Former
fisherman
turns to
nursing for
career on
high seas
A
N EX-FISHERMAN IS embarking on an exciting
new career on the high seas after studying
nursing at QMU. Norman Todd’s fascinating story
demonstrates that no matter what your early start in life
is, it’s never too late to return to education, change your
career direction and fulfil your potential.
Norman, now 44 years old, was brought up in Ullapool and
left school at 16 with few qualifications and no academic
aspirations. He began his working life as a deep sea fisherman
off the north coast of Scotland, but decided to change his
career path and move into nursing in 1999. The fishing industry
was in decline and it was getting harder to make a decent
living. He was spending 10 days at sea and getting only four
days at home, which was difficult as a single parent.
When he was 26, Norman signed up to an access to higher
education course at Telford College (now Edinburgh College)
in Edinburgh. He had decided that an access course was the
best option for him as a mature adult learner. Norman felt it was
a tough challenge, having been out of academia for a decade,
but he really enjoyed studying and developing new life skills,
which he still uses to this day. The experience provided him
with an excellent grounding to go on to study at university and,
as a result, was accepted to study Nursing at QMU.
10
QMYOU / Health & Rehabilitation