What I did before
I joined "Rover" as a graduate trainee straight from university. Over a 30 year period with the group I actually worked for 12 Companies, had 10 Jobs and worked in 8 different locations.  I started as an electronic designer and later on moved into IT as a Manager and then as an Infrastructure Architect, ultimately specialising in Network Architecture. including Internet Security.

What I'm doing now
I architect the network for a major international commercial law firm in Birmingham, so really it's just more of the same of what I was doing before. I got the job via a tip-off from a colleague and had 2 interviews 10 months apart (in some slightly strange circumstances), eventually being successful the second time around.  So if at first you don't succeed then don't give up! 

If you'd told me 5 years ago I'd be working for a legal firm in Birmingham..
I'd have told you I expected to take voluntary redundancy at the next round and retire comfortably, assuming they would let me go!

Top 3 tips I'd pass onto someone else facing redundancy

• Maximise contact with everyone you know - both inside and outside of work, including former colleagues. I even used to take copies of my CV to parties!
• Don't believe everything an agency tells you and don't expect them to do anything for you - ultimately your success is down to you
• Don't give up!

Single best memory from my job
Probably the most enduring memory is a major project which I conceived and delivered to install a data cable duct network at Gaydon - affectionately known as the "M25". It probably cost around £250,000 in total and as far as I know it is still in use today.

Biggest things I've learned

• Your network of contacts is your biggest asset
• It is not what you know but who you know that really counts
• Changing jobs later in life is not actually as traumatic you might think; having done it once, I'm now not afraid of doing again, should circumstances change.