How I Went from Drones to Gaming to Web3 to Creative Strategy

My career path doesn’t make much sense on paper. I started out working on drones for a defence contractor. Then I moved into gaming and esports. After that, it was Web3, the metaverse, and decentralized identity. Now I help startups build brands, tell better stories, and scale their marketing with intention.

It’s not a straight line. But it’s all connected.

Every shift taught me something about how people behave, how technology changes, and how strategy and creativity work together. If you’re someone who doesn’t quite fit the mould or you’re trying to figure out how your skills stack up in a changing world, this is for you.

The Engineering Start: Learning Systems Thinking

My first real job was at Thales, a global engineering firm focused on aerospace and defence. I worked on drone technology and flight planning systems as a software engineer. It was technical, structured, and high stakes.

At the time, I didn’t realise how valuable that systems thinking would be. Engineering teaches you how to break down problems. It teaches you how to move from idea to prototype to deployment. It also teaches you to ask the right questions before rushing into solutions.

Those habits stuck with me. Even now, when I’m building a content strategy or launching a new product, I still think in terms of inputs, constraints, feedback loops, and iteration. Engineering taught me to care about how things work underneath the surface. That mindset is underrated in marketing.

Moving into Gaming: Learning the Power of Community

I left engineering to work in the gaming world. It was a completely different environment. Fast moving, highly social, and built around community more than product.

This is where I really learned about storytelling. In gaming, you’re not selling a utility. You’re inviting people into a world. You’re asking them to care. That means your message has to carry emotion, not just information.

I worked on esports partnerships, influencer campaigns, and audience development. I saw first hand how trust gets built through consistent engagement, not polished messaging. I also saw what happens when you treat your audience like numbers instead of people. They switch off.

Gaming taught me how culture spreads. How to think like a fan, not a marketer. How to use tone, timing, and tension to create buzz. All of that applies directly to brand building today.

Entering Web3: Learning to Navigate Chaos

When I moved into Web3, everything changed again. The rules were being rewritten in real time. One week you’re launching an NFT drop, the next you’re explaining zero knowledge proofs to enterprise clients. No one knew exactly what they were doing, but everyone was building fast.

This was where I learned how to operate in uncertainty. I ran marketing for startups with no roadmap, no legacy brand, and no budget. We had to build trust from nothing. We had to educate the market while also shipping product. And we had to deal with massive hype cycles and harsh corrections.

Web3 taught me how to balance vision with clarity. It taught me how to lead with values, not features. It showed me how to create demand in spaces that didn’t exist yet. And it taught me that hype is cheap, but credibility takes time.

It also reinforced something I’d seen in gaming. The most powerful marketing comes from people who care deeply about the thing they’re building. Not just the tech, but the mission behind it.

Shifting into Creative Strategy: Connecting the Dots

Now, I work on creative strategy for startups. I help founders shape their brand, craft their message, and build a marketing foundation that can actually scale.

What I’ve realised is that my past roles were less disconnected than they looked. Engineering taught me how to think clearly. Gaming taught me how to connect emotionally. Web3 taught me how to adapt quickly. Creative strategy brings all of that together.

Marketing is often treated as a surface level function. But when it’s done right, it shapes the entire business. It helps teams focus. It drives product decisions. It defines how people talk about you when you’re not in the room.

Creative strategy isn’t about making things look good. It’s about making things make sense. For your audience. For your team. For the direction you’re going.

If You’re Figuring It Out, That’s Fine

I get a lot of messages from people who feel stuck. They’ve jumped between industries. Their CV doesn’t look cohesive. They’re trying to switch into marketing but don’t have the traditional background. Or they feel behind because they didn’t pick a niche early enough.

Here’s the truth. You don’t need a clean story. You need a true one.

If you can explain the thread that ties your experiences together, you’re already ahead. If you can show how your past roles taught you how to solve problems, connect with people, or build systems, you’re not behind. You’re just assembling the right tools for your version of the job.

Most of the best marketers I know didn’t come from marketing. They came from music, teaching, product, or finance. What they had in common was curiosity and a strong point of view. The skillset can be taught. The thinking takes time.

Final Thoughts

I didn’t plan my career. I followed what felt interesting, worked hard, and paid attention to what stuck. Over time, that became a strength. It gave me range. It gave me context. It gave me the ability to bring something different into the room.

If you’ve taken the scenic route, that’s not a weakness. It’s your edge. And in a world that’s changing fast, the people who can move between disciplines, connect ideas, and translate complexity into clarity will be the ones who stand out.

You don’t have to fit into a box. You just have to make your work count.