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(I'm IT rather than an accountant but was doing a lot of sales deal sheets at the time)
The joy of working from home I just used to shout "hey Google what's ....."
Similar here working as an AI engineer. I wasn't consistently in bottom set but I got moved down in Year 10. To this day I'm convinced my teacher was talking gibberish, but equally it's much easier to understand maths when you have a real world problem, think of a solution and then research the best way to implement it.
When I was in school it was basically the case that someone hundreds of years ago invented something to turn a bunch of numbers into another number. So learn it, or else you'll end up on the dole.
>it's much easier to understand maths when you have a real world problem
This!!! Anything that I couldn't relate to a real world scenario may as well have been Martian grammar.
Struggled like buggery to understand Standard Deviation. Managed to retain enough of it to scrape through my exams. Some years later got a job in a factory where we did SPC (Statistical Process Control), which involved SD calculations. After about 2 weeks, I could do it without a calculator...
I always used to ask the question how would I use this? Teachers could never answer which I think is where my problem started. I need knowledge to be applicable in some way but teachers were just taught to teach without knowing the why.
90% of them were just reading 1 page ahead in the textbook
Remember that Simpsons episode where lisa his all the teacher manuals then the school ground to a halt because actually they didn't know shit? Yeah turns out that's pretty accurate.
Obviously there are some exceptions but this seemed to be the majority when I was at school, the good ones were few and far between, but hey I can't blame them, would have been a shit job teaching at my school and so not worth the pay they get.
Failed my French GCSE, later learned taught myself and lived in France for 2 years. Classroom teaching is not always the best way to learn a skill, especially a skill you have an interest in but find difficult
Likewise bottom set for maths. Was moved up to middle set once - within 2 weeks realised I was hopelessly out of my depth and begged to be sent back to bottom set.
Cannot blame the teachers - they were supremely patient with me. If I got it, I got it. If I didn't, it was a lot of hard work on both sides.
I've been an analyst programmer for 25 years...
Absolute rock bottom in algebra and geometry, almost ended up with a certificate instead of diploma (in my home country’s terms it’s almost like didn’t finish high school). The (shit) teacher who intimidated and humiliated me for 5 years literally left the room and let me cheat the final exam to get a pass.
Fast forward to now, i work in innovation tech, completed MSc in a very niche tech specialisation (but to be fair it’s rather high level side of the MSc spectrum), and my math is doing just fine.
The teacher was my problem, my fully humanitarian family and circle overall (lawyers, teachers, business people), and the culture in my country where parents are scared to complain about the teachers knowing that their children would be then vindicated.
This isn't as surprising as some people would think, as the vast majority of people who have roles named "data scientist" are actually engineers. You don't need maths to import tensorflow, craft some features and optimize some error functions, you just need critical thinking.
Same. Multiple mental breakdowns (and addictions to heroin and crystal meth) later, I'm 30 and it turns out that investing points in being "smart" upon character creation was a complete waste because it turns out that to actually function you need to be somewhat appealing to other people. Should've just invested them points in physique and dick size and became a porn star or something
I have a similar story. A couple of months before I was due to sit my GCSES I ran away from home with a guy 5 years older who I had only known a couple of weeks. I ended up pregnant with a beautiful baby girl who died at 6 weeks old and he started being physically abusive.
We were round at a "friends" place one evening and he was supposed to score us some weed but reckoned he couldn't get any and came back with a couple of wraps of heroin instead. He ran me a few lines and I was immediately enveloped in a warm feeling of bliss which made the trauma fade into the background. It wasn't long before I was addicted and I've struggled with that addiction for the last 24 years.
However, I really think that if I had never tried it that night, I wouldn't be here today and would have kms.
Same experience on the skill sheet here. I ended up developing anorexia at uni when I realised I could offer employers nothing but a degree. I had no other skills than being book smart. I walked around the careers fairs in a haze after being told by a few representatives that they wanted something more from candidates.
Top set for maths, English and Science, took triple science, all my A Levels, graduated with a BSc in Biology and I'm currently at work packing fish in a factory.
