Confessions of a Clumsy Scot

So I’m a firm believe University isn’t for everyone.
I hated the fact that school pushes you so much to aim for University with a total disregard for those that want to take a different route.

Yeah you get a careers day to explore different options but from what I saw it was generally nursing, caring, law etc.

I knew from as far as I can remember I knew I didn’t want to go to University.
But what I wanted to do was something I didn’t know.

I had ideas in my teenage years of what I wanted to do. This ranged from hairdressing, being a jockey, crofting (farming), equine therapist or a makeup artist. I did enquire about joining the Royal Navy when I was sixteen but as much as it would have been an amazing job, I knew I couldn’t mentally do a deployment and be away for a year at a Time.
I come from a family of engineers, and since I was little I always had the idea that it would be pretty cool to become an engineer of some sort when I got older.

Through school, my anxiety was awful and I was always nervous of new things and I wasn’t sure how to start the journey to engineering.


During school I did one day a week in my local college where you chose a course to give you a headstart in careers. I chose hairdressing. I really enjoyed the course, and when I left school I elected to to college full time to study my second year of hairdressing.
I enjoyed that year so much, I got on really well with my fellow students, college staff and lecturers. I enjoyed the course and loved gaining a new skill but ultimately I could never see myself doing that as a career.

I’d worked in a local hotel since I was thirteen and after I graduated college I went full time and took on the roll of duty manager, and then also began working three days a week at my local riding centre. I did this for two years and as stressed and tired as I was, I thrived on it.
Then Covid hit. I stopped both jobs and I was lost.

My Dad is self employed as an electrician, and had my brother working for him for a few years but after my brother moved away my dad went back to working my himself.
I asked if he would take me on as an apprentice.

Fast forward five years now and I absolutely love my job. Don’t get me wrong there’s days where I would love to just stay in bed but for the most part I love it.
There’s so much happened in the last five years that I’m so grateful for and I’ve done things that I haven’t enjoyed to get here but absolutely nothing I regret.

I’m so glad I never tried to force myself to go to University, and I really want other people to know that there are so many paths to take. But also even if you’ve left school and you still don’t know what you want to do? Don’t worry. You never only ever have to have one career. Just make sure you’re happy and healthy and do what you have to do.