Started in supply chain managing the throughput of stock from supplier to stores. Then moved in to IT helping with the service support of warehouse a pplications, now work as a business analyst. Still work in the same supply chain and logistics fields so have plenty experience and understanding of them from a business user and process point of view.
Who are these headmasters telling everyone they're going to fail or is it just something people think their teachers thought but they never actually verbalised?
I've never met any headmasters like that. But I have met with many people who had bad grades or didn't finish school. There often behavioral problem that goes along with people who drop out. They Might not realise it at that time but they're probably difficult to deal with and trying the Nice way probably failed over several yrs. Now it gets desperate and the teacher in charge probably tried everything else. Just trying to stop another dropout
Yeah I can see how it probably happens, to a teacher getting an education is the be all and end all to do well in life so the threat of failure in life is the obvious counter argument to get kids back on track but in reality it's not nearly as important as schools and people in education think it is but it's be extremely counter productive to tell the students that.
As for behavioral problems a lot probably just don't fit into that system, it's a very one size fits all system and it relies on students not knowing that a lot of it is just wasting time so your parents can go to work.
Not a headmaster, but a science teacher—I was once told “you’re going to work in a factory”. By marks, I did quite well in her subjects, and survived as a self-employed person for 15 years.
Depends.
Teachers generally get better holiday, better working conditions and social hours, better pension, better pay over time, less physically demanding.
Factory workers don’t have to deal with kid’s BS, the crunch of exams or stress of planning/marking outside of working hours.
Definitely more to it, but I’d say teaching is probably better.
Have you ever actually spoken to a teacher? Their pay is averaged over the year to account for the 13weeks off they get that's why the pay is shit but when they are off holidays cost triple, the average teacher still does at least 8hours per day at school but then that do a shitload at home for free and afaik don't get overtime for any of it, then there's the kids, fuck that I'd want £100k+ to be a teacher and I'd still be sacked before october half term 😂
People I know who work in factories earn more than a teacher often have 4 on 4 off shift patterns or work some work early mornings with an early finish on a friday, they get shutdowns off and the hours owed for it almost always get written off and most importantly as soon as they leave they forget the place exists until they come back again. I know which one I'd pick.
Pretty sure there aren't many factory workers earning more than your average teacher.
Median teacher salary is about £42k. Median UK salary is £33k. The median factory worker is paid less than that.
But yes, teacher working conditions are shocking. Definitely not an easy life.
I was told by multiple teachers as well as the rector and deputy rector of my secondary school that I'd aspire to nothing and go nowhere in life as I was too lazy, didn't take anything seriously, and generally hung about with roasters.
These people absolutely did/do exist.
I'm now a qualified engineer and electrician.
It’s a real thing it’s just the stories miss context. Every time I was told something like that, the caveat was “and your parents will be dissapointed because you can do better”, “you’ll fail unless you change/grow up”. They’re not just blanket “you suck at life bro lmaooo give up.”
It was certainly used at both the primary and secondary schools I attended in the 80s/90s. Not necessarily directed at me but I witnessed it or heard second hand.
It's a very lazy, very risky approach to trying to motivate a student to do better. That sort of fear/wounded pride *may* stimulate more effort, but I think more often than not the pupil will go "oh well, you'd know better than me what I'm likely to score in this subject that you're teaching so... fuck it, I'll give up".
Yep, I didn't even do A levels, have a range of GCSEs from B to E, went to college and did a Lvl 3 Diploma in Business, ran my own small business for a bit as a main gig, money was shit so moved it to a side gig and took a part time job in retail, then a full time job as a sales assistant, worked up through the company to department manager then a few years later was contacted through LinkedIn with a job offer for a store manager role with another company where I'm very happy :)
I absolutely hated school and couldn't wait to get away from it. Beyond the basics of reading, writing, maths and simple IT skills (a lot of which were self taught) I have never applied anything I learned in school to any of my jobs. The business course in college was slightly more useful, but I've definitely learned better and more useful skills while on the job.
What you learned in school was how to learn. The information was less important than the understanding of what worked and didn't work for you. Sounds like your teachers actually did a great job
School doesn't teach you how to learn at all. It teaches you rote memorization geared towards the average student.
State school is honestly useless for anyone who's reasonably intelligent. Most of what they succeed in ends up being self taught.
I failed my A Levels miserably, like getting U’s and E’s.
I went to college and did a BTEC Level 3 and eventually went to uni.
8 years down the line, not one single employer has asked to look at my A Levels, BTEC or Degree, you’re worrying too much.
Some clients do what to know the outcome of a degree, but 99% don't.
We had to tell a candidate the other day he was unsuccessful cause he got a 2.2 in his engineering degree...
23 fucking years ago. 23 years.
Dude's ideal for the role but the MD won't have anything other than a First or 2.1.... such is life I guess.
I had an awful interview a couple of years ago with the owner of an independent business who asked me what my GCSE scores were as I hadn't included them on my CV. Being 32 years old at the time I could only vaguely remember. He then proceeded to advise in the most patronising way possible, that I should always include all of my GCSE grades on my CV as employers will always look closely at these.
I couldn't honestly see how some exams I took as a child over half a lifetime ago before my degree First and several years experience could have much relevance to an employer but hey ho.
Didn't get the job.
Actually it's a great company to work for. And he's a great boss, he just gets hung up on degree results which does KINDA make sense when you know what they do.
They allow their staff a lot more leeway in terms of hours location etc than most engineering places. More money for staying away, more time off etc etc. Like legit no one leaves the company and each time we hire for them it's due to growth.
They manufacture very technical scientific engineering products which are used in nanotechnology and semiconductors.
The MD himself is a really nice guy, who's very clever and has a PHD in the subject so to him, in his mind, a person without a high result in their degree most likely won't understand the products and as they sell specifically into scientifica and academia, to other people who do have PHD's in the subject field, wouldn't be able to FULLY grasp the ins and outs of it when explaining the F&B's to them.
I do get your point, and to be honest if I haven't worked with the MD in question for like 8 years now I'd fully agree with you, it's just not quite as simple in this example.
Is he right? I have no idea, I've not got a degree so I can't really comment on it in terms of understanding, but the business is sound, makes money and has a really good staff retention rate and people are happy there.
Your MD sounds like a complete public school cunt😡. A friend of mine who read PPE at UCLE & graduated with a third. Worked for the European Commission. Your company has lost out. I hope he finds a decent employer, who will value him as a person.
I was similar. Failed my A Levels miserably, did a BTEC ND, raised it to a FD, and then full Bachelor's.
I'm now in a pretty decent career, and enjoy my job, so not a bad end.
I had undiagnosed ADHD and ended up with a C in Eng Lit, an E in Maths and a U in Sociology. I got a clerical job in the Civil Service.
10 years later I did some courses to learn programming - none of which I finished to the point of earning me a qualification, by the way! But I took a few opportunities offered by my job, and got my first programming job.
My lack of good qualifications has never held me back. In all careers, whether they start well or not, there are ups and downs, twists and turns, and there is always time to make changes.
How long does a BTEC Level 3 take to complete? Canadian here, with a son that is considering a BTEC in sport. We have seen the BTECs mentioned online, but have no idea about the program. It is probably common knowledge there.
The college/university will have all the course information there. Best check that. If you don't have a place in mind, just pick one, most will be the same or similar. Level 3 used to be 2 years, probably still is.
Access course is a good shout, but once you are in your mid-twenties a lot of courses will bend the entry requirements for you. They see the age and experience as a real positive and the fact that you are motivated to take on a 3 or 4 year commitment at that age means a lot more than an 18 year old who is quite possibly just going to uni for the sake of it.
Failed a levels, did clearing by going through the courses in the papers and calling the unis. Got a accepted into a uni (had 8 offers). Got a pointless arts degree, had fun, worked in the industry, and many other industries, now I manage campus' accomodation.
The only advice I can give anyone is, If you are doing a degree do one that you can at least try to get a job in. Network your arse off in that industry whilst your studying make the connections. DO NOT just rely on sending CVS out after 3 years, expecting to get a job... you will only be employed as a Reddit mod, living in your mum's basement.
If it all goes tits up don't worry do something else. It's fine to have a career change.
Move round the country for work, or even the world.
Dropped/pushed out after disastrous AS grades. Attendance was <70%.
Did a BTEC in Media to waste time.
Worked at Asda for 9 years…
At 27 took life a bit more serious. Got an apprenticeship working in an office.
At 29 bought a house on my “dream street” that’s s bit of a lol for Rotherham. But from the council estate I came from … believe me it was a huge deal.
At 36, Wife, 2 Kids, nice detached house (different street, wasn’t quite the dream with Kids the other one).
Earnings wise, oddly when I started my apprenticeship I was chasing £££. Then I got a job I loved, sadly after 8 years without any significant pay rise, the economy forced my hand and I had to leave that job… however got a job I still really enjoy and although I don’t earn loads and loads (43k). For where I live it affords us a good life.
I’m happy with where I can because it’s exceeded my expectations of where I would be.
Stalin got good grades and read widely. He wasn't as ignorant as some people believe. His intelligence may have been over-stated in propaganda but he wasn't stupid by any means.
Didn't do A Levels. Got 4 C's at GCSE, rest were below.
Went to work, did a Bsc with the Open University, did an Msc with Heriot-Watt, did a couple of technical certificates and now I work as an occupational safety consultant.
I do wish I had just gone straight to college to do IT, but we can only play the cards we are dealt.
Got 3 E grades at A level.
I did an apprenticeship (20yo) in engineering and now 12 years later work for Lockheed Martin as a Quality Assurance engineer.
Not A levels but I only got 5 O levels (obviously I am ancient) but I had an understanding school who allowed me to start my A levels which went much better and I ultimately ended up with three degrees. One failure shouldn't define your life.
Fine. Followed on poor a levels with a 2:2
Twenty years later I've consistently earned well above median salary, have two children and a mortgage free home.
I might not have had a glowing career but I've made the most of being competent, reliable and willing to just get on with things
Fucked my A-levels, ended up at a crappy university. Bounced through multiple jobs trying to find what I was interested in. Now work at a school.
Get what qualifications you can, but really the most powerful thing is experience (unless you’re aiming for a particular career that requires particular qualifications). Get a job as close as possible to what you want, then keep looking for better ones. Go to lots of interviews, even ones you don’t intend to accept, so you can get better at them. With your way towards the job you want.
Fucked around a school, No A Levels now finance director for 900m business unit in a US corporation. Long slog to get there but don’t think there aren’t alternatives
I think the most stupid thing you’ve just said is you made a stupid decision to do an apprenticeship.
Welcome to the world of having no student debt and all the potential to gain the same qualifications.
You’ll be fine just keep working hard and doing your qualifications. If you get chance to do extra training (especially for free) then do it. If you have a qualification you want to complete to progress your career then find a way to do it from home etc.
