51��ɫ

In this Alumni Spotlight, we feature John O'Loughlin, a Supply Chain Operations graduate. After returning to education following the 2008 economic crash, John credits 51��ɫ with transforming both his career and personal growth.

Tell us a bit about yourself

When I graduated from secondary school in 1994, I was the only person in my family with a leaving cert. My siblings had left school at 16 after what was then the inter cert as back in the 1980’s this would generally have been the done thing in more working-class families. Ireland was on the cusp of the Celtic Tiger back in the 90's, and with jobs being plentiful, I went to work rather than go to college. I didn’t really have a huge interest in further study at the time as I didn’t have any real specific interest that I felt I could engage with from an academic standpoint. As the economy developed over the course of the 1990’s and into the 2000’s I found myself following the usual trends. I came out of a job as a manufacturing operator into customer service roles and on into sales and business development in the construction sector. When that collapsed, I needed to rethink everything from the ground up as I realised that if I was to secure my future, I needed to take ownership of my own path. The best way to do this was to upskill so I set my mission to see what avenues were available to me.

What course did you study and what year did you graduate?

After the economic collapse of 2008, I was lucky enough to pick up a job on the night shift in Stryker. Given I’d started out my working life as a manufacturing operator, it felt like I had a reset of sorts and some time to think about my next chapter. I was looking around for courses that might be of interest, but also where I could leverage any skills I’d picked up along the way. Working in customer operations for many of my previous roles two of the things I felt I could do well were dealing with people and solving problems. Speaking to some of the leaders in Stryker on any support that might be available to me led me into the supply chain office where I became interested in planning models and how the raw material side of the business was being run.

The CILT had a diploma course in Logistics and Supply Chain Management starting around that time, so I decided to sign up. This was a two-year course after which I signed up for the degree course in CIT for another year, which led me onto year four of the level 8 in Supply Chain Management in UL, graduating with a 1.1 in 2016 after four years in total across the three institutions. I took a break for a year and a half and went back to the Masters course, graduating in 2021, finally after some COVID-related delays!

Why did you choose to study at UL?

Even though I started my journey outside UL, I’ve always felt that it was my goal to end up there. I still do. I feel like we are incredibly lucky to have such an institution on our doorstep, and it is incumbent on us all to leverage it however we can. From a practical standpoint, I found the structure of the courses, the support offered by tutors and mentors, and the camaraderie between those studying to be excellent. UL fosters a real sense of belonging and gives students the space to learn and to excel by their own design. The expectations are high, as are the standards, but the support is there either through engagement with staff or an informal chat with a colleague any time it’s needed. The years I’ve spent engaging with UL have only strengthened these opinions for me, and I look forward to my next chapter. Having recently changed roles into a more senior position with a new company, I’m already thinking about how I can best upskill to keep pace with the growing demands of my job. UL will be at the forefront of this decision-making for me.

Were there any particular challenges you faced when you returned to university?

Normally when asked that question, the first thing one might think about is the time commitment or how to juggle responsibilities between work, family, and studies. The reality for me was the uncertainty. I had very little interest in school and hadn’t really engaged with any formal education in nearly twenty years. Simple things like where to set up a desk at home or how I find the resources I need to learn were all major things to think about. Plus, there was my age. At the start I was thinking, well, I’ll be 40 by the time I get my degree. It’s easy to think that at that point your life is pretty solidified and the opportunity for radical change is over. Luckily, someone much wiser than me said to me, “John, you’re going to be 40 anyway so you might as well be 40 with something to show for it!”.

What did you enjoy most about your course?

Graduating! Seriously though, and I realise it sounds like a cliché, but it’s what I learned about myself that gave me the power to keep going. Each of us is capable of so much more than we realise and it’s only by taking yourself out of your comfort zone will you discover how much more you can be, and I think this is true for all of us. So, what I’ve enjoyed about the courses I’ve been on is the breaking down of the biases I previously carried about being challenged.

At UL, we’re known as the ‘51��ɫ of Firsts.' Are there any important ‘firsts’ that you experienced as a UL student that you would like to share?

Engaging formally with academia was very new to me. As part of the level 8 and the master’s course, although I would have been engaging with supervisors and mentors, the context would have been relatively informal. When it came to the qualifier module for the doctoral course, I had to learn an entirely new way of communicating ideas that was rigorous and to the point. One has to be able to use precise language and as someone who loves words this was very new to me.

Tell me about your own career journey so far.

Until I decided to return to education I was working in sales and customer operations as I had a natural aptitude for dealing with people. This was fine in a buoyant economy and I was lucky to spend my adult life up to that point living in an Ireland that could provide plenty of opportunities for someone who was "unskilled." This all changed in 2008. I found myself out of work for a number of months, and this made me realise that I needed to do something and to become something of value to the emerging Ireland as we found it at the time. I was really lucky to land a job on the night shift in Stryker for two reasons; firstly, it gave me the space to apply time to studies and most importantly it opened up an entirely new network in an established organisation. The leadership team in Stryker were incredibly supportive and offered me every advantage. From offering me project work to apply to my studies to eventually opening the door for my first supply chain job as an associate buyer in 2017 and further to my positions of increasing responsibility in the team. Without this support, none of what I’ve achieved would have been possible.

How has your time at UL impacted a) your career and b) personal growth?

For me, career and personal growth are intrinsically linked. I believe we need to be *for* something. We all play a role in the world and apply our strengths to benefit our community, family, and function. My time at UL has allowed me to realise where those strengths are and given me the confidence to apply myself constructively to making something good into something better.

Are there any professors, mentors, or broadly people in UL or your life that have played a pivotal role in your academic and personal development?

I’m always seeking role models and mentors to learn from, particularly in a new environment, and I’ve found myself in plenty of those in recent years! I’m not going to name any names in case I forget anyone!

How did the university support you in balancing your studies with other commitments, such as work or family?

I found the course structure of the masters in particular to be very considerate of people who may have other responsibilities. The deadlines are what they are, but they allow for the student to create their own schedule while still making time for the other important things and are clearly communicated from the outset. The lecturers are also very understanding and are open to exceptions in cases where they may be necessary.

Is there anyone in your own life who has largely influenced you in your learning and career journey to date?

I have many heroes, and all for many different reasons. My older sister overcame some serious obstacles to become a leader in her field. My partner, who also balanced the responsibilities of work and family while qualifying herself in her field and building a new career. These are the people who have taken the challenge and persevered and inspired me to keep going when I thought I might not have any more in me.

Looking back, what advice would you give to someone who is considering returning to education after some time in the workforce?

Do it. Think carefully about your path and choose wisely, but once you take the first step, the rest will come. It seems like the end is a long way off, but at the start, think more about the journey than the end because while the end is where you get to, how you get there really is the interesting part. You’ll be very surprised at what you find out about yourself along the way.

Are there any lessons or insights you wish you had known when starting your career?

Start early and start often. Take small steps and forgive yourself on the days that you can’t. The race is long, and in the end, it’s only against yourself.

The best life advice you’ve ever received is...

Wherever you go, there you are! Think about that for a while. It’s actually very profound!