Ants Williams
Graduate
Psychology & Physical Education
Psychologists sit around in offices talking to people all day - right? Wrong - if your name is Ants Williams.
Williams is a sports psychologist. He's travelled the world having fun, chasing the buzz with motorcycle racers, white-water rafters, base jumpers, surfers, rugby players, skiers, climbers, rally drivers and jet-boat racers.
And, ok, sometimes he sits and talks to people in offices as part of his corporate work.
Williams studied Physical Education at Otago. "One of the papers I took was Sports Psychology and I fell in love with it."
He did a Master's in Psychology, studying how white-water rafters and base jumpers made rapid decisions in high-risk environments. "They're faced with making split-second decisions that could result in life or death. Those abilities are crucial to high performance - and survival!"
After his master's degree, Williams joined an outdoor experience company doing corporate training and consulted for surfers, skiers and elite motorcycle racers. For two seasons, he worked on the Grand Prix circuit, working with riders making decisions at speeds up to 320kph.
"Physical education and psychology set me up," he says. "I use them every day for what I'm doing now.
"Otago is looked on as a prestigious university, and Psychology is such a solid degree to have. At the end of it, the opportunities for jobs are so broad and expansive you can get into all kinds of areas.
"This isn't a job," says Williams. "It's a way of life."