Hive Health

When I finished studying almost a year and a half ago I really didn’t (and still don’t…) know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I did, however, know a couple of things. Firstly, I really like science, it’s interesting and fun, it’s always changing and I like talking about it. Secondly, I don’t like working in labs. Armed with this knowledge and thrust into the big wide world, I did what any normal young person would do, I avoided the issue. I spent six months skiing and washing dishes in the Alps. It was great fun, but apart from some interesting experiments with acid-based cleaning products and the soles of my shoes, didn’t really fulfill my desire to talk about science.

I came home with a drive to find a career that would let me indulge my passion for science and to share it with others. Unfortunately, apart from suggesting becoming a teacher, this seems to be an area that most careers advisors will draw a blank on (interestingly, this lack of awareness of healthcare communications as a graduate career has, of course, become more important to Hive as the agency has continued to grow). It was lucky then, that a couple of my good friends, one of them being Hive’s very own Clare Ross, had already discovered the world of healthcare communications and were on hand to give me a bit prodding in that direction. A couple of interviews and a trip around the office later and I was sold, this was where I wanted to be.

The only trouble with being an out-and-out scientist moving to work in the advertising business is the fact that now I have to learn to be able to discuss ideas such as a ‘Brand Essence’ and ‘Look-and-Feel’ that are, for me at least, a little less tangible than say, the structure of DNA. However, that is one of the greatest things about Hive, the people, always willing to lend a hand to help out a fellow Bee. So, despite being compared to Jas’s 7-year old son and occasionally (apparently) sporting drawn-on facial hair, I know I am just where I want to be, surrounded by other enthusiastic scientists, working together to translate that enthusiasm into results for patients.