Episode 91: Multi Story Mentors - Robin McAlpine on re-directing routes

Robin McAlpine (BSc Chemistry, 1994) joins Nilufer to talk all things re-direction, share his undergraduate memories and discuss the importance of trying different things. 

Having worked in the private sector for over 20 years, 1994 Chemistry graduate Robin has recently taken the leap into returning to education, and is now a teacher-in-training! 

Robin has fantastic advice to share on widening your horizons, doing what feels right and the importance of connection.

“Talk to people about where you're stuck, because I have been stuck. I will be stuck in the future. And I guess what I've learned is the key to getting unstuck is working with other people.” - Robin 

About Multi Story Edinburgh

Multi Story Edinburgh is a student-produced podcast that brings you the stories, experiences and wisdom of University of Edinburgh alumni. We hope they will inspire you, reassure you and remind you that you are part of the global University community that is here to support you as you make your own way in life.

The podcast is run by the Alumni Relations team at the University of Edinburgh. 

All opinions expressed are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Edinburgh.
 
Music
Detective Begining Adventures by KonovalovMusic. Sourced from Tribe of Noise.

Transcript

[Theme music] 

Robin  00:05 

The 18th birthday parties were chaotic and generally ended early with somebody not being very well. By the 21st parties in third and fourth year, you could see we’d grown up. People were like, “Let’s go to a restaurant, wear nice clothes, treat it like an event.” 

Nilufer  00:33 

Hello and welcome to Multi Story Edinburgh, the show where we sit down with Edinburgh alumni to talk all things post-graduation. I’m Nilufer Aumeerally, your new host, and this season’s theme is Multi Story Mentors — meaning if you’ve just graduated and don’t know what comes next, don’t worry. Our alumni are here to offer advice, share insights from their careers and reminisce. 

In this episode, I chat to Robin, a chemistry graduate with a lifetime of experience in the private sector. Combining his coaching experience and passion for science, he’s recently chosen to move into teaching. We talk about his time in Edinburgh, the 30 years since, and the personal development behind a career redirection. Robin, it’s great to have you. Could you introduce yourself — what’s your name, what did you study, and what do you do now? 

Robin  01:28 

I’m Robin McAlpine. I studied chemistry quite some time ago and graduated in ’94. What do I do now? People might say I’m between roles — I’m changing career. I spent most of my career at a big energy company, BP, doing lots of different things, and I’ve decided to go into teaching. I’m starting my PGCE in September. I’m prepping for that now — there’s some preparation work to do. That’s what’s next. 

Nilufer  02:10 

Brilliant. Since this season is about Multi Story Mentors — and as a guest, you are one now — before your insights and advice, if you could be mentored by anyone, who would you choose? 

Robin  02:37 

I thought of lots of people, but my first choice is Richard Feynman. He’s my archetypal favourite scientist: fun, a bit contrarian, anti-establishment. He did incredible work — not in my chemistry field, but in quantum physics. He worked on the Manhattan Project in World War Two, helped move physics forward, brought theories together. Later, before he passed away, he was central to the Challenger inquiry into why the space shuttle exploded. I loved how he cut through complexity, was trusted, made complicated things simple, and had real authority. I admire what he did — and I think he’d be fun too. 

Nilufer  04:04 

The classic dinner-party question! He’s also famous— 

Robin  04:07 

—for playing the bongos. 

Nilufer  04:11 

You could always bring bongos on site! For me, what I admire most in great people is their ability to communicate. If no one understands you, what’s the point? I love when people are concrete and have answers. 

Robin  04:49 

Absolutely. Feynman even created his own notation to make very abstract principles easier to explain. His lectures on physics were some of the most popular at university; they were recorded and people still use them. As a scientific communicator — motivating people, capturing complex ideas and explaining them so they stick — he sprang to mind. I considered others and kept coming back to him. 

Nilufer  05:30 

Honourable mentions? 

Robin  05:36 

The obvious communicators like Brian Cox — I like The Infinite Monkey Cage podcast. He’s personable and empathetic. I’m also a fan of actors and comedy — Stephen Fry: great communicator, great thinker, and very honest about his mental-health challenges. A wonderful user of language. I grew up in the Blackadder era — lasting impression. 

Nilufer  06:32 

A good day in school history class was a Blackadder episode. Do you think you’ve taken advice or influence from those mentors? 

