#NoWrongPath – Graeme Brown
Yesterday was exam results day for students in Scotland. To mark this day, we are supporting the #NoWrongPath campaign, a movement led by Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) to reassure school leavers that there is no right or wrong path to career success. No matter what your results were, there will be plenty of apprenticeship, job and career opportunities awaiting you!
Today, we are showcasing the career journey of our staff member Graeme Brown, Business Manager within Hillcrest Futures.
A bit about me: – Who are you, what’s your current job role, what are your interests?
Hello, I’m Graeme, the current Business Manager covering a large number of care and support services within Hillcrest Futures across several geographical locations in Scotland. Outwith work when time allows, I enjoy watching grass roots and professional rugby and coaching rugby referees. I also enjoy stick making (crooks, thumb sticks etc).
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?
When I left school, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do workwise. I was not the most conscientious of students and only achieved a handful of good grades. I started working as a Stage Technician in Edinburgh which was a job a lot of my extended family had been involved in on a casual basis. It kept me busy and a roof over my head. I decided to join the police which seemed a sensible thing to do and when I was 20, became a Police Constable with the Metropolitan Police in south London. That lasted around 5 years by which time I had decided that it was not a job I enjoyed or ever felt settled in. It was a great learning experience though! I returned to Edinburgh and applied to do a Youth and Community Work course, working delivering milk, as a door steward, bar manager and a few other odd jobs to fill in time until I was accepted at Moray House College. When I graduated, I did some sessional youth work alongside working as a stage technician and a few other casual jobs to make ends meet and keep busy. I applied for a part time support worker job with Old Town Housing Association at the homelessness accommodation service in the Grassmarket in Edinburgh and was delighted when I was offered the post. That was in 1993!
My experience at Hillcrest: – When did you start at Hillcrest and what do you enjoy most about working for this organisation?
Old Town Housing merged with Hillcrest in 2004 and I transferred over. During my time at Old Town I worked as a support worker in homelessness accommodation services, outreach services for people moving out of homelessness accommodation and working with people who had a long history of sleeping rough. I ended up managing these services and following the merger with Hillcrest I became the service manager covering all of the Edinburgh services. I then started covering the Glasgow services in 2007 and the Fife services in 2014. Following the restructure in 2022 I started working with the services I now cover in Dundee and Angus. I feel incredibly fortunate having had the opportunity to work in such a varied role, covering a wide range of services supporting people with very diverse support needs and in very different geographic areas. Because of the development opportunities on offer to me working with Hillcrest, I have never felt the need to look at other organisations for alternative employment. I think that partly reflects how highly I regard the people I work with and the quality of services that we provide.
What advice do you have for young people finishing school and who are looking for employment?
Do something with your time, anything if you are unsure what you want to do. When I was a child, I was frequently asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. The response was usually a Vet. The reality is that I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do when I ‘grew up’. I have learned a lot about both myself and lots of other things through my working life. My advice would be to find a job that will stretch you and add to your personal development. If a job isn’t making you happy, try another one. A few years ago, I said to my daughter that I still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up, but I am thoroughly enjoying the work I have been involved in for the last thirty years.