National Careers Week feels like a good moment to reflect — this year marks my 25th year in the gas industry, having started back in 2001. What makes that feel especially significant is that at 18, I had no real idea what I wanted to do.

I definitely didn’t have a plan. I just wanted to get out there, working, learning, and earning. By chance, I came across an apprenticeship in the gas industry: work-based learning alongside college, leading to a formal qualification, and earning a wage at the same time. That seemed like a good place to start.

My apprenticeship was with Transco within the Gas Emergency Service. The early days were… basic and brilliant in equal measure. Learning how to use hand tools the correct way by stripping down scrap. Turning up knowing nothing about the industry and quickly realising how much there was to learn. You go from feeling out of your depth, to being useful, to being trusted one small step at a time.

Once qualified, I was officially a First Call Operative, working independently and responding to gas emergencies in real time. Looking back, that period built attributes I didn’t even have words for at the time. Emergencies aren’t only technical, they’re often emotionally charged. People are worried, frustrated, frightened. And you still have to stay calm, communicate clearly, build trust quickly, and implement a solution that protects life and property.

Without realising it, you start developing skills that follow you through every role:

• composure under pressure
• judgement and risk awareness
• empathy and confidence in difficult conversations
• clear communication when it matters most

After ten years in field operations, others saw something in me that I didn’t really see in myself at the time, and I eventually succumbed to the shirt and tie.

What I found and what I genuinely didn’t expect was how much I enjoyed supporting others. Providing guidance to engineers, drawing on my own experiences, helping people navigate difficult situations and head scratching scenarios… it was rewarding, and it felt like a real privilege.

Over the following years I had the opportunity to work across a variety of operational management roles from iron mains replacement to emergency and repair, new connections, diversions and reinforcement, to name a few. Quietly, without really thinking about it, I’d been building an extensive knowledge base that would open the door to further opportunities.

In 2019, the H21 project needed exactly that: deep operational knowledge of gas distribution, grounded in the standards and procedures that keep people safe and networks running reliably. So I moved into hydrogen project management within H21 and it felt like stepping into the future while staying rooted in the fundamentals.

One project I was involved in is something I still reflect on: a world first conversion of a natural gas network to 100% odorised hydrogen, and then operated. What made it so exciting was bringing something to life from scratch, finding the right location, helping shape the design, and working with a wide group of people, partners and stakeholders both within and outside industry to make sure it was done properly and responsibly.

It still makes me smile that I got to play a part in something so significant.

More recently, joining N-Gen and moving into business development has been another shift — but it’s reminded me how transferable those early lessons are. A lot of business development is built on the same fundamentals: relationships, communication and trust. It’s listening properly, being clear and honest, following through on what you say you’ll do, and understanding what “good” looks like when something has to be delivered safely in the real world. The irony is that the things I learned early on, often without realising it, are the things I lean on now when I’m building partnerships, shaping opportunities, and bringing people on a journey.

Funny how fast 25 years can pass, and how taking a punt on an apprenticeship at 18, has led to a career in an industry I’d not even considered.

If you’re early in your career (or thinking about a change) and you feel behind because you don’t have it all mapped out, I’d say this:

• start somewhere that teaches you real skills
• say yes to responsibility (even when it’s daunting)
• stay close to the work and learn from the people around you

Over time, the attributes compound and you look back and realise you’ve built far more than a CV.