Robin  06:47 

Yes — and as a parent I notice what I do and what others did with me. Mentorship is great, but different from coaching. Mentoring is experience-based: here’s my advice. Coaching is: you’ve got the answer — you need prompting, challenge, and the right environment to think more deeply. I read a quote: “All advice is autobiographical.” The risk is someone gives you their answer for your situation — but they’re not you. That’s why having more than one mentor is useful. I’ve never had one person for everything — different people for different things. Maybe that’s why I struggled to pick a single mentor. 

Nilufer  08:39 

And at different stages of life too — it’s autobiographical and contextual. We’re framing this for graduates, knowing it’ll land differently later on. 

Robin  09:08 

Exactly. Talking through how you tackled something is often more useful than the neat answer you’d give in hindsight. “I was here, and here are the things I did.” That gives confidence that it’s okay not to know. People say, “Try this, try that,” but it’s really about trying things. If you ask any mentor how they solved a situation, they’ll tell you where they ended up, not all the missteps and workings-out. That’s the interesting bit — it shows there are multiple paths. You won’t know upfront which to take; take steps, see what happens, and don’t be too disappointed if one doesn’t work. 

Nilufer  10:20 

If you could speak to your younger self just about to graduate, what would you say? 

Robin  10:42 

Be more patient. Don’t jump at something just because it’s available. You’ve got lots of time. I jumped at a postgraduate opportunity. It helped me get where I am, but in hindsight I felt on the back foot — like I needed something — and I could have spent more time figuring out my options. As a scientist 30 years ago, the mental model was: academic scientist, industrial scientist, or teacher. Ironically, I’m going to be a teacher — but there are many other things you can do with a science degree that employers value. I learned that later, and it opened doors. 

Nilufer  12:16 

So you learned it the hard way. 

Robin  12:19 

Yes — I had to go somewhere that wasn’t for me, almost feel stuck, before the right opportunity emerged. 

Nilufer  12:29 

In what ways was your student or freshly post-grad self similar or different to you now? 

Robin  12:54 

I love psychology — part of why I’m going into teaching. There’s research suggesting you don’t change that much: the Big Five traits stay fairly stable. I have more experience to draw on that helps me make better decisions. I don’t feel fundamentally changed; the wisdom comes from things that worked and things that didn’t. I’m more confident in myself and my values, and more comfortable being open about them, rather than overly influenced by others. 

Nilufer  14:21 

Reflecting on Edinburgh — how did it influence you? How did you grow? 

Robin  14:30 

I arrived at 17. It gave me confidence in making my own friends. At school you’re put in classes; at university you have to do it yourself. Halls and Freshers’ Week helped. Societies helped — I was in the chemistry society, and their events made it easy to meet people. Even the harder stuff — being in a flat that didn’t work out, then finding people where it did — was character-building. You find your tribe. 

Nilufer  16:00 

First year is often idyllic — freedom, halls, new people. Then later years the work gets harder and you actually grow up — which is more gratifying. 

Robin  16:47 

One difference: 18th parties were chaotic and ended early. The 21sts in third and fourth year — you could see we’d grown up: “Let’s go to a restaurant, dress up, make it an event.” Maybe girlfriends were a balancing influence! It was a big shift. 

Nilufer  17:35 

I was at a 21st last night — left karaoke at 10:45 because I had a 9am. Got booed out. 

Robin  17:52 

That’s growing up: “I’ve got responsibilities tomorrow.” Happy birthday, everyone. 

Nilufer  18:19 

You worked for years before moving into teaching. Walk us through the journey — choices you made, where you ended up, what you took from it. 

Robin  18:40 

I was doing research science, but my heart and head weren’t in it. I felt stuck. I went on a residential course — great fun, new people. There was a business game; I enjoyed it and realised I was good at the people side. I spoke to mentors there. They said, “You’ve done chemistry — that’s a hard degree.” In research, everyone has a chemistry degree — it’s taken for granted. It was helpful to get an external perspective on my skills and on roles I didn’t think I was allowed to do without a business degree. 

I started applying. I had a couple of options and joined BP because the graduate programme mixed different things. The first eight months were like an extended Freshers’ Week: big new place, a cohort in the same position, a bit of money, maybe not stellar day-to-day expectations, and more ability to go out and still perform than I have now! I made lifelong friends. 

I moved around a lot, tried different things. Great for meeting people, learning, advancing — but nothing was the perfect job. Toward the end I caught myself counting down to retirement — not a great mindset, but informative. Big companies go through cost-cutting cycles; there’s an opportunity to leave with a package. If you’re ready, great — leaving is risky, but the money tides you over while you figure out what’s next. 

