Guy Ingerson

For Guy Ingerson, returning to education after establishing a career for himself was a daunting process, but after years of working in the oil and gas sector he discovered a passion that would inspire him to retrain.

When he became involved in political activism in his free time, Guy realised that he had a passion (and talent) for communication – a skill he was not using to its fullest in his existing career. So he began to investigate how he could build on his newfound interest, and was lead to North East Scotland College’s course guide.

Guy explains, “Getting involved in political activism gave me the awareness that I was good at communication. That made me think about going to study and retrain, and find a job that I’m going to enjoy, that I feel confident in and I’m good at – so that’s what inspired me to go back to College and study an HND in Advertising and Public Relations.”

As soon as Guy started his course, he found he need not have been worried about returning to education as a mature student. He is keen to let others thinking of retraining at College know that the experience is a good one:

“Everyone is on the same level and they are learning the same things. I think, when you’re an older person, or you’re going into it from work, you appreciate education ten times more than you did when you were younger. You realise you’re there with a sense of purpose, and the lecturers feed into that as well. It’s a fantastic and enjoyable experience and it really prepares you for going into a career or going into further education.”

The Advertising and PR course gave Guy the opportunity to develop his communication skills. He enjoyed learning from excellent lecturers, and thrived when given the opportunity to work creatively with others, and to work with industry professionals. It also gave him the option to progress to further study.

After completing his HND, Guy decided that he wanted to take his qualification one step further and applied to continue his studies at Robert Gordon University (RGU) with a BA(Hons) in Public Relations. Through the College and RGU’s Degree Link programme, he entered the course in year 3, and he says that his time at NESCol really helped to prepare for that step:

“Being at College actually sets you up really well for university – especially for the third year, because you are actually slightly ahead of some of the people at uni. You have all these practical skills that you can draw on, whereas they’ve been studying more of the theory aspect, so you actually have a slight edge.”

Now in his final year, Guy is looking forward to a new challenge alongside his studying, having been offered a job as a Communications & Media Assistant to Maggie Chapman – an MSP in the Scottish Parliament. He is extremely excited about drawing on his experience in activism, alongside the skills he has gained through college and university, and taking them into this new role.

He says that no matter what area of communications a person wants to go into, the Advertising and PR course at NESCol will set a person up for a successful career:

“The course provides you the skills to communicate whatever it is that you’re trying to sell. It’s been fantastic. It gives you a really supportive environment – especially if you are coming back into the world of education from work. That’s the route that I took and it’s been really fantastic in that regard.

“But if you’re a school leaver as well, College gives you practical skills alongside the theory that you’re learning, so even if you decide not to go to uni, you’ve got those skills there and you can utilise them to go into work. It’s really, really valuable in that way.

“Don’t hesitate. Go for it. Reach for the stars, because otherwise you might regret it later on. So apply now for the course – you won’t be disappointed.”