My career success and how I handled a near life or death emergency, thanks to my Sea Cadets experience. Read Laura’s story. 

Laura (pictured back row, third from right) is now in her early 30s and balances her time between raising her young children and working life. As she looked back on her time in the Sea Cadets she sees the clear impact it had on her journey in life. The confidence and determination she developed in the cadets has carried her through much of her adult life so far. Including where she met her long-term partner and had their children together.

Laura spoke about how the experience of working through the ranks in the cadets helped in her approach to work. Giving her the confidence of going in at the bottom, and being deliberate about working her way up through the organisation and taking on more responsibilities.

Laura also counts her ability to respond well under pressure to Sea Cadets. She recalled a time when driving on the motorway and she was the first on the scene of an incident. A gentlemen had stopped in the middle of the road. He had suddenly become unwell and unable to drive. His car blocked the carriageway and his possessions had been thrown across the road. Other drivers impatient at the situation were dangerously driving around the vehicle and damaging the man’s possession.

Laura took charge of the situation. She stopped the traffic. Cleared the road of the man’s possessions. She made it safe for one lane of traffic to reopen until the situation was resolved. Laura responded quickly and confidently. She ensured the safety of the unwell man and enabled others to administer first aid without risk of further accident. She kept control of the situation until the emergency services were able to arrive and take over.

As Laura told the story it seemed to her as if she had just done the obvious and natural thing and that anyone else in her situation would have done the same. But Laura’s story demonstrates a confidence in crisis that is not commonly found. She attributed her ability to assess the situation and quickly plan an appropriate response down to her experiences as a cadet. Her sense of commitment to the safety of others and her ability to problem solve greatly improved the situation on that day.