave of students arrive each September and being part of shaping their future is such a good feeling. It’s the reason I work as hard as I do. No matter how stressful the role can get sometimes, the knowledge that I can be part of a student's learning journey and have a real impact makes it all worthwhile. I also love being in the classroom and teaching. It always makes me think of when I was little and would play teachers - I would read out to my imaginary class and take registers. Now I get to do that for a living! I’m very lucky to be doing something I love.
Have you had to make sacrifices in your chosen career, and have they been worth it?
There have been many times in my career when I’ve had to take a step back, or side stepped, which at the time was really disheartening. I always wanted to improve and move up the ladder, so not being able to climb as quickly as I wanted was a challenge.
Looking back now, I can see that I perhaps just wasn’t quite ready, or it just wasn’t my time, so I guess I have learned that there needs to be a real balance of ambition and patience! This has definitely helped me in my current role, as I now have focus and can plan my moves longer term.
“It always makes me think of when I was little and would play teachers - I would read out to my imaginary class and take registers. Now I get to do that for a living!”
What are some of your daily rituals and why are they part of your routine?
I have a terrible obsession with inbox zero - I can’t cope if there are emails stacking up. I have to make time to ensure everything that needs an answer gets done, so I can move on with my day and make space for the real work.
Coffee plays a big part of my work routine and keeps me going - I owe a lot of my motivation to Hatch Coffee in Newcastle!
Music is always part of my daily ritual too. Depending on my mood or what task I need to do, I can either be deep in thought with some ballads and chilled classics, or bashing out the admin tasks bopping to 80s disco. The real work happens in complete silence, which is when you know I’m stressed and have a lot on.
What does work/life balance look like for you?
I’ve always maintained a good work-life balance. No matter how many long hours I’ve done in the past, I’ve still made time to reset and get back on track with normal life. Work shouldn’t rule who you are or what you do, as much as I love it. A balance is achievable if you do a job that you love. Yes, there are super busy times, but you have to make peace with it and put it down for a while so you can recharge and go again the next day.
How do you stay focused and productive in a world of distractions?
I am absolutely not the one to answer this! I have a terrible attention span, which made my PhD particularly difficult when I had to try and switch off and put the hours in to write. Everything distracts me and throws me off course. I have short bursts of productivity, so the best thing I’ve learned is to recognise when those are and make the most of them. I find my most focused and productive work is usually in the chaos of a coffee shop, so I keep my work day flexible so I can find those pockets of productivity.
“Work shouldn’t rule who you are or what you do, as much as I love it. A balance is achievable if you do a job that you love.”
If you had the power to change the world, what would you change?
Put an end to bullying. As a child, I was bullied all throughout school, and it was bad enough pre-social media. It's heartbreaking to think what the younger generation goes through now that there’s no escape from bullies, both online and offline. No child should ever have to deal with that.
Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as waving a magic wand and making it go away - we have a great responsibility to be a lot kinder and a lot more considerate so that the younger generation have hope of living in a nicer world.
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