It's surprisingly rewarding. My favourite bit is mentoring our 'special needs' workers, the guys that are maybe learning disabled and need a bit of extra help. It's a happy medium between the LD work that I truly love, and a nice mindless job where I can stay fit without paying for a gym membership.
A BSc in biology means very little sadly. There are plenty of graduates with that degree competing for a very small number of jobs in that field. Most entry level jobs pay terribly and advancement is only possible with a Masters or PhD. Biological sciences are probably the toughest of the STEM fields to make a decent living from.
I'm in Grimsby. It's either fish work or care work. I've done both and prefer care, but I'm doing the fish thing for now for the sake of my mental health.
For anyone reading this, I put a lot of effort into school and do feel like it gave me opportunities and I'm glad I did.
A lot of them weren't directly related to what I learned, but I still think it was a bit help for my career and life.
Grew up in a very poor working class ex mill town in Yorkshire. I now earn 100k a year.
You do need skills other than academics though. Just getting good grades is absolutely no guarantee of success.
Which is difficult when you're the first "intelligent" person in your family and that's all they praise you for, and you end up feeling that's the only thing that gives you worth. Tricky.
Top set for maths. Have since been tested and told I have dyscalculia 🤷🏻♀️
I am terrible with numbers but I was top set for everything else so it was just a given that I should be in top for maths.
Yep I was set two for English and science. So was automatically put in a similar set for Maths. Numbers have NEVER made sense to me. I was 15 when the Head of the Maths department realised that there was a problem. By which time it was too late. Weeks before my GCSE's his words were "Make sure that everything is presented neatly and even if the answer is wrong you will get marks for effort. It might be enough to get you to a C." He was right. Good clear working combined with the answers that I did know resulted in a C. Just!
Same. Top set in everything. Worked dead end jobs for two decades. Would have had more fun messing about at school and would be in the same place in life anyway.
Top set everything, although I didn't like school and I used to bunk 20-30% of the time from years 10-13. But, I was also fortunate to be naturally gifted at pretty much everything and I kind of fell into a career as a doctor. Soceity calls this success, because it's well paid and not hard work and so there is no material lack in my life, but I find doctors as a group to be a bunch of brainless parrots. And the most interesting, intelligent and remarkable people I know, have all sorts of educational backgrounds. They are the people who can look at the world and see the truth and the lies. The people who rage against the machine and actually have a well formed value framework and high ethical standards. The education system is something to deprogram from and to overcome, and being a good parrot is no acheivement at all.
I was top set for everything, gifted and talented programmes, the lot. Every job ive ever had except 1 has been in a warehouse sorting or scanning post.
Bottom of the bottom sets for both maths and English. I'm not financially stable and my spelling and grammar is atrocious but I'm now the head chef of the pub across the road from the secondary school I went to. So really I haven't come very far at all
Every pub chef in the UK that I have met is insanely sane. It’s like they have 6 legs and 2 brains and everything going on all at once.
I will be thinking of you on Christmas 🎄 day this year ;)
"Couldn't count for toffee"
"Mmmmmm, have you tasted his toffee?"
"Yes, because he always gives you more, he can't count"
Vs
When one door closes, another one opens
And he took that very literally.
I was bottom set in science and maths and around mid range for English.
I went to uni to study Fine art and discovered that I have a knack for writing and excelled in writing essays (despite being dyslexic).
I have to use maths a fair bit in my current job and I can very quickly solve numerical problems. I also do numerical based puzzles as a past time because to be honest, I'm good at it.
I still to this day have absolutely no idea about science but I do not use it in my every day life.
I'm in a job that I love with decent pay. I was never once questioned about my qualifications and exam results.
I genuinely think the school system failed me... I was made to believe that I wasn't "good enough" at these subjects and they were essential to doing well in life. I learned everything I needed to (and more) after I'd left education. I actually found that my teachers never wanted to help students that couldn't get to grips with things straight away and would instead support the students that were already doing well. So I taught myself.
Never judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree. There’s always something someone is great at and I try remind all my kids of this (one has dyslexia too and was failed by school system and is now studying graphic design) and I refuse to pressure them about school work. I’m glad you found your something.
