Daniel Wilkins, Operational Safety Training Supervisor
“Make opportunities by up-skilling and use this experience in a positive way although it won’t feel like this at the time.”
“When I was made redundant I didn’t really understand the journey or how rough the road to recovery would be. I was never one for throwing in the towel or admitting defeat but at times it was difficult to manage and keep a lid on things. Reflecting back it was the kick up the arse I needed if the truth be known, opportunities often arise when you are least expecting, although I had to create the conditions and have a plan which I put in place.
My background is in the military, I joined the forces (army) straight from school. I then moved in to oil and gas. It was there I was made redundant and moved into different roles within health and safety.
After I was made redundant I went straight out and started to look for work, I wanted to work in a H&S capacity and took a £50k salary reduction to get into that field. There was a huge financial pressure and keeping on top of our household commitments was my priority.
I decided to explore upskilling by starting a diploma in health and safety in order to be more employable and attractive to businesses. It was a balancing act but I knew I really wanted to be in that field.
“Review your outgoings, inform your mortgage companies and explain the situation. Formulate a plan and be prepared for a strain on lifestyle and family life for a while. If you are prepared and you know it’s not going to be easy, it makes it easier to deal with.”
Reflecting on our experience of redundancy it was the best thing that happened to us as a family. We are now in a position where we have adjusted our outgoings and learned from it all.
I had my wife behind me pushing me forward encouraging me to constantly push the envelope and “dig in” the words she used on more than one occasion. You need a supporting element to succeed and positive people not the doom and gloom personalities.
Sometimes life serves up a menu that doesn’t really take your fancy but you soon realise to eat what’s in front of you and use it as fuel. One thing for sure it’s about believing in yourself, using the energy of others to motivate yourself when times are tough. It’s easy when the conditions are favourable but when life is against you it’s how you apply yourself.