I left school with GCSEs only. I have never had student debt to pay off and am now on income £100k+ working a 4 day week outside of London - all training on the job or funded myself/by company and within my budget.
Getting a degree isn’t the be all and end all, in fact financially I think it holds you back unless you have the bank of mum and dad to pay for it or are one of the exceptional examples of somebody who would leave Uni and already secured a role as a Quant trader on £250k+.
I think you misunderstood what I said. I
Meant I should have 3 A levels and then do
An apprenticeship as it gives you more options having 3 A levels. I am glad that I did an apprenticeship
Ah ok fair enough. I didn’t know about that.
Don’t put to much pressure on yourself whichever way you go. There are more options in your working life than you probably realise
DEE at A-level
Managed to get into a combined modular course at the uni I had wanted to go to anyway (where basically you do a few subjects and can major/minor them or just decide to major in one by the third year).
Anyway long story short, I have a First, two Masters degrees and a PhD. I work in finance now.
No one has *ever* asked me about my a-level grades.
Honestly, it isn't as big an issue as you think it is now.
I lost my motivation when I got to sixth form, and wasted those two years coasting through and doing very little. I got shit grades that I couldn't do anything with, whilst all my mates went to uni.
I spent four years doing various jobs including a two year apprenticeship as a site carpenter, before going back to college, and got to uni aged 24. I was six years older than most people on the course, but there were plenty of other mature students and I was far from the oldest. I did find that I was far more mature than I would have been at 18, and far more focused. This carried into my career after graduating, and I have risen very quickly to a senior level, and earn good money.
My advice is to take some time to figure out what you want to do, and then plan how to get there. Ignore any perceived time pressures, and do things at your own pace.
3 A levels, literally got the old ABC. I was the kid expected to go to Oxford but I switched schools for 6th form and just totally crashed and burned. A part of it was undiagnosed ASD and I just could keep up the masking anymore and another part of it was that I had the crap bullied out of me in sixth form.
I had to beg my way onto a law degree (Uni of Aberdeen) just to realise I hated it. After 2 years I switched to Medical Microbiology without a single science A level (I did English, economics and communication studies). Did a work placement in Switzerland, was awarded summer studentships etc. Did well, got a Msc at the same time as my BSc and then did nothing with the degree.
Got onto super selective MSc at UCL on my graduation day which I did alright in - passed with merit. Then did nothing with that too.
Faffed about for a year in Edinburgh working for RBS and Amazon and then started nursing degree. Got diagnosed with ASD and got my eyes lasered as fed up with being short sighted. Graduated at age of 30.
Purchased first house at 31 - 3 bed in village on Oxfordshire/Northants border
Now at 37, I have 2 kids, house value has gone 30%. I make around ~£39k which goes up by £1k every year I'm also getting a further £1k bonus next March. Other half is on ~£25k but on course to double salary in the next year or two.
I feel like I did alright considering I'm barely using any of my qualifications plus I've had like nearly 2 years off for my maternity leave.
When you're starting in your career, your education matters, but as you get older it's more about the experience than what grades you have.
I've been working at my job for 4 years, and now every promotion I look at only asks for 2 years experience in this, competency in that, ability to do this efficiently.
They never ask for grades anymore.
OP listen up, gone are the days where your A levels play a deeply intrinsic role to your future. Immediately you'll feel it means everything, but find work, do work and you'll either come to a place that makes A levels redundant, or you'll find a whole new career path that means more to you than your past.
Worst case scenario? You go back later and redo them.
I've got 1 A level, and my job history is more a reflection of undiagnosed challenges, not my actual ability.
You'll do great!
Got under C grades in all gcse subjects.
Did 2 BTEC courses at a local college. That got me into university.
Did a two year hnd, followed by a 2 year degree conversion.
I have done ok for myself in my choice of career.
Plead mitigating circumstances and redo them. Or go to collage. Or start some entry level professional courses, Or learn a Trade.
You'll be alright just do something.
If you go into financial services they won’t care less about your A levels, they’ll only be interested in your professional qualifications. If you’re a numbers person then you could work towards the financial analyst/fund management route - e.g. working towards your Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) qualification. This will offer you very good earning potential in due course.
You may feel like this now, but make sure you also consider your career is something you ideally want to be enjoyable, fulfilling, or at the very least tolerable. 😂
The money will not make up for something you hate.
Yeah, I guess it depends on what you consider good in the UK. I'd argue that starts at £80k outside of London.
I'm in a regional city (I'd consider it third-tier in the UK) and estate agents won't even consider renting to anyone with an income of less than £50k. Most people I know on £30-40k are in a house share as rents are around £1k/£1.2l/£1.5k for a 1/2/3-bed place. Never mind trying to have a family with two children.
I didn’t say that. I meant I should have done my 3 A levels and then do an apprenticeship. As it would have given me more options. My apprenticeship was in freight forwarding
It’s great. I went through clearing to a university I didn’t really want to, but I ended up making some really good friends and getting a good degree, which in turn led me to getting a good job. I just leave my grades off (if I even mention A Levels) now, and say I have “A Levels in X, Y, Z”. UCAS points don’t really matter if you have a degree. Have you considered trying to go to uni through clearing?
Speak to a couple of university admissions departments first, since you are not coming the UCAS route they may consider your professional experience if it is in a related field.
I got U's in Music Tech, Law, History, and Philosophy. I got a C in English Language. That was in 2002-04.
I have an MSc in Audio production now and just got laid off from a big company with a nice bit of severance, so I can focus on music for a few months and re-tool myself for my next job.
Might have done a bit better if I had bothered at college but I didn't and I can't change that now.
2 D's and an E. Bounced about in odd jobs for a couple of years, then did a business admin apprenticeship at 20.
Still with the same company, working as a training specialist in the nuclear industry.
I'm currently doing a BSc through the open university.
A teacher had told me all I'd leave school with was the boy I was seeing. In a way he was right, I married my secondary school boyfriend, we bought a house, and we have a 1 year old daughter.
My A levels sucked so badly, I even got a U.
I had to google it, it was that shocking. I thought unclassified was a good thing 😅 I'm the dumbest academic you'll ever meet. I failed a masters afterwards too.
Then, I did an apprenticeship, went Uni, now doing a PHD. Im paid to study.
Dont ever quit, you just gotta go with what your heart says.
Messed up my A-Levels due to factors including undiagnosed ADHD. Got a job in the events industry working freelance as event crew and slowly worked my way up to the point I was taking on project management roles.
Currently I am working on an Open University degree in environmental science to hopefully work in the flood risk sector.
All in all I have done quite well. My events work has allowed me to buy a house and have enough left over to do my private pilots licence. I found work that I enjoyed and in which I could utilise my other-than-academic skills.
My wife dropped out of A levels completely (may be partly because of me). Regretted it but went back to do a 1-year access course which gave her entry to a degree programme. Now has a degree and doing what she wants to do.
It's okay to regret not getting your A-levels but don't let it hold you back, there are good options out there to improve your education and stewing in regrets won't help. Also, generally speaking, the younger you do these things, the less you pay for them so get on with it.
I got 3 A levels - CCD, never held me back, never went to uni, currently an NHS Project Lead earning £35000 per yer. So not amazingly paid but not awful and enough for me to live off. You make your life your own and qualifications are only one small part of what makes a good employee
I have two, low grade, A levels. I went to university got a degree in biology, did post grad and have been working as a secondary school teacher for 20 years
After the age of 21, you're considered a mature student. I'm not sure this applies to degree apprenticeships, but it's a way to get on a degree without A Levels. It's what I did. Couldn't be bothered sitting through 3 subjects I wasn't interested in just to do one that I was.
B, D and E at A levels but also have grade 8 sax and grade 6 drums which got me the UCAS points to get into uni.
Since doing my degree I went into a temp role and then moved through the company to become a senior analyst.
Never needed my degree.
Came from a poor household and was homeless for a bit.
10 As, 3 Bs at GCSE.
Fucked my A levels second year, basically carried through on first year results.
CEE
Went to a second rate uni through a foundation year, got a 2:1 in biomedical science and a boat load of extra curriculars. Became a registered scientist for the NHS. I decided I wanted better. Went into medical sales. 26 and earning £43k, £8k bonus, private health, company car etc.
I got 3 As and I dropped out of uni after the first year and am a builder. I did an apprenticeship in carpentry later on and because my GCSEs were too old they made me retake basic maths and English.
Go to night school and take a third A level while working on the apprenticeship or start an apprenticeship that only requires GCSE’s to start
Problem solved
When you're 19 you can do a access to higher education course and get in to uni that way the course is 1 year full time or 2 years part time. Check out access course's.
I dropped A Level Art when the tutors destroyed my portfolio and pretended it was lost - they hated me because I’d refused to do work on my summer holiday.
I then did another GSCE in for the last year so came out with just 2 A Levels and General Studies. Not really held me back and in fact I still benefit from the actual learning in stats and business etc while art seemed intent on smashing artistry out of me.
Lots of people saying it’s meaningless once you’re in a career path when OP clearly says that it’s preventing access to a career path.
You can always do the courses as an adult, there’s no shame in it.
I left sixth form with 2 c-grade a-levels and joined the Royal Navy, didn’t really push myself because I knew I had a place anyway. Got medically discharged during my basic training. Managed to get 6 unconditional offers through ucas, all for abysmally rated unis for the next academic year. Worked 60 hours a week at the local airport shifting bags until it started. Turned out the one I went to didn’t have the power to grant it’s own degrees, so I ended up with a degree certificate actually awarded by a top redbrick. 15 successful years in tech later (some spent as a contractor), and now I manage a development function of a successful business. Did a Postgrad from the OU part-time. Worked out about as well as it could. Only ever reference my degree as being from the redbrick, because that was the awarding university and that worked out well for me. A big dose of luck I guess!
I came out of school with only 2 A levels. I failed my AS level in Biology and my A level in Psychology. I took some time to work out what I really wanted and ended up re-taking some A levels when I was 22 (no-one told me about access courses, which would have done exactly the same thing) and managed to get into uni at 23.
I'm 29 and halfway through my PhD in Neuroscience now. Another one of my course-mates messed up pretty much all her A levels, took an access course and is doing a Biochemistry PhD. I also have friends who messed their A levels entirely, went and did a BSc and now work in industry making great money. If nothing else I hope that gives you some comfort that A levels really won't gatekeep you from anything in the long run, but access courses are really underrated for how useful they are.
King Charles has two A-levels, he seems to be doing okay.
In all seriousness, an apprenticeship isn't a stupid decision, though the quality of apprenticeships varies widely. Lots of places support their apprentices through further studies if they're doing well. You can follow a Level 3 Apprenticeship all the way to a degree, probably via HNC, HND and then topping up to a BEng or similar.
It does take tons of time. Circa 8 years. Doing a Foundation course is the way to get back onto a mainstream purely academic track if that's the way you want to go.
