What is your role at TFT?

I am a Graduate Building Surveyor but I am also a Communications Information Systems Specialist within the Royal Navy Reserves.

What drew you to property, and to TFT in particular?

One of my main focuses is career progression and finding ways to broaden my knowledge of the building surveying practice. However, whilst at my previous consultancies, I found it very difficult to achieve either mainly down to the fact that my ex-work colleagues were from a generation where you would ‘learn on your own accord’.

It was very clear that this was not the case at TFT. Everyone is more than happy to assist with career progression and additional learning which is absolutely great! Another key reason I choose TFT was because they fully supported my role within the Royal Naval Reserves and the charity events that I participate in throughout the year.

And what does that reservist role involve?

The role is typically front line and involves the use of specialist equipment (global radio, satellite communications and military IT systems etc.) to guarantee the secure exchange of mission-critical, and often top-secret information.

Do you feel your role in property benefits from the skills you learn in the Royal Navy and vice versa?

You may not think so on the face of it, but I’ve found many of my CIS Specialist skills come in handy through my role at TFT, for instance: attention to detail, communications, respect and care for equipment, and proper handling of sensitive information.

The subject matter might be quite different, but I’ve found plenty of crossover between my roles in the office, on site and on deployment.

What support does TFT offer you to balance your work and reservist duties?

My role in the Royal Navy means that I am required to commit 26 days a year to conduct training to ensure that I remain at trained strength ‘deployable’. TFT has allowed me to start my working day earlier so that I can have more time in the evenings to continue revising for my APC as well as undertake any reservist duties.

Any challenges with being in the ‘zone’ of each role?

Not overly, I am able to switch on and off in between quite easily. Although, I do have a habit of speaking navy talk (Jack speak) without realising and may sometimes say words without realising such as ‘scran’ (food), ‘heads’ (toilets) or ‘gash bag’ (bin bag). Sometimes I do have to explain what I mean with some of the terminology especially the latter jack word!

What do you think are the biggest challenges to finding the right career?

I think that a number of people falsely believe that only one perfect career exists for each person, but really there are many career possibilities which share similar characteristics. Instead of seeking one career that seems like an ideal fit, I would strongly recommend investigating a number of options that have features in common.

That said, I think the pressure to find a career that you’ll thrive and progress quickly in is really present throughout all educational and early working stages of our lives, not to mention financial pressure from our peers and perhaps even parents who we want to impress. These are so common though and I think it would be unnatural not to feel them!

Any advice for people stuck on the fence between a career in property and something else?

The only advice that I would give is to ask yourself the question ‘what do I want from my career?’.

If the answer is along the lines of, ‘a career that’s extremely challenging, in an ever-growing and friendly field where your skills are always valued and in-demand‘, then construction would be a sector for you!

If you are seriously on the fence then I would suggest pursuing a career within the construction industry and supplement this with lots of hobbies or like me, becoming a Reservist in the Armed Forces (best of both worlds – trust me!).

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