E117 - Bill Buchan at Marykirk

On today’s episode of The Route to Networking podcast, we were joined by our Head of RF, Louis Parratt and special guest, Bill Buchan, CEO at Marykirk. During the episode, they discuss a range of topics from where he started in his journey to some valuable advice, he would give to anyone who’s starting out in the industry. Bill delves into what his daily routine looks like as a business owner and some of the daily challenges he faces doing so.

Bill has come a long way from his humble beginnings. When he was first starting out in the networking industry, he faced a unique challenge: he had just gotten married and had a young child. This meant that he had to work extra hard to support his family and improve his work ethic.

Despite the challenges, Bill was determined to succeed. He landed a job with a big North Sea oil company called Stena Offshore, where he gained valuable experience in the industry. However, the salary wasn’t great, so Bill decided to become a contractor for CITA, which allowed him to earn more money and work on a variety of different projects. Since then, Bill has gone on to work on many big corporate application development security projects.

Bill is a man of many talents. Ten years ago, a friend asked him if he could help make the local internet work better. Bill saw an opportunity to turn this into a side hustle and began setting up Scotland’s larger ISPs. Today, he continues to work as a network consultant, specialising in wireless ISPs.

Every day is a new adventure. As he puts it, “One thing about me is I don’t like normal days, I don’t like boring jobs, I don’t like turning up and doing the same thing every day.” Despite his dislike for routine, there is one fixed part of Bill’s day, he always takes a shower and puts on his shirt.

Bill has noticed that in the past, there was a big blame culture in the networking industry, where people were afraid to take responsibility for their mistakes. Bill firmly believes that it is important to own up to mistakes so that they can be fixed and prevented from happening again in the future.

He shares some valuable advice for people who are just starting out in the networking industry. He believes that the keys to success are hard work, curiosity, and pursuing the things that interest you.

It’s important to challenge yourself and take on projects that scare you a little bit. It can be easy to fall into a comfort zone, but growth and development come from pushing yourself out of it. By taking on new challenges and learning from mistakes, individuals can develop the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in the networking industry.

When asked what advice he would give his younger self, Bill emphasised the importance of cybersecurity. He believes that there is a massive shortage of skilled professionals in this field and that everything is accessible to everyone these days. By getting into cybersecurity, anyone can take advantage of the numerous opportunities available and help address the growing need for skilled professionals in this area.

Tune into the full episode on the 23/02/2023!