#NoWrongPath Campaign – Euan Hird
Tomorrow is Exam Results day across Scotland. To help demonstrate to young people receiving their results that there is not necessarily just one path to a successful career, we’re sharing a blog from Euan Hird, Energy Advice Officer in Hillcrest’s Energy Advice Team. From Hairdresser to Electrical Engineer, you’ll see that Euan experienced a diverse range of job roles before joining Hillcrest!
A bit about me: Who are you, what’s your current job role, what are your interests?
Hello, I’m Euan, and I am currently an Energy Advice Officer with Hillcrest. This involves being responsible for the Energy Team (HEAT) and most energy related matters within Hillcrest.
My interests outside of work include going to the gym and socialising with friends and family.
From school to my first job: What was your first job after finishing school? Can you describe your career journey from this first job role to where you are now?
I wanted to be a Doctor when I left school, but somehow ended up falling into hairdressing.
Hairdressing eventually took me to London, where I briefly worked in the Harrods barber shop and with Toni & Guy. I also worked as a welder in prisons during this time before returning to Dundee to set up my own shop and to get married.
Unfortunately the shop closed and I then worked in and managed my Aunts hairdressing shop.
An injury to my shoulder meant I could no longer keep doing this type of work and I had a complete career change and joined an electronic engineering firm based in Aberdeen.
The company hired me due to my hand skills and I quite quickly moved to Quality Assurance. I enjoyed this role as it was very detail focussed and became department manager which involved regularly working abroad in places such as Germany and Norway.
There were many other short term jobs over the years including factory work, travel agency and sanitation roles.
My experience at Hillcrest: When did you start at Hillcrest and what do you enjoy most about working for this organisation?
I joined Hillcrest in 2016 and have never looked back. The thing I most enjoy about working for the organisation is the opportunity to develop your skills and the staff are all great to work with.
What advice do you have for young people finishing school and who are looking for employment?
The advice I would give to young people leaving school and looking for employment is to never give up and the first job you have doesn’t have to be your whole career. As you can see from above I had a few careers before I found my home at Hillcrest.
If you know any young person or school leaver who might interested in developing a career with Hillcrest, please signpost them to our careers page or send them our newly created Young Workers Recruitment Brochure, which provides lots of handy hints and tips for finding employment at Hillcrest. This can be found in the Resources section of our website: Young Workers Recruitment Brochure.