Owen Faunt joined gcp last year as an Architectural Apprentice. He calls himself a “thirty-something photography graduate and a father of two young children” and had previously made a career for himself as a Commercial Insurance Underwriter.
A creative at heart, this part-time photographer and lover of sustainable design embarked on a career change and set about pursuing an Architectural Apprenticeship Degree with London South Bank University. Owen attends Uni 1 day a week and spends 4 days in the practice.
This was an exciting prospect for both Owen and gcp; we are incredibly supportive of opportunities to accommodate personal and professional growth.
To celebrate Owen’s 1-year anniversary, we asked him a few questions.
From Owen’s Portfolio
Hi Owen. So, what’s your role in gcp?
I’m an Architectural Assistant (Apprentice). I’m told I also make good drinks
I can’t believe it’s been a year!
Nor can I! Tell us, what has been your best moment at gcp in the last year?
Handing in my first-year coursework pieces. Managing university alongside full time work and two young children (now 2 & 3 years old), has been incredibly challenging. I’m extremely lucky to have an extremely supportive family.
And what are you looking forward to in the next year? Personally, or professionally.
Personally: Getting out on the bike, perhaps getting away on holiday with the family.
Professionally: Hopefully getting a good result back from Uni but more importantly making myself more useful to the team over the course of the next year.
You mention your bike and your family, tell us a little about what you like to do in your spare time.
Obviously, my family are my main interest and occupy the majority of my time. I also like cycling, (particularly mountain biking). I’m a keen photographer, (having previously studied the subject for my first degree). I hike (sometimes) and I love anything food and drink related.
So, what’s your proudest personal achievement?
Honestly, I’m still amazed that I’ve managed to change my career to pursue architecture in my mid-thirties. I couldn’t have done this without my wonderful wife Lisa pushing me and making me believe in myself but after a year with gcp, I’m now able to look back on the sequence of events that led to this point with huge pride. I’m under no illusion that there’s still a long way to go on this journey but I now feel like I’ve got the momentum required to carry me through to qualification.
I personally find it incredibly brave and inspirational. You have such enthusiasm and determination to do a good job – it was the right move. Could you tell us something we might not know about you?
I spent my formative years playing ice hockey (predominantly as a netminder) and was even (very briefly) selected as part of the British Universities National Team. If they ever finish building the new Bristol rink, I’ll no doubt be back on the ice at the first opportunity.
Wow. Very cool. That’s always my favourite question to ask!
One more: if you didn’t work at gcp what would your dream job have been?
I joined gcp at the age of 36 having spent a good deal of my working life in general insurance. I’d yearned to do something more creative for a living for a long time and as I mentioned before, it was Lisa that really gave me the encouragement and belief that I could make this career a reality. Therefore, I’ve found myself in a very privileged position, doing a job that I really enjoy as well as being paid to study. I believe that as we age we inherently tend to become more insular and an unexpected side effect of my career change has been that I’m expanding my mind in ways I never really thought could.
Of course, I would also really have liked to have been an F1 driver, pro mountain biker or NHL hockey star, who wouldn’t?
Um, not sure I’m with you on that one. All that driving round in circles makes me dizzy! Thanks for your time today Owen. Good luck in your studies – we will catch up with your progress on the blog over the coming months.
Keep an eye on our blog for more staff interviews over the coming weeks, the summer is a popular time to join our team!
If you’ve been following us for a while you might also remember that September is the company’s own birthday. We have some exciting news to announce during our own anniversary month …