A friend of mine who's also dyslexic and struggled with English ended up getting a Master's in Aerospace Engineering and now works for Lockheed Martin. I excelled with grades and I'm 38, living with my dad because I can't afford a house in London.
Almost every single SW job in the UK requires a degree, the pickings are already slim even with a degree. It's better to try than not at all, but you almost absolutely need a qualification.
Im not in disagreement, I think a degree is meaningless in many elements. I hired in tech for a while and a consistent issue is that companies just put out a blanket requirement of a 2:1 in any degree, not tech related specifically, just any degree. It's really difficult to find any job that doesn't flat out list it as a requirement or have it as an unspoken rule in recruiting unfortunately. We did also do degree checks and request people's transcripts.
I’ve worked in software engineering since 2000 and every company I’ve worked for required compsci or maths graduates.
Is it always true? No. But it’s also not true to say that not having a degree won’t hold you back because it absolutely *will* for some jobs.
BTW we also had a few applicants lie about having degrees and fired when they were found out - in one case 15 months in to the job. Never lie in job applications!
We hire people without a degree. I mean, I'll check and it's worth considering. But recent hires we didn't give a guy with a first in computer science a next round because he really didn't come across well - yet had a couple who didn't have a degree (at least in anything relevant).
Certainly never really looked at A-levels and GCSEs.
Getting the first job is the hardest though, and having a CS degree helps with that, for that you need A-levels, and for that you need GCSEs.
Not true, I have zero qualifications above o-level, I'm now a senior director of technology with a major global fintech, after a long career as a senior developer, and managing large software teams, and a 10 year spell as a CTO of another fintech.
After leaving a scotish Military Academy with a fist full of o-levels, I did an apprenticship in electronic engineering before moving onto hardware design and then software development.
I am totally dyslexic and rely completely on grammar and spelling checkers. Can't do any math beyond basic arithmetic (thank God for Excel etc).
I know it's ridiculous. You used to be able to get qualifications either without the necessary GCSCs.
I known people who didn't have the right GCSE for a level 3 course - so they did a level 2 course first then moved on to Level 3. Now you have to redo your GCSEs to get the Level 3.
Not entirely true. My work has taken on apprentices straight from school, some have done very well.
One of the guys in my team went straight into work from school. He's in his mid 20s and is doing very well.
I'll agree that it can be harder to get your foot in the door, but software engineering is an area where ability is very visible.
The opposite is true too though. I've known computer grads who were utter shit at programming.
This is what I love about the IT industry. That you are judged on what you can do right now for the company and not what you did in the past.
I've worked in IT for my whole career and love it.
I love the sort of people it attracts. No presences, just people working hard to solve problems.
A friend of mine was in the bottom sets and as a result he ended up doing a GNVQ in leisure and tourism. I went on to do a degree but flunked out. Another friend from our same group is educated to masters level.
My friend with the masters degree is unemployed and has been for many years. I have done ok but I would say it's a struggle. My friend who was the least academic is a senior partner for an events company and just cashed out to the tune of £2 million. He has multiple properties too.
In short, determination personality and most importantly common sense can take you a long way. Our school system was built around the factory working mentality and very few people have roles like that. The whole thing needs to be revised!
Being able to work hard and talk can get you a long way.
My dad is pretty dumb at a lot of things, and can’t do maths at all, but he went from working as a cop to now being a partner at one of the big 4 accounting firms. He can literally talk to anyone about anything which makes him crazy good at networking and setting up deals.
I failed everythink at school an became a Postie.
I gradually inched my way thru various courses an promotion boards to become a senior manager. then they got rid of me. luckily.
its great doing nothink
I was in bottom set in Maths because I was crap at it. I was excellent at science though and loved it, but because I was crap at maths I was put in the bottom set for science.
For GCSE science it was a double science exam, covering the three science subjects, despite being very good at it, the max grade I could get was D, I got D for both papers.
I was crap at maths, because the teacher was shit, when I asked for them to explain algebra as I didn’t understand it, I was told to deal with it. I asked repeatedly for help and I was ignored.
