From the bank to the bench: how Cathy Carcas found her way back to science
As a scientific proofreader at Minnac, Cathy Carcas draws on her science background to check technical content for accuracy, consistency, and clarity.
After 35 years in banking, Cathy Carcas went back to science. Today, she works as a proofreader at Minnac, combining her scientific background with a sharp eye for detail. Here’s her story.
At school, she chose biology at A-level and assumed she would carry it on at university. It was only later she realised she needed a chemistry qualification she didn’t have. By then, it was too late.
“So that was my dream out the window,” she says.
She went to work at a bank instead. It was meant to be temporary, something to do while she figured out what came next, but she stayed for 35 years.
Starting again at 40
At 40, Cathy signed up for an Open University biology module. She fitted it in around a busy life as a working mum, studying where she could – mornings, evenings, weekends – whatever time was available.
Her youngest child was three at the time and the other two were still at school. She remembers sitting in the car during her son’s basketball practice, books open, making use of the hour.
“It was something I did for fun,” she says. “It didn’t feel like a chore. I enjoyed it so much I just carried on.”
Over time, the modules added up. The course became a degree, and then a Master’s.
“I didn’t have a lab background, but I was keen and willing to learn,” she says. “That was enough to get started.”
From there, she moved into a pharmaceutical company. The work itself was exactly what she had hoped for: practical, hands-on, proper chemistry.
“The job itself was great,” she says. “I was doing titrations and proper lab work.”
But when the school got back in touch and asked if she would return, she was tempted back.
She now works part-time as a laboratory technician at another school closer to home.
“You can test things properly and make sure they work,” she says. “And when they do, the students really get it. If something works well, you can see it; the moment when it lands with the students.”
“That’s what you want,” she says. “If there’s one kid that gets inspired,” she adds, “then that’s what it’s all about.”
Proof in the detail
Alongside all of this, another interest had been quietly building.
“I’m a stickler for punctuation and grammar,” she says, laughing. “Probably very boring to live with.”
Proofreading appealed to her for that reason. It was something she could do from home, so she trained with the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading.
By that point, she had the qualification, but not much experience. Then she came across a role at Minnac that brought together both sides of her background.
She joined Minnac in August 2024 and now works as a proofreader alongside her role in the school lab, reviewing scientific content for accuracy and consistency, and making sure it reads clearly.
Her background in science means she understands the detail. The proofreading training helps her spot what needs tightening or correcting.
Looking back, she doesn’t see her earlier career as something she needs to undo. Working at the bank gave her stability whilst bringing up a family. It also played a part in where she is now.
“I wouldn’t change anything,” she says.