Not everyone’s career path is a straight line — and that’s perfectly okay. As part of the #NoWrongPath movement, we spoke to four of our team members about their own journeys: the unexpected turns, the setbacks, and the moments that didn’t quite go to plan.
They also shared honest advice for young people who might be feeling uncertain or disappointed after receiving their exam results. Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that success often comes from the detours, not just the fast tracks.
Here’s what they had to say.
- What did you leave school hoping to do?
My initial plan was to become a Fashion Editor (thank you Devil Wears Prada) - What’s been your career path so far?
I left school after sixth year and decided to study Fashion Marketing at Glasgow Caledonian University. During that time, I juggled multiple jobs and internships, gaining hands-on experience and learning the ropes of the industry. Eventually, all that effort paid off when I landed my first role as a Marketing Executive at an agency. Fast forward 10 or 11 years, and I’m now the Head of Digital at Flourish Marketing. It’s been a journey full of learning, persistence, and embracing every opportunity. - What’s your advice for young people who didn’t get the results they were hoping for?
One result won’t decide your future, but how you respond to it will.
Liam Stevenson, Digital Marketing Account Manager
- What did you leave school hoping to do?
I left school wanting to be a PE teacher, but wanted to do a general sports course at Strathclyde University then do a post graduate in teaching, because my mum always told me I’d make a terrific teacher, but now looking back on it I am not so sure. Unfortunately, after sixth year of high school I had no university offers. - What’s been your career path so far?
Straight out of high school – with no university offers – I went into panic mode, thinking about what else I was good at, and the answer was computing and tech. So, from there I found myself a paid apprenticeship in software development, in which I gained a one year qualification. From there, I decided to pursue sport again and went back to university for a BSc in Sports Development at the University of the West of Scotland where I graduated with a first class degree, and then… COVID. I spent over a year trying to find a role in sports, which was impossible during a time where sport was non-existent, but an opportunity arose with my local basketball club and this involved developing basketball in the local community, and I decided to take social media and website management off my own back to support this… and it went very well. With no full time role in sport, and loving the social media and web development tasks I decided to go back to university for a MSc in International Marketing – where I was one of over 40 students, and the only with no marketing or business degree to boot. I found my calling and excelled through that year, winning the highest achieving student for my course and winning a university court medal in the process… I met Ellie Murphy at a university seminar and kept in touch with the goal of asking for advice, little did I know that a simple coffee would lead to a job offer… and the rest is history. - What’s your advice for young people who didn’t get the results they were hoping for?
It’s never the end, try something else and use it as a stepping stone to the next chapter. You never know what you might accidentally find out your good at or love doing.
Caroline Moffat, Senior Marketing Executive
- What did you leave school hoping to do?
I knew I wanted to work in marketing, but I had no idea how many directions that could take me. I was one of the youngest in my year at high school, and didn’t feel quite ready to jump straight into university. So I went to City of Glasgow College first to study a HNC in Public Relations and Advertising before heading to Glasgow Caledonian to study International Retail Marketing for 4 years. - What’s been your career path so far?
During uni, I worked in retail and hospitality, then took a detour after graduating to become cabin crew and travel more – always knowing I’d come back to marketing. From there, I joined an in-house marketing team as an assistant, worked my way up to a multi-region field marketing manager role, and now I’m agency-side, where I get to work across industries and projects – which suits my love for variety and collaboration.
- What’s your advice for young people who didn’t get the results they were hoping for?
To anyone that didn’t get the results they hoped for, it might feel like a setback now, but it really isn’t the end of the road – far from it. Your attitude, willingness to learn, and how you show up matters just as much (if not more) than your results. Curiosity, drive and a positive outlook go a long way!
Eve Conway, Marketing Account Manager
- What did you leave school hoping to do?
I left school with an offer to do the BA Hons Media and Communications course at Glasgow Caledonian University. Back then, I was interested in film and TV production and took this course with the aim of getting a job with a TV studio. - What’s been your career path so far?
During my degree, I had a few chances to do work experience and internships in TV production but I quickly realised it just wasn’t for me. At the same time, I was really passionate about musical theatre. I spent a summer doing an internship at a theatre marketing company in New York City working on Broadway shows, I was living the dream! When I came home, I had a part-time job working front of house at two local theatres, and it didn’t take long to realise that’s where I wanted to be. Not on stage — that was never the goal — but behind the scenes, helping bring big West End shows to local audiences. I got some experience in the marketing office, which led to a role as a Marketing & Press Assistant. I ended up spending 10 years with the company, working in lots of different marketing roles across the country and getting to be part of some amazing touring productions.Then COVID hit, and like a lot of people, I started thinking about what was next. I wanted to explore the wider world of marketing outside the arts, so I joined an international B2B agency and eventually moved to Flourish. And the rest is history!
- What’s your advice for young people who didn’t get the results they were hoping for?
One set of results doesn’t define your whole life! Most successful people didn’t follow a straight path. What matters most isn’t getting it right first time, but having the resilience to keep going and grow.Whatever your exam results look like, we hope these stories have shown that there really is no wrong path. Success doesn’t always follow a straight line and more often than not, it’s the unexpected twists that lead to the most rewarding places.So whether you’re celebrating, reconsidering your options, or just figuring things out as you go — take your time. There’s no one-size-fits-all route, and your path is yours to shape.
#NoWrongPath
