Rebecca Clements

Rebecca (31) returned to complete HND Web Development (including Digital Design and Development) with North East Scotland College (NESCol) in 2019. Fast forward five years, and she’s now running a very successful digital marketing business!

Rebecca’s talents for web design shone through from a young age and she made her first website at just 7 years old. She decided to study computing after school but found being the only woman on her course daunting. She said, “As the only girl, I felt like I was maybe in the wrong industry.”

Unfortunately, this feeling led to Rebecca leaving her course. She went on to work full time, building up her confidence as well as taking acting classes at the College back in 2009.

“The skills and confidence I gained from acting became vital to my career. I am comfortable doing presentations, public speaking, hosting Zooms and meeting clients.”

Over a decade later, with her son starting school, the timing was now right for her to return to education and her love of computing.

She said, “I enjoyed how welcomed I was at NESCol, especially knowing I was much older than others in the class. The support I had from my lecturers was incredible – they really saw my potential and encouraged me. The feedback you receive at College is excellent and I felt like everyone really went above and beyond.”

After Rebecca successfully achieved her HND at NESCol, she progressed on to study for her BSc Digital Media degree at Robert Gordon University. She utilised the degree link pathway which meant she could join year 3 of the course, and she graduated in 2022.

Rebecca’s business started by chance when she began to post her portfolio online. This was the spark that kickstarted her venture and she began to receive requests for websites and logo designs. Her business, Bexion Design Studios, has since grown to also offer social media management and her skills are in high demand, with a growing waitlist of clients.

“My former lecturer recently got in touch via my business page – they recommended me to a client for a website! With the advantage of my design background, I stand out from other people in the digital marketing space.”

Rebecca is passionate about encouraging girls and young women to consider computing as a future career option.

She said, “Yes, computing is still a male-dominated industry, but there are fantastic opportunities for everyone, including women. I am proud to be an entrepreneur and a woman in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).

“I am living proof that you can not only go back to follow your dreams, but also be successful. If you have the ambition to be your own boss, don’t wait, just start!”.