Other Women's Jobs // A Day In The Life and Career of Sophie Johnson

NAME: Sophie Johnson

AGE: 48

JOB TITLE: Interior Design Head of Department

MOVED TO THE UAE IN: September 2012

Sophie Johnson is the Head of the Interior Design Department at Canadian University Dubai (CUD). She has been at CUD since she arrived in Dubai in 2012. Having moved to the UAE for her husband’s job and without thinking too much about it she gave up working to look after their (then) two young kids.

Well, that lasted 2 months not working as the stay-at-home mom was not for her. Sophie had been working since she was 18 so she was used to the independence and has always been forward looking for the next opportunity or challenge.

Over a decade later in the UAE, Sophie's husband owns his own company, they have three children (16, 15 & 11) and she is in touching distance of completing her PhD. The PhD is a life-long wish for her to complete, more personally than professionally.

Sophie genuinely loves teaching, as she has been doing it for over 20 years both in London and Dubai and she loves all things design. This could come from her experience at university or working in London in a bespoke furniture firm on the King Road, as all experiences have shaped her professionally.

As design is forever evolving, you must also evolve, students learning patterns change, industry requirements differ, so curriculum development is vital to have an education programme that meets these needs. Watching young students go through university and out into the industry is priceless and is what the job is all about for Sophie (she knows that could sound a bit sickening to some - but it's true). Sophie recently went to dinner with a group of Alumni and there they were all talking about work issues, exchanging questions and challenges of the working world and how much they miss university, it was heartwarming to see them all in successful companies as young professionals.

Let's discover a day in Sophie's life and career:

5:45 AM:

I’m a morning person and mornings are really the only time I get for ME, so I’m up and out quite quicky, after getting kids food sorted. I thought I would be free of packed lunches by this point but none of them eat canteen food. I am usually exercising by 7am. Each year I try to challenge myself, so I decided to take on a team Hyrox competition in April, but now I have to fit in specific training into an already busy schedule. If I am not exercising, I drop the kids to school and then I am in work by 8am. I was introduced to a great café not far from work, which I find is a productive place to work. Maybe the smell of the fresh pastries helps me focus, this time is spent editing my PhD. After 6 years I am on the final stretch, but it is the most time-consuming stage and some weeks I wonder how I will make the finish line.

9AM:

My schedule changes but Spring Semester are all 9am classes, which I like. My energy levels are still high at this point. You need energy levels to create a buzz in a class, it doesn’t matter what is going on in your life, the moment you step into the classroom, you must be a certain way.

2PM:

Lunch, I’m hungry by now. Followed by an admin catch up, students queries, faculty meetings, event organising or PhD writing. It can be any number of things which makes the days different and interesting, so no two days are the same. If there are student submissions due, it can be very busy with students. I like variety and was never very good at being in a 9-5 office-based situation, so this type of work is what suits me.

5PM:

Often, we host events at work for industry, talks for students or conferences so that can take me into the evenings and then I am ordering taxis and takeaway for the kids as my husband is at work until 8pm. If not, then I am heading back across the city to get the kids from school or some sports match. Multiple kids in multiple school teams, so quite often they can be at different schools for matches or have one sport after the other until 6:30pm. It is a juggle every day and means that my husband and I check in with each other a lot. I am lucky that he has the flexibility to help as well.

6PM:

Get home with just enough time to sort a few chores before its time to turn around and drop my son to football or daughter to goalie training. Mondays are the best for me, as there are no evening sports. Life is very busy with work, kids, PhD, marking so it is not a static 9-5pm situation but more evolving. That’s why I can find myself working at 7:30am or into the evening to fit it all in. However, this is not a negative and I am used to the juggle, which is why weekends are time to relax.

7PM:

By this time, I am finished and just want to not move again but there are people to feed. This is perhaps the hardest part of the day, I do not enjoy cooking and I’m a bit of grazer myself; I would rather not eat then cook a meal, but children and husband don’t seem to think the same as me. On the flip side, my kids are independent and can organise themselves fine. Once I have finished prepping for the next day, I am normally on my laptop for a couple of hours either marking, replying to emails, updating course content or editing some of my PhD. I don’t go anywhere without my laptop.

8pm:

If it is a day when I didn’t exercise in the morning I will often go for a walk, this could be around the communities near me, Sustainable City is nice in the evening or around a football pitch if I am waiting for someone to finish their training. I find this just calms all the noise of the day, from my head. I love being outside and I try to find these opportunities to get out while the weather is great, I spend so much time inside that I think it is vital to a creative and positive mind set.

9PM:

My husband is normally home by now. We will try to watch something together or catch up on the daily events of the 5 of us.

10PM:

I am zoning out by now; girls have taken themselves upstairs and it is just the boy who is still looking for food after getting home from football. He is self-sufficient so once he is sorted. I am checked out for the day. I might watch a bit of TV or find myself scrolling for a bit. I don’t really do social media, so I am mostly scrolling through LinkedIn or Facebook.

11PM:

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