Ellie McKenzie

Critical thinking, writing, and public speaking skills Ellie developed in Criminology studies serve her in daily life and in her work as a consultant.

The subjectiveness of crime was what made me want to study Criminology. By majoring in Criminology I wanted to explore questions such as ‘why are certain behaviours classified as crime?’ and ‘what factors influence our intolerance of certain behaviours?’ So, after finishing a BA in Sociology and Media and Communications, I enrolled at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington to delve into these issues.

Criminology at Te Herenga Waka is so much more than I expected it to be! People often assume it’s a peculiar subject that doesn’t offer a lot of career options. It’s actually made up of a wide range of disciplines like psychology, law, sociology, politics, and – as I found in my Honours year – even physio-psychology. The subject is vast. I found it incredibly enlightening to study the effect of drugs on the brain, and the similarities between historical and contemporary rejection of behaviour.

The skills I learnt from studying Criminology are much more rewarding than I anticipated them to be. My public speaking skills have improved after having the opportunity to share my research with the class in every Honours course I took.  I am more critical of media portrayals of crime now that I have a better awareness of the reality of why people offend. I’ve also become more open-minded about cultural norms in other countries that are illegal or not tolerated in New Zealand, rather than simply viewing them as weird or wrong.

I wanted to experience working in government to decipher the process involved in regulating behaviour. Starting my career as a policy adviser in the Ministry of Justice was the perfect way to see what factors are considered in using law as a tool to influence people and reflect common values.  I’m now also very grateful I needed to write so many essays: formal writing skills are invaluable in almost any job an Arts student is suited to.

My critical thinking and writing skills have equipped me to work in various roles in government and are still useful in my current role as a policy consultant. I’m incredibly grateful I built open-mindedness and curiosity in my Criminology degrees, skills that serve me beyond the workplace.

For anyone contemplating studying Criminology as a major it is useful to know that crime is a social construct. As long as crime is a fluid concept, then Criminology will always be relevant and applicable and need new research.

Update: Ellie is currently Policy and Regulation Consultant at Allen + Clarke in Wellington.