Work experience with Alex Adamson, buildings project officer, Scottish Civic Trust

Alexandra Coxon, Regeneration & Renewal, 8 August 2008

What has been your most beneficial career experience to date?

The freelance work I did after my postgraduate diploma, surveying 150 buildings as part of the Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme run by Historic Scotland. It was the first practical experience I got, and it greatly increased my knowledge and capabilities.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

When I was an undergraduate studying history, my lecturer said: "Always start with the chronology." If you're regenerating an area, look back at the sequence of events that created it. If you don't understand the drivers behind those events, you won't be able to make the best judgements about what's worth retaining and promoting.

What's the best training you've had?

My postgraduate diploma. Having arrived as a mature student after a career in IT, I think I put in a lot more and got a lot more out than some of my younger peers.

What book would you recommend?

The Lives of the Artists by Giorgio Vasari. The book dates from 1568, when barriers between painting, sculpture and architecture didn't really exist, so most artists were multi-disciplinary. Vasari essentially wrote a biography of the artists responsible for some of the most famous buildings in Renaissance Florence, and talks about how those buildings were received at the time. It's interesting to compare that with reaction to today's modern architecture.

What do you wish you'd known when you started out?

The importance of job satisfaction. In your 20s, it's easy to just go for a job that pays well. Switching paths isn't easy but, for me, changing career was the best professional decision I ever made.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

1987: Becomes an IT analyst programmer at financial firm Scottish Widows.

2004: Gains a postgraduate diploma in European urban conservation from Dundee University.

2005: Works as a freelance conservation surveyor for Pollock Hammond Architects, before joining the Scottish Civic Trust as a casework officer.

2007: Starts current role.