Ross McLean Took His Career Choice and Never Looked Back

How an Amazon Employee Found His New Path Through Data Analytics

Ross McLean was 16 when he left school. No sixth form, no A-levels: straight into work. Fourteen years later, aged 30, working at Amazon in Abernethy, he discovered something that would change his direction completely – the Amazon Career Choice programme.

This partnership between Amazon and Pitman Training offers employees funded education. Ross saw it, grabbed it with both hands. Why? “To make a change, try something new,” he says. After years of the same routine, the same shifts, the same everything, he was ready for different.

Why Data Analytics?

The Data Analyst Diploma caught his eye. “It’s different to other things I’ve done,” Ross explains. Numbers, spreadsheets, patterns in data – nothing like warehouse work. He was completely new to the idea, but that was the point.

The Challenge Nobody Talks About

Here’s what nobody tells you about going back to learning after 14 years away – it’s scary. Ross hadn’t sat in a classroom since he was a teenager. Now here he was, signing up for a diploma that sounded properly technical. Data analysis. Python. SQL. Words that meant nothing at the start.

“It was challenging to find time with work,” Ross admits. But here’s what saved him: “The flexibility.” Ross could study when it suited him. Early morning before a shift? Late at night when the house was quiet? Weekend when others were having fun? His choice. No rigid timetable. Just him, the materials, whatever hours he could carve out. Pitman Training’s approach – combining self-paced work with actual people who knew their stuff – meant he wasn’t alone in this. When he hit a wall, there was someone to call.

His Advice?

What really shifted for Ross wasn’t just understanding data visualisation or SQL. It was something deeper. “Yes, it has helped with confidence,” he shares. Think about that. Fourteen years since leaving school. Fourteen years of believing academic stuff wasn’t for you – or being told that, directly or not. Then, suddenly, you’re creating reports, spotting patterns others miss, solving problems with numbers. Of course that changes how you see yourself. How could it not?

Pitman Training’s diploma means something. UK employers recognise it. Respect it. That certificate doesn’t just sit on a shelf – it’s a door that opens.

When we asked Ross what others in his position should do, he didn’t hedge. “Do it now. Don’t wait.”

Ready to make your own career change? Explore the Data Analyst Diploma or speak with a Career Advisor to learn how Amazon Career Choice can fund your training.