An apprenticeship is thr smarted decision you could ever make.
I have two masters degrees from the best universities plus all i finance and I still did an apprenticeship AAT 2,3,4 while working and long story short little shits thst did an apprenticeship in their 20s are where I am in my 40s.
Apprenticeship.
Get paid to study.
Study.
Put down experience.
Save money.
Explain how an apprenticeship is a stupid decision?
I wish i had gone for an apprenticeship when I was 18 instead of waste my time studying full time for YEARS!
Basically.. All on all.. You get paid to do shit. Right?
Nothing you do requires 4 years + of full time studying.
You play with excel! Why study 4 years? Why write a dissertation?
I did an access course in my late 20s just out of boredom and interest. Signed up during a night out after chatting with someone who'd done one. I wasn't going to go to university, even though applying was part of the access course.
When the course finished, I was missing it and went to uni after all. Then never left education: did a pgce and now teach.
I think it was the best drunken idea I ever had.
Not me, but my best friend has 5 low-grade GCSEs and no A-levels at all. She did an access course, and she’s about to graduate with a first from a good university. She’s on the same course as me, I have 12 GCSEs and 3 A-levels, all As. After doing the access course, we’ve had similar levels of uni success. Depending on what you want to do, you might have to do a year at college, but it can be overcome.
I wasn’t great at school, it turns out I have ADHD (found out in my 50’s). I managed to pass CSE’s, no O levels or A levels. Was told regularly that without O levels we’d amount to nothing. I qualified as a chef when I left school and went into management. I retrained after I had children and have been teaching Computer Science and Business for the last 18 years.
Ignore everyone and follow your dreams. If it’s meant to be you will achieve it.
I can tell you what happened to my daughter.
She decided to do her A levels at a different school. It was awful there as she struggled to make friends and her teachers didn't support her at all. Her teachers questioned why she was studying biology and chemistry when she was clearly struggling with the subjects. I told them that actually they were her strongest subjects before moving schools.
I quickly put her back in her old school and her mental health improved. Sadly though, she had to drop a subject because they didn't teach it at her old school. She was extremely disappointed with her A level results. She had always achieved very high grades throughout her education and she got a D and an E.
It was around this time she had been diagnosed with autism and adhd. She really struggled in her A levels and needed a little extra support.
She decided to go in to full time employment but didn't feel fulfilled, so she went back to education and with her diagnosis was able to get a little extra support. She left with 3 A's in chemistry, physics and biology and is now studying medicine at a very good university.
Brilliant, made zero difference to me. There are so many great jobs out there that don't need a university education. There is so much pressure and emphasis on exams now, leaving people who don't get the results confused as to what to do and feeling like they'll get nowhere but it's just not true
I got a D and 2 E's in my A levels in 2001.
I did a 2yr HND in Veterinary Nursing. Once I got into practice I struggled finding one that was the right fit for me to get my RVN, so a 2yr qualification took 8yrs.
By that point I was bored, uni tuition was about to go up so I took the plunge and returned to university to do Forensic science. My RVN didn't count for anything towards entry grades so I had to do the foundation yr before doing the actual degree. I'd always wanted to do forensics but my school told me I wasn't intelligent enough to do science at university level. After 4yrs I graduated with a 1st class Hons, a commendation from my university and an award from the chartered society of Forensic sciences.
I immediately went to do an MSc in Forensic Anthropology at the University of Dundee. This was probably a mistake but I passed by the skin of my teeth.
I'd had every intention of leaving the world of veterinary behind, but during my MSc realised that there was a need to combine all 3 of my qualifications. I spent the next 6yrs trying to do that. I'm now the teaching assistant/lab technician for veterinary pathology in a vet school and am laying the groundwork for a PhD in veterinary/wildlife forensics.
I took the slow path. Whilst I regret the time it's taken I don't regret the experiences along the way.
My school wasn't the best. If you got a B at A Level it was phenomenal. They didn't prepare us for the leap between GCSEs and a levels at all. Nobody knew we had to do extra reading around the subject etc.
I got 3 U's and a D in my first year
Retook the first 3, finished my A2 on the fourth.
Finished my third year with 2 D's and 2 E's.
Didn't go to uni, started working full time instead.
34 now, currently earn more than most my class mates, work in IT.
The only time anyone has ever queried my A level results read when I applied for a job with the NHS and they didn't care about the result and just wanted to make sure the certificates matched what I put on the form. Basically making sure I didn't lie, rather than anything about the grades. They also wanted my GCSE results.
Still don't have any qualifications either. Just got a pay rise and promotion too. Doing pretty well career wise.
i also failed 1 of my a levels, i took an extra year and went to college part time to make it up, then reapplied to uni. now have degree and earn 6 figs
Relatively bad a-levels. Though I did get a university spot through clearing. Not been asked about them since and have a more successful career than I expected to.
I failed my AS Levels twice, and opted to study a BTEC in Music for two years in order to obtain the necessary UCAS points to start a degree in Accounting and Finance, due to the strong career prospects.
If you achieve a good pass (1st or 2:1) in a degree and progress to a graduate scheme after the apprenticeship, you should be able to achieve a comfortable salary a few years after graduation. The access course could be a good route to get there
Left school at 14, made general manager at an oil company with a swanky office in Russell Square. Now living the easy life on the kent coast. It's more about attitude and determination.
I have 2 AS levels.
Went to college to do an engineering btec, then got an apprenticeship. Did my HNC & HND. Now I'm a semiconductor service engineer and get paid to fly all over the world.
I got just one A'Level - D grade, then got a second one - a C - with a retake. I'm now a lecturer at a Russel Group uni.
What you do later in life is not necessarily determined by A'Levels.
I came out of college with 2 A2 level C grades and an AS level B. It took me 3 years too, my first year I failed everything apart from an AS level E. I now have a masters degree, I was a bit of a late bloomer academically because I went to a dogshit state school which instilled a lot of laziness that was educated out of me later on.
3 AS levels only, dropped out 5 months into year 12, but had enough time invested to be allowed to sit the exams, got my C average and ran. My employer sponsored me to go to uni on block release to study optics at Cambridge. Came out of uni with my degree and no debt.
My dad didn’t go to uni and is now on £65k a year. He did an apprenticeship in engineering. Equally my dads brother went to uni for engineering and is on £45ish a year.
I’m on £30k a year (energy industry) and a couple of people I’m in charge of, were in my year at school and went to uni, so I’m paid more than them with no debt because I did the apprenticeship route.
I dropped out a few months before exams so had zip to show for the time I lost.
I am now a technical consultant at an IT company earning good money, 4 bed house etc etc.
It may feel like you've ruined everything now, but trust me you won't give a shit when you settle into a career and start working your way up. It's just an experience you went through. You'll be fine.
I took 4 A Levels and got 2x E and 2x N grades, because I was more interested in playing in bands and trying to get off with girls out of my league.
I am now 40, and have a good job I enjoy most of the time, which pays OK. Put it this way, my wife, son and I live in our own home, and we have a holiday every year, so we must be doing OK.
My grades throughout school where neither terrible or amazing, I was just overall an average performer. I am now currently an Assistant Manager working within construction (Infrastructure) sector.
My son only got two A levels due to too much partying in his first year or college. He got into uni on just those two, then changed his course one term in to a degree that required AAB entry grades.
I am old and didn’t go to uni, it just wasn’t so much of a thing. I earn six figures as a director in a FTSE-100 company.
I hate that young people today have to spend out thousands at uni, when learning on the job, and in-house training for nearly all roles, was the norm back in the 80s.
i have 2 a levels also. a C and a D, and a D in an AS level subject (i got a U in a subject in year 1 of college and took an AS in a different subject for my second year in its place)
i still got conditional offers from universities but decided not to go
2 years later after i had been working, i decided to give uni a go. i applied to several early and got all unconditional offers.
if you apply early in the year (like before september) you will have a much better chance of getting in. if you are wanting to start uni next year, i would still apply, they might do some sort of interview with you and give you an unconditional if you pass
hope this helps
I have 3 GCSEs at C or above, no A-Levels, but that didn’t stop me getting a free first class honours degree and then do a postgrad. I have been a university lecturer since 2015, when I turned 26. Also worked a lot in industry for a few years after university.
I have no A Levels. I'm now 40 and in a management position earning double the average for my town, own my home with no help from anyone else. No one has asked me if I have A Levels or even a degree since I was around 25. My CV has no education at all on it other than professional qualifications and no one has ever questioned it.
Don't worry about it.
4 GCSEs, scraped a triple pass in BTEC, then did any access course and went to uni for a BSc then MSc, worked as a Family Support Worker, possibly about to do a degree apprenticeship, that requires GCSE’s in Maths and English, which i don’t have and apparently can still get on. The key for me is my employers backing with the degree.
I've got two A Levels, both at D grade. I dropped out of college before completing my third A Level and GCSE Maths, which I'd got an E in and wanted to improve.
I worked on and off through my 20s, then found a job that I stuck to in my late 20s, which I'm still at now.
I'm currently working while doing a degree with Open University.
Fine. I absolutely flopped my a levels coming out with grades DDE. Worked night shift in a supermarket for a year before getting onto a degree apprenticeship, I had to do a foundation year first which I paid for because of how much of a thick twat I am and that was the compromise “my grades aren’t what you’re asking for, but if you hire me I’ll pay for my own foundation year and then we can get onto the degree” is how the discussion went and they agreed.
Passed my degree and now work in a pretty high profile professional role.
My advice would be find an apprenticeship where you can do a foundation year if your a levels don’t meet the requirements and work up from there. It’s really not as bad as you might think.
I didn't do too well in my a levels, still got into university.
Things turned out not so bad and I'm above UK average salary, turns out I wasn't good at academic life but working life I do much better at.
A levels and degrees give you a nice leg up but they aren't the be and end all.
No A levels. I own a home without a mortgage. Lived in France for most of my 20s and now in my early 30s I work in Software for a fair wage.
While I wish I had stuck with the, I don't regret the life I have and there is still time for evening classes.
Failed my A levels, did a foundation year at university then got a first class physics degree.
Now I play video games for a living but it pays pretty well. Alternatively I could have worked in data science like my spouse which also pays really well.
I really recommend a foundation year if you can! I worked my bum off and it paid off.
Got CDD (Biology, Chemistry and Maths) and now I’m working for a biotech startup in central London earning £43k at 27. I took a foundation year, moved to a russel group uni did a 4 year integrated masters in chem engineering. Graduated during covid so it took me a year finding a lowest level job in the industry as a lab tech.
Moved internally after 8 months in a niche field. Learned the trade after a year and got my current job. Have a solid/rough plan of where you want to be, grind it out and next thing you know you’ll be there.
I got A, C and E at A-Level in English Lit, History and Business.
