SSE welcomes former Royal Navy Weapons Engineer

From the Royal Navy to Dogger Bank

For the last 14 years I have served in the Royal Navy as a weapons engineer. I left home at just 16 years old and made the transition into military life. I always knew I wanted to pursue a career which gave me excitement and opportunities which were out of the ordinary.

 "I wanted to leave the military and continue to be in an exciting and fulfilling role."

As well as travelling the world and earning a living, I also gained an education in electrical engineering through the Royal Navy apprentice scheme. I soon realised that I was one of the very few females within my role, but it was never something that concerned me. I was fortunate enough to always have a good team around me. There was always an element of me proving my position within my workplace, especially when I got promoted at such a young age. If I could tell my 18-year-old self now not to worry about that I would! No matter who you are, if you work hard, you always have value and bring something to the table.

Fast forward 14 years, I knew I was in a position where I had gained ample life and work experience to transfer my skills into civilian life. The renewable industry, especially the Dogger Bank project was on my radar, even way before I submitted my years notice. I wanted to leave the military and continue to be in an exciting and fulfilling role. My advice to people leaving the service is ensure you have a clear goal as to what you want to do. I had tunnel vision on landing a role within the renewable industry, I didn’t want to do anything else. That persistence and drive landed me a role as an Offshore commissioning engineer on the Dogger Bank project with SSE.

Since joining SSE, I already feel that I have learnt so much in such a short space of time. I am completely new to this industry however I can already see how the skills I have accumulated in my military career transfer into this job role and lifestyle. I am looking forward to see where my role with SSE takes me within the renewable industry and the progression I make along the way. 

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