Richard McCreadie- Standard Life

Name: Richard McCreadie
Club 21 Employer: Scottish Enterprise
Degree Subject: Mathematics
Year of Graduation: 2008
Current Employer: Standard Life

After my first two summers at University spent aimlessly pondering around waiting for the next term to begin, I decided that I needed to start working during the summer to gain experience and to pad out my CV. After noticing Club 21, I decided to apply for a few roles in the hope that I could gain some relevant experience and transferable skills. I was delighted that I managed to secure a placement with Scottish Enterprise in the Life Sciences Team – I couldn’t believe I managed to secure such an excellent job after only my second application. This gave me the confidence to apply for graduate jobs in my final year and stand a chance against the competition - I wasn’t going to go down without a fight!

In my final year I decided that I wanted to work in finance and, if possible, to use my mathematics to analyse business problems. After a few meetings at the careers library and attending graduate fairs, I decided I would apply to be an actuary. Two years on and I am now working at Standard Life in Edinburgh as an Actuarial Trainee, which has been more challenging than I ever imagined, but exciting and fun at the same time.

As part of the graduate scheme I get to move departments every two years. I started in Product Operations where I was responsible for the calculations being correct on many of our quote systems and updating data used in these calculations. I was also involved in implementing new functionality to our systems to deal with the demand from our customers, ensuring we were competitive in the current market place. I have recently moved to the European Embedded Value Department, where I am now responsible for calculating valuation results for the Annuities product in order to aid business decisions and to meet financial regulatory requirements. I also produce regular reporting which is published and audited.

My time at Standard Life has been challenging, but the support network and buddy system here is second to none, and the abundance of skills and knowledge I obtained from my Club 21 placement has helped me throughout. Working for such a large, market-leading organisation is not all hard work- the social aspect is great. There is an abundance of graduates working here, so there is always something to do every night of the week if you choose to. Edinburgh is also a vibrant city and has a great atmosphere but is yet small enough that you can live in the city centre without it being too pricey (unlike London)! I know how tempting lazing around all summer and partying can be, but if you want those extra skills that will put you ahead of the game then I would definitely recommend that you do an internship and get as much experience as possible before you start applying for graduate jobs. With the help of Club 21 you can get the support and placement you need and deserve.