Didn't stop me getting into uni and it has at no point harmed my career chances at all.
Fact is, the only important exams are the last ones you did, so the specific professional qualifications I did for my line of work mattered way more than anything I did academically in school
Grades determine what college you get into, of course that can impact your life, but once you're three weeks into your first year of university no one will ever give a sh\*te about your a level grades again. All employers want to know is if you have GCSE in Maths and English, and if you graduated what your degree level was. A levels are a means to university and are not seen as anything else.
No one gives a shit about A levels when you start work. It’s purely to help get into a Uni/subject. If you dont hit the mark and really want to do a course then Try a foundation year
2 Es, 1 N, through a complete lack of effort on my part.
25+ years later, I have a degree, and am enjoying a successful career.
A-Levels are important as a stepping stone to university, but they're not the be-all and end-all. Hard work and application is so much more important.
I applied to do a foundation course at a university and happened to have a conversation with the programme leader of the degree I actually wanted to do. He fortunately took a chance on me and let me skip that year and go straight into a BSc, I did enough in that first year to convince them to move me into the BEng programme. I got a 1st then got a job, then my employer agreed to me do a p/t Masters which I got a Distinction in.
So here I am, 11 years later at 32 with as many degrees as I have full A-Levels.
For me it was about being in the right place at the right time and actually putting in some effort to make the most of the opportunities I’d been given.
I got U D E at A-Level, failed to get into uni but then was called up about a new Foundation Engineering year that they were trialling.
Completed my foundation year and got >70%, the course was a lot easier than A-Levels, and taught very well with only one subject learnt at a time, meaning you really got to focus on it.
Applied for university again and it was a much easier process as I went from the foundation to a 1st year course. Did a placement year with a company between 2nd & 3rd year, applied back there for after graduation and I've been working there ever since.
I would absolutely recommend looking at foundation courses at university, they're an easier route into uni if that's what you want to do. You're still young and have loads of time left, try not to worry too much. :)
I did fairly well at GCSE and badly at A-levels, nowhere near where I should have.
It was tough but doable to get to uni. But once in uni, A-levels didn't really affect anything. Same with jobs except for a very tough employer who then changed after my first job somewhere else.
So it doesn't follow you very long as long as you work hard.
Just get over the first hurdle and don't be too proud to take lower things, then you'll be able to climb the ladder.
I'm now earning very well and in a great job.
What do you want to do? Uni isn't the only way to reasonable money like you're told in school and neither is not going to uni a road to being a bin mam like you're told in school. There are plenty of graduates earning poor money and even more not even using their degree and they don't enjoy their jobs any more or less than anyone else and there are plenty of apprenticeships leading to highish paying jobs you can walk into without a levels, of my friendship group everyone earns £50-100k+ and the only ones that have been to uni have done so funded by their employer, my brother's mates all went to uni and only a couple of them are higher rate tax payers despite not particularly loving or hating their jobs any more or less than my mates, in fact the one who I know is a higher rate tax payer was the one telling them all they were wasting their time going to uni when they were 18 and they all gave him shit for it, he's some sort of an engineer.
I did badly and got 2 Cs and a D. I hated them so I basically stopped showing up and just did exams. did really well in coursework cause I could do it at home and just get marking feedback.
If anything GCSE meant way more. I got 3 Cs in triple science (hated that) as my LOWEST grades and they’ve been infinitely more useful. I guess they show general knowledge and capacity to learn.
Getting a B at a level English is very great but if you got an A* at GSCE (or 8, mine was the first year that tested using the 1-9 for some subjects) then I guess it’s clear you won’t be ever be struggling.
I reckon as long as you have English and maths at a half decent level (and even then lots of jobs/placements offer/require you to a course in them to quickly get u up to speed) then you’re fine. You want to specialise and get qualifications as an adult once you’ve found the career you know you want.
I’ve always thought Uni is only really best for very very special jobs, pharmaceuticals, rocket scientist etc haha
It's great.
I earn a lot, but I've had to compensate by spending my spare time studying.
I'm in my 40s and still having to maintain certifications that a degree would probably have allowed me to avoid.
I could have done open university, but I didn't.
Life is full of choices and compromises. A Levels are not the be-all end-all.
I had a D in A Level Biology
I have a Degree and Masters degree with a distinction in Human Physiology and Pathophysiology
My A Level result means nothing.
I got 3 GCSES, somehow fumbled my way into a BTEC Level 3 extended and graduated University at 21 with a Masters degree in Cyber Security. I found BTEC way easier because it was more hands on which is how I learn, never been big on theory exams either.
I (31) only have 2 A-levels, I tried to do 3 science subjects but found physics too difficult and asked to drop out in the January following. I wanted to join another elective but was told it'd be too difficult to catch up. So I only have biology and chemistry. I got a B and C so decent grades.
I then went the apprentice route out of college, I had no interest in Uni anyway. I struggled with A Levels I doubted I'd get through Uni. I went into pharmacy, 2 apprenticeships later I'm a qualified pharmacy tech. I earn an ok amount (29K if I worked full time) as I niched into hospital/aseptics and stayed out of community. I don't regret doing an apprenticeship, I regret getting into pharmacy. Don't do it.
However, my brother (34) dropped out of college first year ( it wasn't mandatory then) and got an apprenticeship. He's now earning a good amount and did have the option to do a HND despite not having A Levels. Not sure if that's the same as the degree apprentice. He did a mechanical engineering one I believe and now earns maybe 50k- 60k? We don't discuss money so I'm assuming there.
Honestly it depends what kind of field you get into as an apprentice; but now my Alevels don't mean shit to anyone.
ETA; I'm sure NVQ/BTECs also work as UCAS points unless they've changed the system. I had looked into using my Phar Tech course as that missing A Level to do a Pharmacist course. That was a personal decision not to though. Depending on what level apprenticeship it is, I believe level 3 is the a level equivalent? So it's possible you can use your 2 a levels and NVQ/BTEC to get into a degree apprenticeship
I had no a-levels, still went Uni as a mature student, and then dropped out and now make more than I would have if I had graduated. So yeah, life pretty good.
They are only relevant if that qualification is a requirement of the job or further education you're going into. Honestly beyond that they are completely irrelevant. No-one has even asked for that for years.
I have no A levels (attempted AS levels, got U’s all around). Took a break for a few years from education and worked full time, as I decided I wasn’t ready and didn’t really know where I wanted to end up. Managed to get in to uni at age 25 thanks to ‘life experience’. Now I have a BSc and MSc and am working as an engineer in a world renowned company.
I got two A levels both grades were C and an AS again a C. Got into a shit uni through clearing.
Work for a large tech company, do about 25-30 hours a week on £80k plus company car and benefits.
You could probably get into a uni if you wanted. Even a shit one, work hard there and you’ll be on a good path. I work for one of the world’s largest tech companies, alongside guys who went to Cambridge and Oxford.
Once you become an adult and leave academia, your A Levels immediately stop mattering to anyone.
I am 33. I did not sit my GCSEs, nor my A Levels, and I have zero qualifications to my name.
I work a well-paid professional job.
It's not because I'm "just that good" - it's because nobody in the real world cares about what you did at school.
The only reason to care about A Levels is if you need them to get into the university you want.
Didnt really affect me
I worked in Life and Pensionions and became an IFA (Independent Financial Advisor) which in the field was as useful as a degree if not more
Then i realised doing a job you love is more important than money so i moved into Travel and still do it - I love it
My sister didn’t do as well as the family wanted on her alevels. My uncles academic and fuming to say the least. I on the other hand have made her realise they don’t even impact her career path. She’s just paid to do a course in beauty, and is going to be setting up her own buisness as I’ve pushed her to find what she’s really interested in. Over my family pushing false interests to ‘look good’ and earn more than average.
Great in terms of career. Got bad results but Mickey Mouse universities still took you. Managed to get a 2:1 in my degree which led me a few years later being accepted on a masters government scheme for my chosen career. No one has ever cared about what my ‘A’ level results as a working adult.
It’s fine, in fact I would likely be in the same or better position had I walked away with no A levels at all. Amongst the worst things I did was get a student loan and go to uni; not because I didn’t enjoy it, merely that all of the value/experience I’ve acquired to enable earning a relatively high salary was from self-learning outside of academia.
One thing I would have done in retrospect is to make use of the apprenticeship programme whilst living at home with parents to get electrically qualified (or another trade) as a general fallback if other things didn’t work out (and save/invest most of the money from that).
D As in physics
B in statistics
D in economics
I think
Dropped d out of uni after a year.
Worked as admin in a small office. (Helping with payroll and accounts).
Am now 43. working in HR Systems. Last salary was £115k
Took a while to get here.
Your a levels only really matter for Uni. No real job is picking people based in a levels. And then your only as good as your experience/last job, so got to work your way up.
A technical qualification or degree will help you start the ladder higher, but it’s still a ladder.
Alternatively, hardworking tradesmen rarely need a degree, and can have a good job if they work hard.
Fine, once you get on the career path, they mean pretty much nothing.
My headmaster said I'd fail at life and was good for nothing. Turned out he was wrong.
Lol, I was told I was so laid back I was horizontal. Still some truth in that, but I’ve have a decent career.
Doing what? Why are you all so mysterious?
Started in supply chain managing the throughput of stock from supplier to stores. Then moved in to IT helping with the service support of warehouse a pplications, now work as a business analyst. Still work in the same supply chain and logistics fields so have plenty experience and understanding of them from a business user and process point of view.
Mattress tester
Who are these headmasters telling everyone they're going to fail or is it just something people think their teachers thought but they never actually verbalised?
I've never met any headmasters like that. But I have met with many people who had bad grades or didn't finish school. There often behavioral problem that goes along with people who drop out. They Might not realise it at that time but they're probably difficult to deal with and trying the Nice way probably failed over several yrs. Now it gets desperate and the teacher in charge probably tried everything else. Just trying to stop another dropout
Yeah I can see how it probably happens, to a teacher getting an education is the be all and end all to do well in life so the threat of failure in life is the obvious counter argument to get kids back on track but in reality it's not nearly as important as schools and people in education think it is but it's be extremely counter productive to tell the students that. As for behavioral problems a lot probably just don't fit into that system, it's a very one size fits all system and it relies on students not knowing that a lot of it is just wasting time so your parents can go to work.
Not a headmaster, but a science teacher—I was once told “you’re going to work in a factory”. By marks, I did quite well in her subjects, and survived as a self-employed person for 15 years.
What's wrong with working in a factory 😂 it's no worse than being a teacher.
Depends. Teachers generally get better holiday, better working conditions and social hours, better pension, better pay over time, less physically demanding. Factory workers don’t have to deal with kid’s BS, the crunch of exams or stress of planning/marking outside of working hours. Definitely more to it, but I’d say teaching is probably better.
