BUSINESS INSIGHT: No wrong path following exam results
Tuesday, August 6, is a big day for young people across Scotland as they will be receiving their exam results.
Some will be delighted as their results will have confirmed their next step in life - whether that’s university, other education, or entering the workplace. Others might be disappointed at not achieving what they hoped for, or not being so certain about what comes next.
And that’s why on Tuesday the #NoWrongPath campaign will be returning to our social media feeds and why, at Inverness Chamber of Commerce, we’re inviting businesses across Inverness and the central Highlands to take part.
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No Wrong Path is important because for most of us our careers don’t follow a straight line.
I’m a perfect example. I left school having achieved all the exam results I hoped for and went to university to study maths. But I quickly hit a mathematical wall and was told by the university that I had the worst set of exam results that had ever been awarded a degree. So that maths-focused career was never going to happen.
Instead, I got a job in a bar in a concert hall. I slowly gained promotions and have spent most of my career running some of the biggest theatres and concert venues in Scotland. Last year I changed again and I’m now running Inverness Chamber of Commerce.
No Wrong Path celebrates the careers that don’t follow a straight line. Now in its eighth year, it is spearheaded by Developing the Young Workforce Scotland and aims to inspire young people about their options, regardless of the results they have received. It highlights that many people in interesting jobs didn't take an obvious or traditional path to get there.
So if you’ve had a lovely twisty-turny career then please consider telling your story (check out DYWICH social media to see how), and if you’re a young person who didn’t receive the news you wanted, please don’t worry, this is still a great day that will propel you in a different, new and probably exciting direction!
Colin Marr is Inverness Chamber of Commerce’s chief executive.
