| In
the mid 1950's, the UK economic situation was such that all young
people, having completed their education, whether it was to University,
GCE A Level, City & Guilds Technical College, or GCE O Level, could
easily obtain employment. This was the result of a
general shortage of skilled labour in Manufacturing and White
Collar trades. But how to choose one's career was not so easy. True, at King Edward VI Grammar Scholl, Stourbridge, all 5th form lads were seen by an external Careers Officer, but since each interview lasted only a few minutes, it was hardly productive. In 1955, I had no preconceived ideas about what I wanted to do with my life. I liked Art, and briefly thought that training to become an Architect would be a possibility. So in the summer of 1955, my GCE year, my parents attempted to take me in hand. What was I interested in?, they asked. Well, that was easy; Railways!. Since 1950, all my spare time had initially been spent pursuing my hobby of trainspotting. Subsequently, inspired by the writings of O S Nock and C J Allen, I began timing trains, calculating speeds, and writing up details comprehensively in a series of log books. So I decided that I would like to work on the Railways. The first thing to do was to find out what career opportunities there were, and what educational entry requirements they required. So my father made an appointment with the London Midland Region Railway Careers Officer, whose office was situated in Birmingham, close to New Street station, and duly took me along, complete with a selection of my most recent "Log Books". |
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I was in for a shock. Trainee Management posts were Graduate entry only.
There were Engineering apprenticeships available, but they were hardly
what I was looking for, and in any case would require a further two
years at College on an Engineering based City & Guilds course. Which
left the less skilled manual jobs. Porters, Engine Cleaners etc. In fact, the Careers Officer was extremely helpful. and gave me some very sound advice. 1) Continue my interest in Railways purely as a hobby and enjoy it as such. 2) Consider what were my strengths and weaknesses, and choose a career path that utilised the strengths, with a view to obtaining some form of Professional or Technical Qualification, and 3) Having reached that point, probably five years ahead, consider whether I still wished to make a career on the Railways. If the answer was yes, then come back to see him. That way I would join the promotion ladder a few rungs up, not at the bottom. So had he any suggestions?, we asked. He responded immediately. He noted that I had passed my GCE Mathematics comfortably. It was obvious from the performance logs I had produced that I was able to apply my mathematical knowledge in a practical way. I clearly had an analytical mind. Surely these were the ideal requirements for a career in Accountancy. Why not try for an Accountancy qualification. |
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| This was one of those "key moments" in my life, from which all else followed. Thank you "Mr Railway Careers Officer". i did in fact train to become a Chartered Accountant, and obtained my Qualification in 1962. Throughout the 1960's, I had several posts in the Engineering and Contracting Industries, before returning to the Accountancy Profession, where I remained until my retirement. | ||||
| Below: Gradient Profile scanned from my 1955 Log book | ||||
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| Above: Hampshire Rail Map scanned from my 1955 Log book |
