Hannah Bisset

Hannah Bisset (27) from Bridge of Don loved studying at NESCol so much, she has completed two HND-level courses since leaving school. She said, “I loved every minute of my time at NESCol.  I received so much support and learned so much from the extremely knowledgeable lecturers. I also met some amazing friends and, more importantly, I found my passion!”

Hannah’s journey began in 2013 with HND Photography.  She said, “I have always been a creative person and I have my parents to thank for that. From doing crafts with my mum to building Lego with my dad, I grew up wanting to create things and photography had always been a passion of mine, so I wanted to pursue that.”

She chose to study at NESCol after attending an open day at the College’s Aberdeen City Campus. She said, “I was blown away by the equipment and facilities that were provided for the creative courses.”

After completing the photography course, Hannah found full-time work as a photographer which she really enjoyed. Over time, she realised that something was missing in her ideal skillset. She said, “There were designs I wanted to create but I just didn’t have the knowledge to put them together, so I decided to return to NESCol to complete HND Visual Communication. The experience and knowledge I had gained as a photographer was such an asset when studying the visual communication course.”

Since completing this second course, Hannah has found work as a Content Executive at Xana Creative. Her role involves working with clients on projects involving photography, graphic design, video and animation.  She said, “My NESCol qualifications were vital in securing my previous job as a photographer as well as my current job as a Content Executive. Photography and graphic design go hand in hand for me and I feel extremely lucky that I am able use them both every day.”

On being asked whether she would recommend college to others, Hannah said, “I didn’t really enjoy the subjects I learned at school, so I think the best part of studying at college was being able to choose what I wanted to study.  I was able to gain knowledge in something I was extremely passionate about which made a huge difference. I was a bit hesitant about returning to college as a mature student for HND Visual Communication, but there was no need to be – the college welcomes all and I’m so glad I took the plunge!

“My advice to anyone out there that isn’t in the right job or wants to retrain and learn something new – go for it!  It’s never too late to find your passion.  I’m so glad I returned to college as now I am in a job I love.  I wake up every day raring to go to work!”