Robin Bishop

My degree taught me to manage my time, question everything and find pragmatic solutions to the most complex problems.

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What path has your career taken since graduation?

I left Edinburgh and worked as a project manager for a startup in London. I did not enjoy myself and decided to make an early career switch to medicine. I resigned from my job and took up a position as a Health Care Assistant at my local hospital. I then applied in September 2019 to Medical School in Italy (taught in English) and started in October 2019. I now am studying Medicine and am loving every minute.

What is your current role and what does your work involve?

I am currently studying so the same that applies to current students. I am also learning Italian as I will need this for the clinical portion of my studies.

What experiences do you feel helped you get to your current position?

Nothing in particular although I actually contacted my dissertation manager at Edinburgh before deciding on this path. I spoke with her about what I wanted to do and she advised me. It’s not really an experience, but making use of the wisdom and support I had available to me at Edinburgh helped me to discover what I really enjoyed.

How have you used the skills and/or knowledge developed during your degree in your career?

The entrance exam for medicine in Italy is very competitive and having my degree from Edinburgh definitely came in handy. The skills I picked up at Edinburgh in terms of personal study also really helped me to start with a bang here in Italy.

What do you think was the most valuable aspect of your time at Edinburgh in preparation for your career?

Being taught to question and think. As cheesy as it sounds, even when I was working in London and I wasn't enjoying it, I was really glad to have core skills given to me at Edinburgh to use when I realised I wanted to change careers. My degree taught me to manage my time, question everything and find pragmatic solutions to the most complex problems. I certainly use these skills in Medicine now.

What advice would you give to students who are interested in your area of work?

If you want to go and work in a grad scheme after university, think hard about whether it is going to make you genuinely happy/or will lead to you to something that will. I panicked and snatched up the wrong job for me and found that out pretty quickly. If you want to pursue a career in anything, I would take the time to find out what it is about that career that attracts you and see if it really fits with your plan for life in general.

On the other hand, I learnt about what I truly want from my career by working for the company I did before moving into healthcare.

Information given in April 2020.