The transition from wealthy to poor in Aberdeen has been instantaneous. Everyone I know in the city has been affected—my fiancee was made redundant, my Dad (after 25 years at BP) and my best mate’s dad (after 25 years at Shell) too.
I studied CS at Robert Gordon University, which is cutting academic staff. I also worked at a design and dev shop, but that went bust in December last year.
It’s actually a really bleak time, but this outcome was avoidable.
Although my friends and family all live in Aberdeen, I feel like I can’t sustain myself there. I currently live in Wellington, NZ, which is beautiful, vibrant and diverse.
Have you noticed any pick-up from the offshore wind industry? There's certainly some overlap between oil and wind industries, and Scotland is doing quite a lot of offshore wind development nowadays.
Scotland in general is very well placed for renewable energy, with both great geography and skilled labour. I feel like the businesses based in Aberdeen haven’t realised that opportunity though.
The local industry has been a one-trick pony with no ambition to diversify. The end result is what we’re currently seeing.
The transition from wealthy to poor in Aberdeen has been instantaneous. Everyone I know in the city has been affected—my fiancee was made redundant, my Dad (after 25 years at BP) and my best mate’s dad (after 25 years at Shell) too.
I studied CS at Robert Gordon University, which is cutting academic staff. I also worked at a design and dev shop, but that went bust in December last year.
It’s actually a really bleak time, but this outcome was avoidable.
Although my friends and family all live in Aberdeen, I feel like I can’t sustain myself there. I currently live in Wellington, NZ, which is beautiful, vibrant and diverse.