Euan Mair

Trainee SharePoint Helpdesk Analyst |
School/College Leaver

Why do you enjoy your job?

My job as a trainee within Aberdeen Asset Management* PLC is enjoyable for a number of reasons: I work alongside helpful and friendly colleagues; I face new challenges frequently by getting involved in different tasks and I am able to utilise my knowledge of software development – which is a significant interest of mine – in almost every problem or task I deal with.

I am currently responsible for managing the support helpdesk for SharePoint related issues. This involves not only troubleshooting and solving several issues myself but also communicating with other members of the SharePoint development team to delegate some issues to other colleagues. This allows me to improve my inter-personal and problem solving skills which are extremely beneficial in my work environment. I am also involved in SharePoint development, which incorporates my software development skills and knowledge to create custom SharePoint solutions for use within the company.

What is the most challenging thing about your job?

I believe the most challenging part of my job is dealing with a problem I’ve never dealt with before. As mentioned previously, these opportunities allow me to improve my problem solving skills. It is sometimes frustrating when you cannot always solve a problem on your first attempt; however, this in itself provides more opportunities to learn new things. While you may not solve the immediate problem, you often acquire new skills or knowledge of things you have not used before.

How did you get into your job?

After completing my 6th year at school, I had not fully decided what my next step(s) would be. I considered multiple ‘plans’ such as joining Police Scotland, applying for IT related jobs across Aberdeen and applying for a college course that appealed to me. While studying networking in college, I was contacted about an interview opportunity for my role with Aberdeen Asset Management and was subsequently offered the job.

What are your future aspirations?

In the future, I hope to stay with AAM as I like its culture. So far, my experience within the company has been brilliant and I believe that the positive environment AAM has will allow me to improve and develop my determined and hard-working persona.

How would you sum up your Investment20/20 experience?

The Investment20/20 experience has been not only unique, but extremely advantageous at the same time. Having the opportunity to not only learn, but earn synchronously has allowed me to progress not only in the world of work, but in life experience in comparison to my peers who attend college/university. The training that has been provided can create potential opportunities that would not have arisen in any other circumstance.

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