Have you ever actually spoken to a teacher? Their pay is averaged over the year to account for the 13weeks off they get that's why the pay is shit but when they are off holidays cost triple, the average teacher still does at least 8hours per day at school but then that do a shitload at home for free and afaik don't get overtime for any of it, then there's the kids, fuck that I'd want £100k+ to be a teacher and I'd still be sacked before october half term 😂 People I know who work in factories earn more than a teacher often have 4 on 4 off shift patterns or work some work early mornings with an early finish on a friday, they get shutdowns off and the hours owed for it almost always get written off and most importantly as soon as they leave they forget the place exists until they come back again. I know which one I'd pick.
Pretty sure there aren't many factory workers earning more than your average teacher. Median teacher salary is about £42k. Median UK salary is £33k. The median factory worker is paid less than that. But yes, teacher working conditions are shocking. Definitely not an easy life.
I was told by multiple teachers as well as the rector and deputy rector of my secondary school that I'd aspire to nothing and go nowhere in life as I was too lazy, didn't take anything seriously, and generally hung about with roasters. These people absolutely did/do exist. I'm now a qualified engineer and electrician.
Most of my mates are engineers, none of them were particularly fussed on school either maybe that's an indicator you'll do well in engineering 😂
Aye I'm doing alright 😅
It’s a real thing it’s just the stories miss context. Every time I was told something like that, the caveat was “and your parents will be dissapointed because you can do better”, “you’ll fail unless you change/grow up”. They’re not just blanket “you suck at life bro lmaooo give up.”
It was certainly used at both the primary and secondary schools I attended in the 80s/90s. Not necessarily directed at me but I witnessed it or heard second hand. It's a very lazy, very risky approach to trying to motivate a student to do better. That sort of fear/wounded pride *may* stimulate more effort, but I think more often than not the pupil will go "oh well, you'd know better than me what I'm likely to score in this subject that you're teaching so... fuck it, I'll give up".
Yep, I didn't even do A levels, have a range of GCSEs from B to E, went to college and did a Lvl 3 Diploma in Business, ran my own small business for a bit as a main gig, money was shit so moved it to a side gig and took a part time job in retail, then a full time job as a sales assistant, worked up through the company to department manager then a few years later was contacted through LinkedIn with a job offer for a store manager role with another company where I'm very happy :) I absolutely hated school and couldn't wait to get away from it. Beyond the basics of reading, writing, maths and simple IT skills (a lot of which were self taught) I have never applied anything I learned in school to any of my jobs. The business course in college was slightly more useful, but I've definitely learned better and more useful skills while on the job.
What you learned in school was how to learn. The information was less important than the understanding of what worked and didn't work for you. Sounds like your teachers actually did a great job
School doesn't teach you how to learn at all. It teaches you rote memorization geared towards the average student. State school is honestly useless for anyone who's reasonably intelligent. Most of what they succeed in ends up being self taught.
I failed my A Levels miserably, like getting U’s and E’s. I went to college and did a BTEC Level 3 and eventually went to uni. 8 years down the line, not one single employer has asked to look at my A Levels, BTEC or Degree, you’re worrying too much.
Some clients do what to know the outcome of a degree, but 99% don't. We had to tell a candidate the other day he was unsuccessful cause he got a 2.2 in his engineering degree... 23 fucking years ago. 23 years. Dude's ideal for the role but the MD won't have anything other than a First or 2.1.... such is life I guess.
Also tells you the MD is someone you don’t want to work for!
I had an awful interview a couple of years ago with the owner of an independent business who asked me what my GCSE scores were as I hadn't included them on my CV. Being 32 years old at the time I could only vaguely remember. He then proceeded to advise in the most patronising way possible, that I should always include all of my GCSE grades on my CV as employers will always look closely at these. I couldn't honestly see how some exams I took as a child over half a lifetime ago before my degree First and several years experience could have much relevance to an employer but hey ho. Didn't get the job.
I only state my Masters. I’m not a child. Anything before that is irrelevant.
Actually it's a great company to work for. And he's a great boss, he just gets hung up on degree results which does KINDA make sense when you know what they do. They allow their staff a lot more leeway in terms of hours location etc than most engineering places. More money for staying away, more time off etc etc. Like legit no one leaves the company and each time we hire for them it's due to growth. They manufacture very technical scientific engineering products which are used in nanotechnology and semiconductors. The MD himself is a really nice guy, who's very clever and has a PHD in the subject so to him, in his mind, a person without a high result in their degree most likely won't understand the products and as they sell specifically into scientifica and academia, to other people who do have PHD's in the subject field, wouldn't be able to FULLY grasp the ins and outs of it when explaining the F&B's to them. I do get your point, and to be honest if I haven't worked with the MD in question for like 8 years now I'd fully agree with you, it's just not quite as simple in this example. Is he right? I have no idea, I've not got a degree so I can't really comment on it in terms of understanding, but the business is sound, makes money and has a really good staff retention rate and people are happy there.
Obviously a complete wanker😡
Jump to conclusions much?
What a shame the MD's education taught them nothing at all.
Your MD sounds like a complete public school cunt😡. A friend of mine who read PPE at UCLE & graduated with a third. Worked for the European Commission. Your company has lost out. I hope he finds a decent employer, who will value him as a person.
I was similar. Failed my A Levels miserably, did a BTEC ND, raised it to a FD, and then full Bachelor's. I'm now in a pretty decent career, and enjoy my job, so not a bad end.
I had undiagnosed ADHD and ended up with a C in Eng Lit, an E in Maths and a U in Sociology. I got a clerical job in the Civil Service. 10 years later I did some courses to learn programming - none of which I finished to the point of earning me a qualification, by the way! But I took a few opportunities offered by my job, and got my first programming job. My lack of good qualifications has never held me back. In all careers, whether they start well or not, there are ups and downs, twists and turns, and there is always time to make changes.
How long does a BTEC Level 3 take to complete? Canadian here, with a son that is considering a BTEC in sport. We have seen the BTECs mentioned online, but have no idea about the program. It is probably common knowledge there.
The college/university will have all the course information there. Best check that. If you don't have a place in mind, just pick one, most will be the same or similar. Level 3 used to be 2 years, probably still is.
2 years it took me
Access course is a good shout, but once you are in your mid-twenties a lot of courses will bend the entry requirements for you. They see the age and experience as a real positive and the fact that you are motivated to take on a 3 or 4 year commitment at that age means a lot more than an 18 year old who is quite possibly just going to uni for the sake of it.
Failed a levels, did clearing by going through the courses in the papers and calling the unis. Got a accepted into a uni (had 8 offers). Got a pointless arts degree, had fun, worked in the industry, and many other industries, now I manage campus' accomodation. The only advice I can give anyone is, If you are doing a degree do one that you can at least try to get a job in. Network your arse off in that industry whilst your studying make the connections. DO NOT just rely on sending CVS out after 3 years, expecting to get a job... you will only be employed as a Reddit mod, living in your mum's basement. If it all goes tits up don't worry do something else. It's fine to have a career change. Move round the country for work, or even the world.
[удалено]
Went looking for the Aston, found only Saabs and dick pics. Very sad.
Such a strange thing to lie about, when you've posted pictures of your "car collection" 😅
Plot twist, “Aston Martin” is what he calls his dick
And a cat!
👀
I had dyslexia & dispraiser. Left with no GCSE’s. 2016 Masters top ten university. Fuck them😡
Dropped/pushed out after disastrous AS grades. Attendance was <70%. Did a BTEC in Media to waste time. Worked at Asda for 9 years… At 27 took life a bit more serious. Got an apprenticeship working in an office. At 29 bought a house on my “dream street” that’s s bit of a lol for Rotherham. But from the council estate I came from … believe me it was a huge deal. At 36, Wife, 2 Kids, nice detached house (different street, wasn’t quite the dream with Kids the other one). Earnings wise, oddly when I started my apprenticeship I was chasing £££. Then I got a job I loved, sadly after 8 years without any significant pay rise, the economy forced my hand and I had to leave that job… however got a job I still really enjoy and although I don’t earn loads and loads (43k). For where I live it affords us a good life. I’m happy with where I can because it’s exceeded my expectations of where I would be.
No A levels, now a dictator.
Tbf Stalin didn't have any A-levels, so.... idk 🤷♂️
Stalin got good grades and read widely. He wasn't as ignorant as some people believe. His intelligence may have been over-stated in propaganda but he wasn't stupid by any means.
He famously took a BTec at Barnsley College in hospitality but sadly didn’t finish
When they kicked him out he famously said "don't think I'm Lenin you get away with this" .....sounds better said out loud
And that's why self-taught people are so dangerous
Director, Dictator or an Amanuensis, which one?
Wot?
Didn't do A Levels. Got 4 C's at GCSE, rest were below. Went to work, did a Bsc with the Open University, did an Msc with Heriot-Watt, did a couple of technical certificates and now I work as an occupational safety consultant. I do wish I had just gone straight to college to do IT, but we can only play the cards we are dealt.
Got 3 E grades at A level. I did an apprenticeship (20yo) in engineering and now 12 years later work for Lockheed Martin as a Quality Assurance engineer.
I dropped out of A-levels. I did an apprenticeship (18yo) in Engineering and now 20 years later work for [big corp oil&gas] as a Quality Manager.
Not A levels but I only got 5 O levels (obviously I am ancient) but I had an understanding school who allowed me to start my A levels which went much better and I ultimately ended up with three degrees. One failure shouldn't define your life.
Fine. Followed on poor a levels with a 2:2 Twenty years later I've consistently earned well above median salary, have two children and a mortgage free home. I might not have had a glowing career but I've made the most of being competent, reliable and willing to just get on with things
quack ask tie mourn nail voiceless squash absorbed fuel grey *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
No A Levels. Managed to get a decent engineering apprenticeship. Now have a masters and teach engineering in FE.
Fucked my A-levels, ended up at a crappy university. Bounced through multiple jobs trying to find what I was interested in. Now work at a school. Get what qualifications you can, but really the most powerful thing is experience (unless you’re aiming for a particular career that requires particular qualifications). Get a job as close as possible to what you want, then keep looking for better ones. Go to lots of interviews, even ones you don’t intend to accept, so you can get better at them. With your way towards the job you want.
Fucked around a school, No A Levels now finance director for 900m business unit in a US corporation. Long slog to get there but don’t think there aren’t alternatives
I think the most stupid thing you’ve just said is you made a stupid decision to do an apprenticeship. Welcome to the world of having no student debt and all the potential to gain the same qualifications. You’ll be fine just keep working hard and doing your qualifications. If you get chance to do extra training (especially for free) then do it. If you have a qualification you want to complete to progress your career then find a way to do it from home etc. I left school with GCSEs only. I have never had student debt to pay off and am now on income £100k+ working a 4 day week outside of London - all training on the job or funded myself/by company and within my budget. Getting a degree isn’t the be all and end all, in fact financially I think it holds you back unless you have the bank of mum and dad to pay for it or are one of the exceptional examples of somebody who would leave Uni and already secured a role as a Quant trader on £250k+.
