Reuben Cameron, Moray Marine Ltd
What is your background?
I originally hail from the village of Fochabers: a town famed for soup, jam and a bypass. None of which are of much interest to me so I left as soon as I could and moved to Glasgow to study at the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship at the Strathclyde Business School.
How did you find out about the placement at Moray First Marine?
It was all a bit strange really. I already had a Summer job but I was getting fewer and fewer hours, and one day I was randomly on the Strathclyde Careers website looking at the kind of jobs I could be doing when I graduated, but whilst there I noticed a summer placement in Moray so I had a look at it. Upon reading through the position I thought it was something that would be of real interest to me and I would also have something to offer Moray First Marine. The only issue was that I had missed the deadline by one day, but since I really wanted the role I applied anyway and low and behold I got the job.
What did you like most about your placement?
The placement was an excellent opportunity to put everything I had learned so far at University into practice and it was really good to actually do something real with my knowledge opposed to suggesting how company's could better improve their practices with reports or essays that are never, ever going to be seen or read. So the general experience of proving myself within the field was great but if I am totally honest my favourite part of the placement was a day out on a fishing trip.
What project were you involved in?
I was taken on as a 'ROV Marketing Assistant' to try and up the level of business Moray First Marine were getting from their ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) side of the business, with the hope of gaining new contacts, leads and jobs but I ended up doing much more which was excellent. I was really marketing the whole company.
What did you learn and what skills have you gained from your placement?
Through the placement I learnt many things and improved on many skills, which will hopefully help me in the future but probably the most valuable thing I've learnt is that I can actually successfully create and implement a marketing strategy. Prior to my placement I had never done any actual marketing. I had written about and referenced theories in many a boring essay but to actually do it for real and prove that I can do it is the thing I am most proud of from the placement.
What advice would you give to other students?
I would advise anyone looking for a summer job to check out the TalentScotland scheme because having eight weeks, full time, relevant and well paid work experience beats stacking shelves or serving meals any day and through the scheme you can gain some pretty valuable contacts.