Mike Ahyow studied pharmacy, but knew early in his studies that he didn't want to become a pharmacist. Instead, he chose a legal career and hasn't looked back since.
Read as he shares his fond memories of life at Bath and why your first steps don't have to define your entire journey.
Why did you choose to study at Bath?
Initially I was interested in Bath because of its reputation in science. It had a particularly good reputation for pharmacy, which is the subject I studied. As soon as I visited the campus and the city, I was sold.
Did you have a particular career in mind when you chose your course?
Pharmacy is quite a vocational course, and most students were planning to work as pharmacists in a hospital or community setting. I enjoyed my degree, but I knew early on that I didn’t want to practise as a pharmacist. I started to explore other possibilities. Eventually, I retrained in law and never looked back.
Can you tell us about your experience of studying here?
I loved my time at Bath. I have particularly fond memories of the Pharmacy and Pharmacology department in 5 West.
In my first year, I lived on campus in Halls in Norwood House. Some of my lectures were so conveniently close, I could bring a mug of tea with me. After the first year, I rented a flat above an antique shop, with some friends at the bottom of Lansdown Road, just a short walk from George Street. The place was falling apart, but it was a fantastic location, and we had a great time there.
Back then, the main student haunts were Moles, Babylon, Delfter Krug and Caddies. Sadly, I don’t think any of them exist anymore!
Since graduating from your pharmacy master's, you've gone on to build a career in law. Can you tell us a little bit about what led you down this career path?
I’d always been interested in law as a potential career. However, it wasn’t until after I graduated that I started to think about it more seriously. I realised you don’t need to have studied law to become a lawyer. In fact, science graduates are highly sought after by some law firms, particularly those which specialise in advising technology clients.
The firm I trained at was involved in a lot of high-profile pharma patent litigation, so they were really interested in graduates who had studied subjects like pharmacy. Over the years, I’ve worked with brilliant lawyers who studied life-sciences, engineering, maths, business, psychology and all kinds of subjects other than law.
How did your studies help you to develop, professionally and/or personally? How did it ultimately prepare you for what you do today?
To be a good lawyer it helps if you’re able to communicate technical matters in a simple way and distil key points from large amounts of complex information. You also need to have an eye for detail, good organisation, and the ability to solve problems creatively. These are all skills that pharmacy students start to learn from day one.
What is a typical day like in your current role?
On a typical day, I’ll be in meetings with clients, helping them to solve their business challenges, working on documents, or supervising other members of my team. At other times, I might be attending or speaking at events or participating in internal strategy meetings.
What advice would you give to students considering your course at Bath?
Choose a course where the subject matter really resonates with you, whether that’s pharmacy or something else. Choose a subject you’re really keen to explore and enjoy immersing yourself in it.
Don’t worry about trying to map out your whole career before you’ve even started. Opportunities will arise from time to time that you’d never even thought of. When they do, have the confidence to pursue them.
Respond
