Vincent Mullen, social media executive, UTS Engineering, tells us why he is constantly looking for opportunities to expand his skill set and why he believes it is important to never stop learning.
I live by the old Michelangelo saying ‘I’m still learning’ and I believe you can get anywhere you want in life if you continue to keep pushing yourself and opening up to new learning opportunities. All too often people get stuck in a rut, they start to feel comfortable and that is when development stops. You have to keep stepping out of your comfort zone in order to grow.
I was appointed social media executive at UTS Engineering nearly two months ago and already the opportunities are proving to be unlimited. I feel extremely happy to have found myself in the employ of a company that is so focused on employee growth and diversification of skills. Although my university degree was in business management at Teesside University, with my final year at Northumbria University, I actually studied engineering, chemistry and IT at A-Level. It makes sense to me that I have come full circle and now get to use all of the skills I have learnt throughout my education. Like I said, the more knowledge you have in a variety of subjects the better you position yourself in both your career and personal development.
After leaving university I worked at two North East manufacturing companies and also tried my hand at recruitment. I believe it is important to try different avenues in order to find what you like and dislike and nothing is time wasted regardless of whether you do or do not wish to go further with it.
I have been at UTS Engineering for only a short time and yet I have never felt more at home in my employment or listened to by my employer. It truly is a fantastic company for team culture, staff morale and career development. There are few companies that would fund online learning for an employee who has only just joined the team and yet UTS Engineering is one of them. I have always had a keen interest in marketing and I only had to mention this before I was signed up to do my CIM Level 6 in Professional Marketing, with qualifications including marketing and digital strategy, innovation in marketing and managing brands.
As part of the one-year course, which I will undertake outside of work, my chosen topic is marketing penetration for the oil and gas sector. This is something I am extremely interested in and is also a route the company is looking to go down, so I look forward to providing a valuable marketing insight for the company. I am fortunate to work amongst people who have first-class knowledge of the area and I will be under the mentorship of Ryan Tinkler, head of site services and intervention. I am proud to work for a company that is so engaged with its employees and actively wants us to seek new learning opportunities. The sky is the limit at UTS Engineering!
Now, more than ever, online learning is an exceptional way to grow our skill set. During this difficult and uncertain time, we all rely on the power of digital technology but we must not forget the importance of face-to-face communication for building relationships. I am looking forward to attending as many CIM events as I can when life returns to normal and I look forward to fostering new friendships with like-minded individuals.
