Paving a new career path

Changing careers can be both exhilarating and daunting. Whether you’re seeking a fresh challenge, better work-life balance, or a chance to pursue your passion, embarking on a new professional path requires thoughtful planning and a willingness to adapt. 

Here we meet two Chemring colleagues, Daniel and James who did just that and took the opportunity to move from their previous, quite different, sectors and into the defence sector. 

Daniel is an Associate R&D Chemist at Chemring Countermeasures UK (CCM UK), and James is Learning & Development Manager also at CCM UK. Daniel moved from previous jobs as a baker and university mentor to become an R&D Chemist. And James previously worked in the public sector, firstly for the NHS and then as a Police Officer, before moving into learning and development.

Tell us about the fields you worked in before joining Chemring? 

Daniel: Before my current role at Chemring, I was a Senior Mentor at a university  and also a baker when I first finished my degree.

James: My first career was as an Audiologist in the NHS. I then became a Police Officer for 16 years. After that, I moved into various training and development roles within the private and public sector, including elderly care. 

What did you enjoy or not enjoy about your previous job(s)?

Daniel: Going into baking straight out of university was a good way to try something new for the summer and have a break from chemistry. However, it quickly became monotonous to me as, once the process had been learnt, there was little room for development.
However, I found being a mentor at university was incredibly rewarding, as it allowed me to engage with students in lower years, to develop personal skills, such as delivering presentations and speaking to different audiences.

James: Most of my previous jobs were people-based, public sector roles. The public sector is a huge, very slow-moving machine in which it was hard to be as effective as I wanted and to achieve improvement at pace.  

The elderly care sector was a massively rewarding sector to work in. However, COVID made it an extreme environment fraught with tragedy. 

Throughout my various roles, I saw and dealt with things that many will never get the chance to be involved with. These things shaped me and my outlook on life to be what it is today. I have no regrets in any of my career choices but have learnt that choosing careers that are vocational, means you are making life choices rather than just work choices.  

If I had to pick my most exciting and varied career, then I’d have to say Policing.  It was my childhood dream job, and I am incredibly proud to have been able to serve in that role.

What made you apply for a job at Chemring?

Daniel: The most engaging aspect of university for me was the project in my final year. I enjoyed the research and problem-solving process to develop existing methods and create new, more efficient versions. Chemring immediately caught my attention as research and development was a key aspect of the position. Furthermore, it is in a specialist industry that doesn’t come up often in graduate chemistry positions, compared to something like pharmaceuticals. This uniqueness took my interest.

James: Chemring is unusual in the products it makes with a worldwide base. It is science and tech based and so always developing and moving forward. It looked like a challenging role that would allow me to make a difference.

What do you like about your current role?

Daniel: The most enjoyable part of this job is the variety. Every day is different as there are new tasks to undertake and new problems to overcome. While it’s primarily a chemistry position, there is a far greater array of aspects to engage with, including: pyrotechnic manufacturing, proofing, and hazard testing. 
The people around me are also incredibly supportive and friendly, aiding personal development and building professional relationships. Furthermore, there are a plethora of opportunities the job provides, such as attending chemistry conferences overseas, supporting professional development, and networking with others in similar positions.

James: In many ways, my current role has been one of the most challenging I have performed. I like that my experience, knowledge, and ideas are respected and heard. As a company, we solve problems and challenges together and I am not just left to figure it out for myself. 
The thing I like most of all is that my team care about what we do and what we deliver. The culture we now have toward learning is a pleasure to see and hear about.

How do the different industries you've worked in compare or differ?

Daniel: As this is my first graduate career position, the only other industry I have experience in is academia, via projects and laboratory work at university. Chemring is similar in the sense of supporting growth of key skills in research and development; however, there is a greater sense of independence and problem solving here, taking initiative and applying understanding to reach a desired outcome.

James: As I have mostly worked in the Public Sector, I historically haven’t had to be concerned with profitability, just providing good service. So, it’s taken me a while to become more business minded. What hasn’t really changed through all the industries I have worked in, is that, without people who care and who have a good work ethic, they would be nothing and fail.  
Similarly, the requirement to continually develop ourselves and others around us, not only to make the industry and business better, but to also build skills, motivation and success for the future.