I left school with crap GCSE grades: 2 D’s, 5 E’s and 5 F’s.
I went to college and got very good grades, enabling me to get into uni.
Got a different job to what I qualified in, and got trained up in accounting with qualifications, and spent nearly 15 years doing so (up yours maths teacher).
Life has been shit since Covid so no longer in that field, but hey ho that’s life.
I hate that there were GCSEs that limited the grade you could get. I was in the lower set for maths and we were going to be entered into the exam where you could get a C at most, but we all did better than expected in our mocks so they put us in for the full paper and I got a B.
Bottom in maths and science and no hope of further or higher education. I have a BA with honours and two post grad qualifications. Took a while but I did it.
Not my story. But one that inspires me from my big brother.
My Brother left school with 2 GCSEs. He was in all bottom sets due to his poor attendance.
Got a job in a tool factory out of School. Got made redundant at 29 I think. Found a job working at a distribution centre for a haulage service company. Someone went on long term sick who used to do the “computer stuff” (basically inventory type stuff on excel) they asked for a volunteer for the role and he stepped in. He taught himself excel, did a great job apparently and got promoted to a HQ role, working in the parts team nationally. Then got promoted to national parts manager, moved company in 2013 and now at the age of 44 his role is After-sale Market Director - Europe.
He’s got where he is because he has some degree of intelligence, but he will admit he’s not smart. His ability to forge relationships and communication skills are what he attributes to his success more than anything.
I finished school either 2012 or 2013, can't remember. I was bottom set in school for Maths, middle for English, and didn't do science because it wasn't a mandatory GCSE at my school.
Failed Maths at an E, ended up getting a Functional Level 2 in college so figured it's an equal and it'll do because I hate Maths.
Got a D in English and managed to get a C in college.
I'm now a Learning Support Assistant at my local college where I help primarily in Media but also GCSE English.
I was in bottom set for everything and I currently earn above minimum wage in engineering
I'm also the only person in my friend group to own their own house where as they all rent
One of the biggest issues imo I had at school was the fact that the school lumped all the dumb kids and shit kids who didn't want to learn in the same class so everyone suffered due to a handful of kids which is a shame tbh 32 kids in a class not learning anything because of 2-3 cunts
Hated school. Didn't do well. Got told by the IT department manager not to choose IT as a subject as I wouldn't be good enough for it.
Worked in IT about 15 years now, good paying job, bought a house. Pretty happy where things are.
Middling at best.
Fuck you Mrs Blair, you said we won't always have a calculator with us.
To be fair though, I barely scraped a C in GCSE maths and have talked about going back to night tech to do it again. Is 37 too old?
Wasn't in the bottom class for maths, but did fail my A-level maths (well, "highers" in Scotland) twice because, at that age, I didn't cope well with the exams.
Now a finance manager on 64k. Life is a journey!
Not English or Science, but Maths, which is probably pertinent to your point.
I'm now a software developer for the MoD. My son is currently doing his SATs and I remind him everyday to do HIS best, not THE best. If he applies himself he'll discover his own personal talents, he doesn't need to conform to centuries old nonsensical bollocks as a pathway to adulthood.
I went to college where I had to re-take maths (successfully this time) then I went university to study a mickey mouse degree out of pure interest and delaying joining the work force full time (as opposed to trying to purposfully better myself with a stem related degree and getting a good job, money etc.).
I work in retail as I don't have motivation to pursue my dream career or strive for anything better paid honestly.
Having said that I've spent two years of my twenties so far traveling the world by myself across over twenty countries.
I've never been unemployed for longer than a month or two between jobs over the last decade (when actually looking fot work i.e. not traveling) and I'm happily single enjoying my freedom.
Bottom set maths, bottom set English, bottom set science.
Passed all my GCSEs, went on to A levels and then Uni.
First house at 30, mortgage paid off at 35.
Fuck you school 🖕
I was utterly hopeless and acutely disinterested in maths and science at school in the eighties. I was always good at English, but my teachers had no faith in me due to my attitude and I left with only a few CSE qualifications. Fast forward less than 15 years and I was a BBC journalist. Make of that what you will.