I did that last year. What I wanted wasn’t happening; the company was going a different way. I felt there was something out there but wasn’t sure what. Terrible time to change — the perfect time would’ve been four years earlier during COVID when everyone was expanding. Now, people weren’t taking risks. I poked around things I’d done before and heard, “You’ve not been doing it long enough,” which aggravated me — I can relearn; I’ve done it before. Underneath, I think they thought, “You left before — why wouldn’t you leave again?” 

Going back to previous roles felt like a backwards step. Teaching wasn’t a single eureka moment; it was lots of little pushes and pulls. It crept up. In an interview for another role, I realised I was evasive because I wanted to do this other thing. 

Nilufer  23:38 

So not one big moment, but many little ones: “This isn’t right; that’s more right.” I don’t think it’s going backwards — you’re repurposing your knowledge to help others. 

Robin  24:00 

The “backwards” bit for me was returning to old roles that didn’t have everything I wanted. There’s also a bit of panic when you’re not sure where the next paycheque is coming from — “Should I just…?” 

Nilufer  24:24 

There’s a practical element, isn’t there? 

Robin  24:27 

Yes — a pragmatic “let’s just get something and take it from there.” Fortunately, with teaching I could make the numbers work. You don’t move into teaching later in life for the money — certainly not initially — but for other reasons. Once I switched my thinking, I recognised more and more it’s the right fit. 

Nilufer  25:03 

Is this next step about personal progression, or about connection — using your scientific knowledge in a more empathetic, human way? 

Robin  25:27 

It’s often easier for me to help others than myself. I like things with immediate impact. Postgrad research wasn’t immediate — it was solitary, the worst choice for me. Helping others in an environment with quick feedback loops — in class, across the school year — suits me. Forming relationships too. 

Nilufer  26:23 

People call teaching a “calling.” Did it materialise that way for you? You’ve coached — did you realise you had this skill set and could apply it in a way more suited to your desires, more personal? 

Robin  26:49 

Yes. I tutored first-year undergrads during my postgrad and loved it. In every job since, I enjoyed helping new people learn the role — onboarding, making sure they felt included. I gravitated to that. 

Why didn’t I stay with it? Sometimes the audience wasn’t engaged, or I was doing it remotely. I wanted something in person. Not everyone in a classroom will be interested — that’s okay. 

I also had a mental block about teaching. I’d been to university, done postgrad, worked in a big company — teaching felt like a step down in my head. Maybe I was being a bit snobbish. The organisation Now Teach helped break those barriers by showing me others had made the switch. After that, things moved quickly. I told people I was considering it and many said, “You’d be really good at that.” A few had considered it too. 

Nilufer  29:04 

I’ve seen “agile coaching” on your LinkedIn — it’s connection-based. Could you explain it for people who don’t know, and how it links to teaching? Plus now you’ll get to indulge your love of science — Bunsen burners and all that. 

Robin  29:39 

“Agile coaching” gets used so much it can lose meaning. Ask 10 people, get 12 answers. My version: it’s a way of working aligned to how people naturally are, rather than how organisations want them to be. 

It came from IT, where people used to build big things over long periods that ended up not being what was needed. Agile works because people don’t know the answer upfront. They like tinkering, iterating, working in small teams, moving fast, pausing to check progress. That appealed to me. Big organisations want cost-cutting, performance, productivity, happy staff, a modern image — agile ticked those boxes. 

Nilufer  31:08 

Yeah. 

Robin  31:10 

But reality is limited by culture. It was fun, but often the organisation didn’t want it as much as it seemed. I like teaching when people are interested; I struggled to make it interesting in that setting. The remote format made connection harder. One-to-one worked okay, but otherwise people weren’t on board. 

Nilufer  31:57 

So you saw the gap between theory and practice and realised in-person teaching would be more satisfying. What advice would you give new graduates about making those calls — recognising when something’s not clicking? Is that a skill? 

Robin  32:37 

I’ve got better at listening to how I feel. After graduation I was uncomfortable in a role to the point it affected my mental health. Back then we didn’t talk about it much. I’ve got better at recognising that discomfort. It doesn’t always mean, “I’m in the wrong place — jump.” Usually it means I need to talk to someone — a mentor, for example. Getting other perspectives takes the voice out of your head and opens options. 

Nilufer  33:40 

That’s important for wellbeing. Yes, you make your own decisions, but you also need conversations. Graduation can feel fight-flight-freeze. Talking gets the words out so you can use them for yourself. 

