Liam Hamill talks beyondoxbridge through his career choices so far – and why he is happy at Fig Tree, a strategic brand consultancy….

Did you feel well informed about your options when you were at university?

I think the main problem with Oxbridge is that only certain career options are made clear to you. If you want to go into banking, law or a professional services environment, then the level of advice tends to be quite high. But for other types of career the level of advice and alumni contacts that you can talk to tends to be a lot lower. There is the feeling that the focus for careers tends to be very much on the City and related fields and I feel that in the future it's important for this balance to be redressed.

What were your initial aims when thinking about careers?

I wanted a career that was challenging. Now that may sound like an obvious thing to say, but it's probably the most important. I also wanted to join a large organisation with a structured training programme.

What made you join one of the big accountancy firms?

The firm I joined are regarded as one of the best companies for graduate recruitment. Their training programme was highly developed and competitive as were other investments in staff, such as benefits and support. The chance to get professional qualifications was also a large draw. I also saw it as a great opportunity to begin my career on the right foot. Getting a 'big' name on my CV became more important that the reality of what I would actually be doing on a day-to-day basis.

Was there anything exactly wrong with your previous job, or was it just not for you?

It's not that there was anything wrong with the job, it's more that I quickly realised that it just wasn't working out. I found the environment quite stale and formulaic. Although having a rigid hierarchy in place can often be a good thing, I felt it was inhibitive to my self-expression. I also realised that I hadn't thought through the exact nature of my duties and responsibilities, which in retrospect was a large error.

When did you realise you wanted to do something else?

It was probably around 6 months in. I started to ask myself whether I could actually see myself doing what I was doing for the next 25-30 years, to which the answer was a resounding 'no.' I think that once you've reached that point then it's important to make a change rather than stick with something that's making you unhappy.

What do Fig Tree do?

Figtree are a strategic brand consultancy that specialise in developing stronger personalities for organisations of all shapes and sizes. I joined as a junior brand consultant. Brand strategy combines an interesting mix of analytical and creative disciplines and can be a real challenge. One minute you could be re-positioning a multinational corporation, the next minute you could be working on a brand film to launch a new brand strategy into the public consciousness.

I think changing career is one of the best decisions I could have made. Every job has its good points and it's bad points, but finding something that you fundamentally enjoy is very important. It was scary to leave a large corporation for a smaller outfit of 25 people, but I feel that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Although I am only 14 months in, the level of work I'm being exposed to is very challenging and I probably would have had to wait quite a few years for the types of opportunity I'm getting now if I'd stayed where I was.

Was your first job necessary or helpful for doing the second?

There's no such thing as a wasted experience and you should never see a 'wrong' decision in that way. I learnt a great deal at my first job, mainly about what I didn't want to do with my career, but also some other key skills that are necessary for the work place. In my first job I worked in the telecommunications and media sectors and it just so happens that many of the accounts I work on at Figtree are in these sectors too. It sounds like a cliche, but transferrable skills and knowledge are highly valuable and you should always look to leverage the advantages that they can afford.

Finally, how have you found living in London? Is it different to what you're used to? What areas have you lived in and are they any good?

Living in London is great. I'm from the North East originally, so it's been quite a change. The two areas I've lived in are Angel and West Hampstead and both have their good points and bad points. Angel is a great location for people working in the City. It's within walking distance and has some great bars and restaurants. West Hampstead has much more of a village feeling about it and is more residential and laid back.