Career Heroes - Aideen McAlary

Tell us more about you

I'm currently completing an apprenticeship with Specialist Group. I recently completed my final exam for my degree, which has took me two years to complete, and I will hopefully continue on to 'top up' my degree in September, which will allow me to graduate with a degree in Business Management.

I'm from Lavey and have two younger siblings, Casey who is 16 and Micheál who is 11. I'm very close with both them, particularly Micheál who has autism.

I love spending time with my family and friends. I love to travel and like to always plan ahead to have things to look forward to.

What kind of work do you do?

Each week is different, which keeps it interesting. My main duties include being responsible for digital marketing including managing all of Specialist Group’s social media channels, preparing a social plan for each week for our Joinery, Glass, and Metal divisions. For this I gather images and information to showcase.

I support the sales team by researching and gathering information, which includes looking at the jobs that are coming up and what each involves and assisting with preparing documents they need to submit for tenders (providing a quote or bid to win work).

I help the HR department to promote vacancies and opportunities with the company, and I also help with organising events such as company open days, team bonding days, and charity events such as Project Ukraine and Project Santa.

How did you become a Marketing Assistant?

I completed my A Levels in ICT and Double Health and Social at St Patrick's College, Maghera in 2020. I always had the intention to go on to University to be a Special Educational Needs Teacher, or work within the health sector, such as being a Speech and Language Therapist. During lockdown in 2020, I had a lot of spare time to really think about what I wanted to do and I realised I no longer wanted to go down that route.

If you could do-over, What would you do differently?

I honestly don’t think there is anything I would change about my journey if I was to go back. The interviews for my previous offers really helped my confidence and allowed me to weigh up the pros and cons of going to University full time or completing an apprenticeship.

It may take slightly longer because you're completing the courses part-time, but you gain so much experience and learning through the apprenticeship route. University can focus a lot on theory, so you might not be fully aware of how or why procedures are put in place or carried out. In work, you get to see these every day. It helps you understand and completing assignments can be easier because you have that added knowledge.