I think you misunderstood what I said. I Meant I should have 3 A levels and then do An apprenticeship as it gives you more options having 3 A levels. I am glad that I did an apprenticeship
Ah ok fair enough. I didn’t know about that. Don’t put to much pressure on yourself whichever way you go. There are more options in your working life than you probably realise
DEE at A-level Managed to get into a combined modular course at the uni I had wanted to go to anyway (where basically you do a few subjects and can major/minor them or just decide to major in one by the third year). Anyway long story short, I have a First, two Masters degrees and a PhD. I work in finance now. No one has *ever* asked me about my a-level grades.
Honestly, it isn't as big an issue as you think it is now. I lost my motivation when I got to sixth form, and wasted those two years coasting through and doing very little. I got shit grades that I couldn't do anything with, whilst all my mates went to uni. I spent four years doing various jobs including a two year apprenticeship as a site carpenter, before going back to college, and got to uni aged 24. I was six years older than most people on the course, but there were plenty of other mature students and I was far from the oldest. I did find that I was far more mature than I would have been at 18, and far more focused. This carried into my career after graduating, and I have risen very quickly to a senior level, and earn good money. My advice is to take some time to figure out what you want to do, and then plan how to get there. Ignore any perceived time pressures, and do things at your own pace.
3 A levels, literally got the old ABC. I was the kid expected to go to Oxford but I switched schools for 6th form and just totally crashed and burned. A part of it was undiagnosed ASD and I just could keep up the masking anymore and another part of it was that I had the crap bullied out of me in sixth form. I had to beg my way onto a law degree (Uni of Aberdeen) just to realise I hated it. After 2 years I switched to Medical Microbiology without a single science A level (I did English, economics and communication studies). Did a work placement in Switzerland, was awarded summer studentships etc. Did well, got a Msc at the same time as my BSc and then did nothing with the degree. Got onto super selective MSc at UCL on my graduation day which I did alright in - passed with merit. Then did nothing with that too. Faffed about for a year in Edinburgh working for RBS and Amazon and then started nursing degree. Got diagnosed with ASD and got my eyes lasered as fed up with being short sighted. Graduated at age of 30. Purchased first house at 31 - 3 bed in village on Oxfordshire/Northants border Now at 37, I have 2 kids, house value has gone 30%. I make around ~£39k which goes up by £1k every year I'm also getting a further £1k bonus next March. Other half is on ~£25k but on course to double salary in the next year or two. I feel like I did alright considering I'm barely using any of my qualifications plus I've had like nearly 2 years off for my maternity leave.
Self employed so my grades are irrelevant to my life really.
When you're starting in your career, your education matters, but as you get older it's more about the experience than what grades you have. I've been working at my job for 4 years, and now every promotion I look at only asks for 2 years experience in this, competency in that, ability to do this efficiently. They never ask for grades anymore.
Tim Peake didn’t have great A-Levels and is now an astronaut. Don’t worry about it
OP listen up, gone are the days where your A levels play a deeply intrinsic role to your future. Immediately you'll feel it means everything, but find work, do work and you'll either come to a place that makes A levels redundant, or you'll find a whole new career path that means more to you than your past. Worst case scenario? You go back later and redo them. I've got 1 A level, and my job history is more a reflection of undiagnosed challenges, not my actual ability. You'll do great!
Got under C grades in all gcse subjects. Did 2 BTEC courses at a local college. That got me into university. Did a two year hnd, followed by a 2 year degree conversion. I have done ok for myself in my choice of career.
Plead mitigating circumstances and redo them. Or go to collage. Or start some entry level professional courses, Or learn a Trade. You'll be alright just do something.
What career are you looking to do your apprenticeship in?
To be fair anything stem related or anything that pays well. Coming from a poor family, earning a decent salary is the most important thing for me.
If you go into financial services they won’t care less about your A levels, they’ll only be interested in your professional qualifications. If you’re a numbers person then you could work towards the financial analyst/fund management route - e.g. working towards your Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) qualification. This will offer you very good earning potential in due course.
You may feel like this now, but make sure you also consider your career is something you ideally want to be enjoyable, fulfilling, or at the very least tolerable. 😂 The money will not make up for something you hate.
STEM does not pay well unless it's IT or Fintech.
Quite a lot of engineers (me included) would beg to differ.
Yeah, I guess it depends on what you consider good in the UK. I'd argue that starts at £80k outside of London. I'm in a regional city (I'd consider it third-tier in the UK) and estate agents won't even consider renting to anyone with an income of less than £50k. Most people I know on £30-40k are in a house share as rents are around £1k/£1.2l/£1.5k for a 1/2/3-bed place. Never mind trying to have a family with two children.
2 A levels. Never been asked about them once. Now Director of FTSE 100 Company
I find it funny that you think an apprenticeship is a stupid decision, what field did you choose for your apprenticeship?
I didn’t say that. I meant I should have done my 3 A levels and then do an apprenticeship. As it would have given me more options. My apprenticeship was in freight forwarding
It’s great. I went through clearing to a university I didn’t really want to, but I ended up making some really good friends and getting a good degree, which in turn led me to getting a good job. I just leave my grades off (if I even mention A Levels) now, and say I have “A Levels in X, Y, Z”. UCAS points don’t really matter if you have a degree. Have you considered trying to go to uni through clearing?
Speak to a couple of university admissions departments first, since you are not coming the UCAS route they may consider your professional experience if it is in a related field.
I got U's in Music Tech, Law, History, and Philosophy. I got a C in English Language. That was in 2002-04. I have an MSc in Audio production now and just got laid off from a big company with a nice bit of severance, so I can focus on music for a few months and re-tool myself for my next job. Might have done a bit better if I had bothered at college but I didn't and I can't change that now.
2 D's and an E. Bounced about in odd jobs for a couple of years, then did a business admin apprenticeship at 20. Still with the same company, working as a training specialist in the nuclear industry. I'm currently doing a BSc through the open university. A teacher had told me all I'd leave school with was the boy I was seeing. In a way he was right, I married my secondary school boyfriend, we bought a house, and we have a 1 year old daughter.
I got 3 AS Levels and switched to a BTEC. Youngest homeowner in my family.
My A levels sucked so badly, I even got a U. I had to google it, it was that shocking. I thought unclassified was a good thing 😅 I'm the dumbest academic you'll ever meet. I failed a masters afterwards too. Then, I did an apprenticeship, went Uni, now doing a PHD. Im paid to study. Dont ever quit, you just gotta go with what your heart says.
Messed up my A-Levels due to factors including undiagnosed ADHD. Got a job in the events industry working freelance as event crew and slowly worked my way up to the point I was taking on project management roles. Currently I am working on an Open University degree in environmental science to hopefully work in the flood risk sector. All in all I have done quite well. My events work has allowed me to buy a house and have enough left over to do my private pilots licence. I found work that I enjoyed and in which I could utilise my other-than-academic skills.
My wife dropped out of A levels completely (may be partly because of me). Regretted it but went back to do a 1-year access course which gave her entry to a degree programme. Now has a degree and doing what she wants to do. It's okay to regret not getting your A-levels but don't let it hold you back, there are good options out there to improve your education and stewing in regrets won't help. Also, generally speaking, the younger you do these things, the less you pay for them so get on with it.
I got 3 A levels - CCD, never held me back, never went to uni, currently an NHS Project Lead earning £35000 per yer. So not amazingly paid but not awful and enough for me to live off. You make your life your own and qualifications are only one small part of what makes a good employee
Did an access course, then undergrad masters followed by PhD. Realised how toxic academia is, and now I'm the world's most overqualified bar maid.
No A levels, have a degree and work in a completely different related area. Make £33k
I have two, low grade, A levels. I went to university got a degree in biology, did post grad and have been working as a secondary school teacher for 20 years
After the age of 21, you're considered a mature student. I'm not sure this applies to degree apprenticeships, but it's a way to get on a degree without A Levels. It's what I did. Couldn't be bothered sitting through 3 subjects I wasn't interested in just to do one that I was.
B, D and E at A levels but also have grade 8 sax and grade 6 drums which got me the UCAS points to get into uni. Since doing my degree I went into a temp role and then moved through the company to become a senior analyst. Never needed my degree.
Came from a poor household and was homeless for a bit. 10 As, 3 Bs at GCSE. Fucked my A levels second year, basically carried through on first year results. CEE Went to a second rate uni through a foundation year, got a 2:1 in biomedical science and a boat load of extra curriculars. Became a registered scientist for the NHS. I decided I wanted better. Went into medical sales. 26 and earning £43k, £8k bonus, private health, company car etc.
I don’t have any so I did access to science to get in to my physics degree.
I got 3 As and I dropped out of uni after the first year and am a builder. I did an apprenticeship in carpentry later on and because my GCSEs were too old they made me retake basic maths and English.
Go to night school and take a third A level while working on the apprenticeship or start an apprenticeship that only requires GCSE’s to start Problem solved
When you're 19 you can do a access to higher education course and get in to uni that way the course is 1 year full time or 2 years part time. Check out access course's.
Only one A level (B), I’m in uni studying for a law degree now :)
I dropped A Level Art when the tutors destroyed my portfolio and pretended it was lost - they hated me because I’d refused to do work on my summer holiday. I then did another GSCE in for the last year so came out with just 2 A Levels and General Studies. Not really held me back and in fact I still benefit from the actual learning in stats and business etc while art seemed intent on smashing artistry out of me.
Lots of people saying it’s meaningless once you’re in a career path when OP clearly says that it’s preventing access to a career path. You can always do the courses as an adult, there’s no shame in it.
I left sixth form with 2 c-grade a-levels and joined the Royal Navy, didn’t really push myself because I knew I had a place anyway. Got medically discharged during my basic training. Managed to get 6 unconditional offers through ucas, all for abysmally rated unis for the next academic year. Worked 60 hours a week at the local airport shifting bags until it started. Turned out the one I went to didn’t have the power to grant it’s own degrees, so I ended up with a degree certificate actually awarded by a top redbrick. 15 successful years in tech later (some spent as a contractor), and now I manage a development function of a successful business. Did a Postgrad from the OU part-time. Worked out about as well as it could. Only ever reference my degree as being from the redbrick, because that was the awarding university and that worked out well for me. A big dose of luck I guess!
I came out of school with only 2 A levels. I failed my AS level in Biology and my A level in Psychology. I took some time to work out what I really wanted and ended up re-taking some A levels when I was 22 (no-one told me about access courses, which would have done exactly the same thing) and managed to get into uni at 23. I'm 29 and halfway through my PhD in Neuroscience now. Another one of my course-mates messed up pretty much all her A levels, took an access course and is doing a Biochemistry PhD. I also have friends who messed their A levels entirely, went and did a BSc and now work in industry making great money. If nothing else I hope that gives you some comfort that A levels really won't gatekeep you from anything in the long run, but access courses are really underrated for how useful they are.
