Rebecca Lewis's career path to becoming a being a manager for Buglife. Rebecca talks about learning on the job, the importance of time management, and coming back to work after starting a family. Current Job Tell us about your current role I am the Scotland and Northern Ireland Manager for Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust. Career Beginnings When you were 15, what job did you want and who did you ask for advice?I wanted to be a volcanologist but I didn't ask for advice. I wasn't sure where to go for this at the time. I just had a dream!Did you have an interest in the environment at this time?Yes. I always had an interest though it was very broad rather than specialized.What were your first steps in starting your career? I took a year out and worked as a nanny after high school. Came back and applied to college, then to University. I wasn't sure of the pathway at the time but I did manage to get lots of help from the the college and university on the steps to take. The most difficult thing was deciding what subjects not to take! After getting my degree I decided to travel again. While abroad I decided to complete a Masters which then lead to my first real job in the sector. I had completed several short contracts and interviewed for a couple of jobs before landing my first 'real' job. This first job was a steep learning curve! Career path and skills What does your career path look like? I found that returning to work after taking time out to bring up my children the most difficult part of my journey. I also traveled back from living overseas so didn't have a work track record in my home country for work. Both these things felt very much a like a barriers to re-entering the workplace in Scotland. My advice here is that persistence it key, volunteer to get involved and don't let the rejections get you down. I would also recommend to any returning parent to add you skills of parenting to your CV, not to leave this as a gap.What skills were important for you to develop in your career? Learning on the job teaches you many skills! Time management is key and taking time to learn to job, asking advice along the way. I think being open to learn at every stage is the best thing you can do to help you progress. If I could create any job in the environmental sector I would......create a job that brings careers together and breaks down silos, an educational role that works across sector to join the dots and builds connectivity. I think that teaching should be part of every job. If you don't want to be the person delivering the material then help to create it. This article was published on Monday 19 October 2026
