2018 is the Year of Young People in Scotland.
For the next installment of our young Lothian people features, meet Ryan.
Ryan joined our Marketing Department this year as a web developer and played a big part in building our new website. He also works on some of our digital campaigns and was responsible for our recent app promotional video.
What is the best thing about growing up in Scotland?
For me the best thing about growing up in Scotland is the Scottish people. We are the most patriotic and welcoming nation in the world and I love that. No matter where you are in the world, there is a friendly Scotsman or Scotswoman having a good time.
What would you most like people from older generations to know about young people?
I think the biggest thing I would like older generations to know about young people is that although we are immersed in technology, we are not any different to how they were at our age. We still socialise with friends, go to university / work and enjoy ourselves just in the same ways they did when they were younger.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
My biggest achievement to date would definitely being where I am just now. I left school in May 2016 and managed to secure an apprenticeship at Prudential in Stirling, as an Apprentice Front End Web Developer. Most people need to go through 4 years of university to get into that position, so I was very fortunate. However I grasped at the opportunities given to me and completed my apprenticeship successfully. This then allowed me to secure my first full time role as Junior web developer at Lothian and that without a shadow of doubt, that is my biggest achievement to date.
Where would you like to see yourself in the future?
In the future I would love to see myself in a more senior role than I am just now, becoming a mentor for aspiring developers like I am at the minute. I would love to pass on experiences and words of wisdom that I am lucky to have received. If it wasn’t for the mentors that I have had then I wouldn’t be the developer or the person I am just now. So I hope I can have the same impact on others in the future.
Which young Scot inspires you?
A young Scot that inspires me is Liverpool footballer Andrew Robertson. The main reason for that is because he never gave up on his dream of becoming a professional footballer. When he was my age he was playing part time football for Queens Park in Scotland’s fourth Tier, while working in M&S. He never gave up though and thanks to hard work, he did make it and will play in the Champions League final at the end of May. That to me is a true inspiration to never give up on your dreams and always work hard to achieve them.
Why did you pick Lothian
I chose to apply to Lothian as I wanted a new challenge to re-ignite my enthusiasm for web development, which was being drained by the politics of financial services. So changing industry to the transport industry has given me the chance to see different ways of working and exposing me to different environments. So far it has done that and I am thoroughly enjoying myself working at Lothian.
What’s great about the year of young people
The year of young people is a great way to allow young people’s views and opinions heard across multiple channels, platforms and industries.
Thanks Ryan