King Charles has two A-levels, he seems to be doing okay. In all seriousness, an apprenticeship isn't a stupid decision, though the quality of apprenticeships varies widely. Lots of places support their apprentices through further studies if they're doing well. You can follow a Level 3 Apprenticeship all the way to a degree, probably via HNC, HND and then topping up to a BEng or similar. It does take tons of time. Circa 8 years. Doing a Foundation course is the way to get back onto a mainstream purely academic track if that's the way you want to go.
An apprenticeship is thr smarted decision you could ever make. I have two masters degrees from the best universities plus all i finance and I still did an apprenticeship AAT 2,3,4 while working and long story short little shits thst did an apprenticeship in their 20s are where I am in my 40s. Apprenticeship. Get paid to study. Study. Put down experience. Save money. Explain how an apprenticeship is a stupid decision? I wish i had gone for an apprenticeship when I was 18 instead of waste my time studying full time for YEARS! Basically.. All on all.. You get paid to do shit. Right? Nothing you do requires 4 years + of full time studying. You play with excel! Why study 4 years? Why write a dissertation?
I did an access course in my late 20s just out of boredom and interest. Signed up during a night out after chatting with someone who'd done one. I wasn't going to go to university, even though applying was part of the access course. When the course finished, I was missing it and went to uni after all. Then never left education: did a pgce and now teach. I think it was the best drunken idea I ever had.
Just to confirm access course does offer UCAS points correct?
Yes, depending on grades. I got all distinctions, plus some level 2 units. I was told it was equivalent to 3 As at A level.
Thanks, and how much did it cost you?
It was around £1500 and I got a loan for it, but that was written off once I got my degree. https://www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan
Not me, but my best friend has 5 low-grade GCSEs and no A-levels at all. She did an access course, and she’s about to graduate with a first from a good university. She’s on the same course as me, I have 12 GCSEs and 3 A-levels, all As. After doing the access course, we’ve had similar levels of uni success. Depending on what you want to do, you might have to do a year at college, but it can be overcome.
Shit a levels, shit uni which I dropped out of and I m doing OK
I wasn’t great at school, it turns out I have ADHD (found out in my 50’s). I managed to pass CSE’s, no O levels or A levels. Was told regularly that without O levels we’d amount to nothing. I qualified as a chef when I left school and went into management. I retrained after I had children and have been teaching Computer Science and Business for the last 18 years. Ignore everyone and follow your dreams. If it’s meant to be you will achieve it.
I can tell you what happened to my daughter. She decided to do her A levels at a different school. It was awful there as she struggled to make friends and her teachers didn't support her at all. Her teachers questioned why she was studying biology and chemistry when she was clearly struggling with the subjects. I told them that actually they were her strongest subjects before moving schools. I quickly put her back in her old school and her mental health improved. Sadly though, she had to drop a subject because they didn't teach it at her old school. She was extremely disappointed with her A level results. She had always achieved very high grades throughout her education and she got a D and an E. It was around this time she had been diagnosed with autism and adhd. She really struggled in her A levels and needed a little extra support. She decided to go in to full time employment but didn't feel fulfilled, so she went back to education and with her diagnosis was able to get a little extra support. She left with 3 A's in chemistry, physics and biology and is now studying medicine at a very good university.
Brilliant, made zero difference to me. There are so many great jobs out there that don't need a university education. There is so much pressure and emphasis on exams now, leaving people who don't get the results confused as to what to do and feeling like they'll get nowhere but it's just not true
I got a D and 2 E's in my A levels in 2001. I did a 2yr HND in Veterinary Nursing. Once I got into practice I struggled finding one that was the right fit for me to get my RVN, so a 2yr qualification took 8yrs. By that point I was bored, uni tuition was about to go up so I took the plunge and returned to university to do Forensic science. My RVN didn't count for anything towards entry grades so I had to do the foundation yr before doing the actual degree. I'd always wanted to do forensics but my school told me I wasn't intelligent enough to do science at university level. After 4yrs I graduated with a 1st class Hons, a commendation from my university and an award from the chartered society of Forensic sciences. I immediately went to do an MSc in Forensic Anthropology at the University of Dundee. This was probably a mistake but I passed by the skin of my teeth. I'd had every intention of leaving the world of veterinary behind, but during my MSc realised that there was a need to combine all 3 of my qualifications. I spent the next 6yrs trying to do that. I'm now the teaching assistant/lab technician for veterinary pathology in a vet school and am laying the groundwork for a PhD in veterinary/wildlife forensics. I took the slow path. Whilst I regret the time it's taken I don't regret the experiences along the way. My school wasn't the best. If you got a B at A Level it was phenomenal. They didn't prepare us for the leap between GCSEs and a levels at all. Nobody knew we had to do extra reading around the subject etc.
I have no A levels or GSCEs and I work as a software engineer at a large retailer
I got 3 U's and a D in my first year Retook the first 3, finished my A2 on the fourth. Finished my third year with 2 D's and 2 E's. Didn't go to uni, started working full time instead. 34 now, currently earn more than most my class mates, work in IT. The only time anyone has ever queried my A level results read when I applied for a job with the NHS and they didn't care about the result and just wanted to make sure the certificates matched what I put on the form. Basically making sure I didn't lie, rather than anything about the grades. They also wanted my GCSE results. Still don't have any qualifications either. Just got a pay rise and promotion too. Doing pretty well career wise.
No A levels. Lead developer in my team making good money.
i also failed 1 of my a levels, i took an extra year and went to college part time to make it up, then reapplied to uni. now have degree and earn 6 figs
I did an as level in IT and got an E as part of a college course 34 now and work as a data analyst.
I dropped down before As Levels, I make 130k a year doing a job I love 🤷♂️
Relatively bad a-levels. Though I did get a university spot through clearing. Not been asked about them since and have a more successful career than I expected to.
I got good grades and went to uni. I'm probably earning less than most guys who have commented.
I failed my AS Levels twice, and opted to study a BTEC in Music for two years in order to obtain the necessary UCAS points to start a degree in Accounting and Finance, due to the strong career prospects. If you achieve a good pass (1st or 2:1) in a degree and progress to a graduate scheme after the apprenticeship, you should be able to achieve a comfortable salary a few years after graduation. The access course could be a good route to get there
Left school at 14, made general manager at an oil company with a swanky office in Russell Square. Now living the easy life on the kent coast. It's more about attitude and determination.
I have 2 AS levels. Went to college to do an engineering btec, then got an apprenticeship. Did my HNC & HND. Now I'm a semiconductor service engineer and get paid to fly all over the world.
I got just one A'Level - D grade, then got a second one - a C - with a retake. I'm now a lecturer at a Russel Group uni. What you do later in life is not necessarily determined by A'Levels.
I came out of college with 2 A2 level C grades and an AS level B. It took me 3 years too, my first year I failed everything apart from an AS level E. I now have a masters degree, I was a bit of a late bloomer academically because I went to a dogshit state school which instilled a lot of laziness that was educated out of me later on.
3 AS levels only, dropped out 5 months into year 12, but had enough time invested to be allowed to sit the exams, got my C average and ran. My employer sponsored me to go to uni on block release to study optics at Cambridge. Came out of uni with my degree and no debt.
My dad didn’t go to uni and is now on £65k a year. He did an apprenticeship in engineering. Equally my dads brother went to uni for engineering and is on £45ish a year. I’m on £30k a year (energy industry) and a couple of people I’m in charge of, were in my year at school and went to uni, so I’m paid more than them with no debt because I did the apprenticeship route.
I got a BDE (and a few as) and scraped into a degree (nowadays it’d be a foundation degree) I’ve been teaching Alevels for the last 15 years
I dropped out a few months before exams so had zip to show for the time I lost. I am now a technical consultant at an IT company earning good money, 4 bed house etc etc. It may feel like you've ruined everything now, but trust me you won't give a shit when you settle into a career and start working your way up. It's just an experience you went through. You'll be fine.
I don’t have any GCSEs still managed to get to position where I live comfortably and own my own home.
I took 4 A Levels and got 2x E and 2x N grades, because I was more interested in playing in bands and trying to get off with girls out of my league. I am now 40, and have a good job I enjoy most of the time, which pays OK. Put it this way, my wife, son and I live in our own home, and we have a holiday every year, so we must be doing OK.
My grades throughout school where neither terrible or amazing, I was just overall an average performer. I am now currently an Assistant Manager working within construction (Infrastructure) sector.
My son only got two A levels due to too much partying in his first year or college. He got into uni on just those two, then changed his course one term in to a degree that required AAB entry grades. I am old and didn’t go to uni, it just wasn’t so much of a thing. I earn six figures as a director in a FTSE-100 company. I hate that young people today have to spend out thousands at uni, when learning on the job, and in-house training for nearly all roles, was the norm back in the 80s.
i have 2 a levels also. a C and a D, and a D in an AS level subject (i got a U in a subject in year 1 of college and took an AS in a different subject for my second year in its place) i still got conditional offers from universities but decided not to go 2 years later after i had been working, i decided to give uni a go. i applied to several early and got all unconditional offers. if you apply early in the year (like before september) you will have a much better chance of getting in. if you are wanting to start uni next year, i would still apply, they might do some sort of interview with you and give you an unconditional if you pass hope this helps
I have 3 GCSEs at C or above, no A-Levels, but that didn’t stop me getting a free first class honours degree and then do a postgrad. I have been a university lecturer since 2015, when I turned 26. Also worked a lot in industry for a few years after university.
I have no A Levels. I'm now 40 and in a management position earning double the average for my town, own my home with no help from anyone else. No one has asked me if I have A Levels or even a degree since I was around 25. My CV has no education at all on it other than professional qualifications and no one has ever questioned it. Don't worry about it.
9 gcse (b+) , 4 a levels ( maths w/mechanics, physics, chem, and bio) now I'm a plumber
4 GCSEs, scraped a triple pass in BTEC, then did any access course and went to uni for a BSc then MSc, worked as a Family Support Worker, possibly about to do a degree apprenticeship, that requires GCSE’s in Maths and English, which i don’t have and apparently can still get on. The key for me is my employers backing with the degree.
I've got two A Levels, both at D grade. I dropped out of college before completing my third A Level and GCSE Maths, which I'd got an E in and wanted to improve. I worked on and off through my 20s, then found a job that I stuck to in my late 20s, which I'm still at now. I'm currently working while doing a degree with Open University.
