Path to Civil Service success

The #NoWrongPath campaign aims to highlight the different career options available to young people and show them exam results are not the only way to unlock their future.

As results arrive for pupils throughout Scotland, Karyn Dunning, our Deputy Director of Low-Income Benefits and Operational Improvement, shared her experience from pub work to public service.

If you’d asked anyone back when I was 16 whether I’d end up in the senior civil service, they’d have laughed — maybe even I would have too. I’d just left school with two GCSEs, was living in a bedsit, and working in a clothing factory.

I drifted between low-paid jobs — factory work, fast food outlets, driving, bar shifts — never lazy, but never quite fulfilled either. And then came the surprise that changed everything. I found myself pregnant while working in a pub, living above it with my partner.

When my daughter was just eight weeks old, a fire ripped through the building. We were rescued barefoot from the third floor and while we were obviously grateful to be safe, I felt like I’d lost everything.

But sometimes, rock bottom is where we find solid ground.

When my daughter was about 18 months old, I applied for a job in the Civil Service. I eventually moved into an administrative role and, looking for a better work/life balance, took a significant pay cut. It was a scary decision at the time, but it turned out to be the best one.

That job became the start of a Civil Service career that has since seen me promoted through every grade, working with Ministers, shaping national policy, and being awarded an MBE.

But let me be clear — this journey wasn’t easy. There was no magic shortcut. I’ve battled imposter syndrome at every step. That feeling of not being quite good enough never entirely goes away. But I’ve learned to let it fuel me, not stop me. I’ve used it to stay grounded, and to drive change from the inside.

One of my proudest achievements has been using my position to push for job adverts that value experience over formal qualifications, championing social mobility, and showing that leadership doesn’t come with the ‘right’ postcode or school. Leadership comes from resilience, perspective, and empathy.

I often say: my past moulded me, but it does not define me. And neither should yours. No matter where you find yourself when you receive your results, your future is yours to create.