People feel pressure to find the “right path,” but no experience is a waste. Even learning “this isn’t for me” has value. The pressure to pick immediately leaves little room for redirection. If you’re not happy, you’ll adapt and grow. You won’t feel settled until you can introspect — and, well, “extrospect” with others. 

Robin  35:52 

Exactly. Agile is about moving from a fixed to a probabilistic view of the future. You can’t plan everything in detail — the further ahead, the less accurate. So take small steps and see what happens. 

I read a take on The Road Less Traveled. One reading is “do the hard work.” Another is: it doesn’t really matter which way you go — luck and circumstance play a big role. Either path might work or not; it’s not inherently good or bad. You’ll end up where you end up. 

Nilufer  37:21 

Make the move. So much is out of your control; focus on what you do next. We want people to try — and relax. Work hard, but don’t grind yourself down. 

Robin  37:46 

Stack the odds in your favour. If something isn’t taking you where you want, look at other options. Over the long term, you’ll get closer. 

At work we had five-year personal development plans. I hated them. Everyone pretended: “I’ll do my boss’s job, then their boss’s.” It rarely happened. My last one basically said, “I want variety.” I didn’t strive for seniority. I didn’t mind leading a team, but it wasn’t about being the boss. Figure out what you’re looking for, hold it lightly, and let it guide choices. 

Nilufer  38:46 

How does that apply now as you start your PGCE? What’s your mindset compared to your first time as a student? 

Robin  39:02 

I was surprised how energised I felt once I turned toward teaching. There’s purpose in helping others, and I enjoy science and explaining it. I’ve already observed classes and like the variety — different groups, topics, in person. It keeps me on my toes. School runs in sprints — to the weekend, to half term, through the year — and that rhythm gives me energy. 

Nilufer  40:27 

You’ll see direct growth — students improving in science. Each stage of education changes you. This time you’re returning with a clear goal, knowing who you are. The first time was about finding yourself; now you’re pursuing what you want. In that sense, it’s even better. 

Robin  41:35 

And no more personal development plans! More importantly, it’s seeing the difference you make for young people. Before, in trading, the profitability numbers gave tiny dopamine hits that faded. What mattered more were the tools I built or training people for the team — longer-term impact. 

[Theme music] 

Nilufer  42:26 

To round off: if you had to give one piece of advice to new graduates — as a graduate, a prospective student, and a future teacher — what’s key? 

Robin  42:51 

Talk to people about where you’re stuck. 

Nilufer  42:53 

Yeah. 

Robin  42:55 

I’ve been stuck; I’ll be stuck again. The key to getting unstuck is working with other people. 

Nilufer  43:16 

Quick-fire quiz: no wrong answers (but I have favourites). Arthur’s Seat or Calton Hill? 

Robin  43:29 

Arthur’s Seat. 

Nilufer  43:29 

Edinburgh Castle or Holyrood Palace? 

Robin  43:31 

Holyrood Palace. 

Nilufer  43:32 

Greyfriars Bobby or the Scott Monument? 

Robin  43:34 

Greyfriars Bobby. 

Nilufer  43:35 

Princes Street or the Royal Mile? 

Robin  43:36 

Royal Mile. 

Nilufer  43:37 

Arthur’s Seat or Holyrood Palace? 

Robin  43:38 

Holyrood Palace. 

Nilufer  43:39 

Greyfriars Bobby or the Royal Mile? 

Robin  43:41 

Greyfriars Bobby. 

Nilufer  43:42 

Greyfriars Bobby or Holyrood Palace? 

Robin  43:44 

Holyrood Palace. 

Nilufer  43:45 

Really? I thought you’d go for the dog. 

Robin  44:09 

I interpreted every answer through the lens of pubs or clubs. Holyrood Palace has the Holyrood Tavern. And on the way down, Moray House — the teaching college — had its union there. Great indie disco on Saturday nights. That swung it! 

Nilufer  44:38 

Best restaurant or café in Edinburgh? 

Robin  44:54 

Montpeliers. 

Nilufer  44:55 

Very nice. Sum up your Edinburgh experience in three words? 

Robin  44:59 

Pubs, clubs, and mix. 

Nilufer  45:04 

Brilliant — not necessarily in that order! 

[Theme music] 

So there you have it, folks: our conversation with Robin shows that no experience is wasted, there’s always time to make a big change, and going to a restaurant for your 21st is a sure sign of growing up. 

Thanks for tuning in. To hear more from our alumni, search Multi Story Edinburgh wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll see you on the next one. 

[Theme music]

Transcribed by https://otter.ai