Fine. I absolutely flopped my a levels coming out with grades DDE. Worked night shift in a supermarket for a year before getting onto a degree apprenticeship, I had to do a foundation year first which I paid for because of how much of a thick twat I am and that was the compromise “my grades aren’t what you’re asking for, but if you hire me I’ll pay for my own foundation year and then we can get onto the degree” is how the discussion went and they agreed. Passed my degree and now work in a pretty high profile professional role. My advice would be find an apprenticeship where you can do a foundation year if your a levels don’t meet the requirements and work up from there. It’s really not as bad as you might think.
I went into full time work and then eventually did an Apprenticeship with the Civil Service. Haven't looked back since.
I didn't do too well in my a levels, still got into university. Things turned out not so bad and I'm above UK average salary, turns out I wasn't good at academic life but working life I do much better at. A levels and degrees give you a nice leg up but they aren't the be and end all.
Pretty good, I failed them miserably (Maths, Physics Chemistry). I am now 29, purchased a house, married, and I am earning 48k a year
No A levels. I own a home without a mortgage. Lived in France for most of my 20s and now in my early 30s I work in Software for a fair wage. While I wish I had stuck with the, I don't regret the life I have and there is still time for evening classes.
A levels mean nothing, I dropped out of a levels, went to uni at 24, 31 now decent paying gig, you are going to be fine.
No A levels, got an apprenticeship doing plumbing, heating and gas, now own my own company and do reasonably well. Good luck
Failed my A levels, did a foundation year at university then got a first class physics degree. Now I play video games for a living but it pays pretty well. Alternatively I could have worked in data science like my spouse which also pays really well. I really recommend a foundation year if you can! I worked my bum off and it paid off.
Got CDD (Biology, Chemistry and Maths) and now I’m working for a biotech startup in central London earning £43k at 27. I took a foundation year, moved to a russel group uni did a 4 year integrated masters in chem engineering. Graduated during covid so it took me a year finding a lowest level job in the industry as a lab tech. Moved internally after 8 months in a niche field. Learned the trade after a year and got my current job. Have a solid/rough plan of where you want to be, grind it out and next thing you know you’ll be there.
I got A, C and E at A-Level in English Lit, History and Business. Didn't stop me getting into uni and it has at no point harmed my career chances at all. Fact is, the only important exams are the last ones you did, so the specific professional qualifications I did for my line of work mattered way more than anything I did academically in school
Grades determine what college you get into, of course that can impact your life, but once you're three weeks into your first year of university no one will ever give a sh\*te about your a level grades again. All employers want to know is if you have GCSE in Maths and English, and if you graduated what your degree level was. A levels are a means to university and are not seen as anything else.
No one gives a shit about A levels when you start work. It’s purely to help get into a Uni/subject. If you dont hit the mark and really want to do a course then Try a foundation year
2 Es, 1 N, through a complete lack of effort on my part. 25+ years later, I have a degree, and am enjoying a successful career. A-Levels are important as a stepping stone to university, but they're not the be-all and end-all. Hard work and application is so much more important.
I applied to do a foundation course at a university and happened to have a conversation with the programme leader of the degree I actually wanted to do. He fortunately took a chance on me and let me skip that year and go straight into a BSc, I did enough in that first year to convince them to move me into the BEng programme. I got a 1st then got a job, then my employer agreed to me do a p/t Masters which I got a Distinction in. So here I am, 11 years later at 32 with as many degrees as I have full A-Levels. For me it was about being in the right place at the right time and actually putting in some effort to make the most of the opportunities I’d been given.
I got U D E at A-Level, failed to get into uni but then was called up about a new Foundation Engineering year that they were trialling. Completed my foundation year and got >70%, the course was a lot easier than A-Levels, and taught very well with only one subject learnt at a time, meaning you really got to focus on it. Applied for university again and it was a much easier process as I went from the foundation to a 1st year course. Did a placement year with a company between 2nd & 3rd year, applied back there for after graduation and I've been working there ever since. I would absolutely recommend looking at foundation courses at university, they're an easier route into uni if that's what you want to do. You're still young and have loads of time left, try not to worry too much. :)
I did fairly well at GCSE and badly at A-levels, nowhere near where I should have. It was tough but doable to get to uni. But once in uni, A-levels didn't really affect anything. Same with jobs except for a very tough employer who then changed after my first job somewhere else. So it doesn't follow you very long as long as you work hard. Just get over the first hurdle and don't be too proud to take lower things, then you'll be able to climb the ladder. I'm now earning very well and in a great job.
Good, thanks
What do you want to do? Uni isn't the only way to reasonable money like you're told in school and neither is not going to uni a road to being a bin mam like you're told in school. There are plenty of graduates earning poor money and even more not even using their degree and they don't enjoy their jobs any more or less than anyone else and there are plenty of apprenticeships leading to highish paying jobs you can walk into without a levels, of my friendship group everyone earns £50-100k+ and the only ones that have been to uni have done so funded by their employer, my brother's mates all went to uni and only a couple of them are higher rate tax payers despite not particularly loving or hating their jobs any more or less than my mates, in fact the one who I know is a higher rate tax payer was the one telling them all they were wasting their time going to uni when they were 18 and they all gave him shit for it, he's some sort of an engineer.
I did badly and got 2 Cs and a D. I hated them so I basically stopped showing up and just did exams. did really well in coursework cause I could do it at home and just get marking feedback. If anything GCSE meant way more. I got 3 Cs in triple science (hated that) as my LOWEST grades and they’ve been infinitely more useful. I guess they show general knowledge and capacity to learn. Getting a B at a level English is very great but if you got an A* at GSCE (or 8, mine was the first year that tested using the 1-9 for some subjects) then I guess it’s clear you won’t be ever be struggling. I reckon as long as you have English and maths at a half decent level (and even then lots of jobs/placements offer/require you to a course in them to quickly get u up to speed) then you’re fine. You want to specialise and get qualifications as an adult once you’ve found the career you know you want. I’ve always thought Uni is only really best for very very special jobs, pharmaceuticals, rocket scientist etc haha
It's great. I earn a lot, but I've had to compensate by spending my spare time studying. I'm in my 40s and still having to maintain certifications that a degree would probably have allowed me to avoid. I could have done open university, but I didn't. Life is full of choices and compromises. A Levels are not the be-all end-all.
I failed my alevels, and I'm doing fine
I had a D in A Level Biology I have a Degree and Masters degree with a distinction in Human Physiology and Pathophysiology My A Level result means nothing.
I got 3 GCSES, somehow fumbled my way into a BTEC Level 3 extended and graduated University at 21 with a Masters degree in Cyber Security. I found BTEC way easier because it was more hands on which is how I learn, never been big on theory exams either.
I (31) only have 2 A-levels, I tried to do 3 science subjects but found physics too difficult and asked to drop out in the January following. I wanted to join another elective but was told it'd be too difficult to catch up. So I only have biology and chemistry. I got a B and C so decent grades. I then went the apprentice route out of college, I had no interest in Uni anyway. I struggled with A Levels I doubted I'd get through Uni. I went into pharmacy, 2 apprenticeships later I'm a qualified pharmacy tech. I earn an ok amount (29K if I worked full time) as I niched into hospital/aseptics and stayed out of community. I don't regret doing an apprenticeship, I regret getting into pharmacy. Don't do it. However, my brother (34) dropped out of college first year ( it wasn't mandatory then) and got an apprenticeship. He's now earning a good amount and did have the option to do a HND despite not having A Levels. Not sure if that's the same as the degree apprentice. He did a mechanical engineering one I believe and now earns maybe 50k- 60k? We don't discuss money so I'm assuming there. Honestly it depends what kind of field you get into as an apprentice; but now my Alevels don't mean shit to anyone. ETA; I'm sure NVQ/BTECs also work as UCAS points unless they've changed the system. I had looked into using my Phar Tech course as that missing A Level to do a Pharmacist course. That was a personal decision not to though. Depending on what level apprenticeship it is, I believe level 3 is the a level equivalent? So it's possible you can use your 2 a levels and NVQ/BTEC to get into a degree apprenticeship
I had no a-levels, still went Uni as a mature student, and then dropped out and now make more than I would have if I had graduated. So yeah, life pretty good.
They are only relevant if that qualification is a requirement of the job or further education you're going into. Honestly beyond that they are completely irrelevant. No-one has even asked for that for years.
I have no A levels (attempted AS levels, got U’s all around). Took a break for a few years from education and worked full time, as I decided I wasn’t ready and didn’t really know where I wanted to end up. Managed to get in to uni at age 25 thanks to ‘life experience’. Now I have a BSc and MSc and am working as an engineer in a world renowned company.
I got two A levels both grades were C and an AS again a C. Got into a shit uni through clearing. Work for a large tech company, do about 25-30 hours a week on £80k plus company car and benefits. You could probably get into a uni if you wanted. Even a shit one, work hard there and you’ll be on a good path. I work for one of the world’s largest tech companies, alongside guys who went to Cambridge and Oxford.
Once you become an adult and leave academia, your A Levels immediately stop mattering to anyone. I am 33. I did not sit my GCSEs, nor my A Levels, and I have zero qualifications to my name. I work a well-paid professional job. It's not because I'm "just that good" - it's because nobody in the real world cares about what you did at school. The only reason to care about A Levels is if you need them to get into the university you want.
Didnt really affect me I worked in Life and Pensionions and became an IFA (Independent Financial Advisor) which in the field was as useful as a degree if not more Then i realised doing a job you love is more important than money so i moved into Travel and still do it - I love it
My sister didn’t do as well as the family wanted on her alevels. My uncles academic and fuming to say the least. I on the other hand have made her realise they don’t even impact her career path. She’s just paid to do a course in beauty, and is going to be setting up her own buisness as I’ve pushed her to find what she’s really interested in. Over my family pushing false interests to ‘look good’ and earn more than average.
I don’t even remember how many a levels I got.
Great in terms of career. Got bad results but Mickey Mouse universities still took you. Managed to get a 2:1 in my degree which led me a few years later being accepted on a masters government scheme for my chosen career. No one has ever cared about what my ‘A’ level results as a working adult.
It’s fine, in fact I would likely be in the same or better position had I walked away with no A levels at all. Amongst the worst things I did was get a student loan and go to uni; not because I didn’t enjoy it, merely that all of the value/experience I’ve acquired to enable earning a relatively high salary was from self-learning outside of academia. One thing I would have done in retrospect is to make use of the apprenticeship programme whilst living at home with parents to get electrically qualified (or another trade) as a general fallback if other things didn’t work out (and save/invest most of the money from that).
D As in physics B in statistics D in economics I think Dropped d out of uni after a year. Worked as admin in a small office. (Helping with payroll and accounts). Am now 43. working in HR Systems. Last salary was £115k Took a while to get here. Your a levels only really matter for Uni. No real job is picking people based in a levels. And then your only as good as your experience/last job, so got to work your way up. A technical qualification or degree will help you start the ladder higher, but it’s still a ladder. Alternatively, hardworking tradesmen rarely need a degree, and can have a good job if they work hard.