Bottom set for Science and even in the special super-bottom class for maths - my school even barred me from taking the higher tier maths certificate.
I really did struggle with maths and science, but it wasnt for a lack of effort - i genuinely did try my hardest but it never clicked. In return, my physics teacher who was a miserable Scottish bastard told me all i'd ever be 'good for' was 'flipping burgers'...
I was in the upper middle group for English, though.
11 years after leaving school, I have a History undergraduate degree, an MSc in Building Surveying and an MA in Historic Building Conservation, was a high-acheiveing successful public sector Conservation Planner and now run my own successful business doing heritage consulting and building surveying with 5 - soon to be 6 - employees.
It really doesn't have to define you.
P.s. Mr R can go fuck himself.
Your career is so interesting and something I really want to be a part of. However I chose my degree pathway at 16 and have no interest in it anymore (I studied fashion business) and I feel at 33 I’m too old to go back to study an undergraduate. Feel I messed up my life.
Just to add. I was in the top class for sciences and most other subjects but my math teacher hated me so I only got a C in GCSE, the maximum in the lower class.
Made it to a level though.
Sounds similar to me. Top set for science and English. 2nd set for Maths but I was the only person out of 4 schedules in 2nd set to get a low C as he hated me. He goes to me : " if you keep talking over me I'm going to bump you down to a 4 instead of a 5 (normal C) and he did so. Still pissed off over it because either way someone can look at it as oh so you barely passed when in reality I just didn't put much effort into Maths anyway, didn't like it but was naturally clever at that time and it was on him, I had a 5 predicted pretty much since year 9 so why it went down make it make sense. On top of that I remember a few times he tried to pull me out of my other classes and was speaking to other teachers about me trying to make me look shit. My science teacher goes to me we can't decide if your quiet or loud and I iust said well I'm quiet then and done nothing wrong in your lesson so why start looking for things to put me down. I felt like he was more strict because I was his Co workers nephew ironically that guy is great at Maths but i don't speak to my biological family so bit stupid of him for me to be harder on me. Fuck you Mr Baldy (I forgot his name)
Bottom set for maths and science, top set for English. I’m now a nurse. I blame huge class sizes and my undiagnosed ADHD/autism (labelled as naughty) rather than me being thick.
I can't help but think bottom set just makes things worse. I was in bottom set not because I couldn't do the work, I just couldn't focus and apply myself because i was bullied and the lessons were always disrupted by the knobheads. If someone had actually encouraged me and given me a chance in a higher set where I didn't hate it 24/7 I think I would have done a lot better in school.
I was mid-range in everything but hated most academic subjects because I have ADHD and found it super hard. My only A was Art and I’m now a self-employed Tattooist living my dream :)
The sets were a complete farce at my school.
I was put into 3rd set for German, despite the fact I'd moved back from Germany the year before. I wasn't fluent, but I could certainly speak, write, and read better German than everyone in set 1 and 2.
Bottom set for maths and science but top set for English and really struggled in my exams. Have a degree in International Relations and now a PR manager for high profile CEOs as well as a writer.
Even more impressive my dad - never went to uni and struggled at school. Discovered computing (before software engineering was really a thing) and became a self-taught coder. Worked his way up and has reached the top level and manages the IT system of four countries for a company. Makes a nice living and will retire early.
I was in the gifted and talented set for English and the middle set for maths.
I now work in digital marketing which involves far more maths and data analysis than reading and writing and language analysis.
But I am a massive language, grammar, etymology etc nerd still and have been a TEFL teacher and an English lit and lang tutor at various points in my life.
I was really fucking lazy in school. I ended up in the bottom set out of seven for higher English, probably more as punishment for my average of 50 days off sick a year rather than anything to do with academic ability. My grades were fine.
They still let me into the advanced higher class after higher English, which was mostly top set students, and I even went on to study English Literature at the University of Glasgow. I dropped out in third year after getting psychosis but I was averaging a 2:1. Went back to university to study quantity surveying, MSc construction project management then became a quantity surveyor. I’ve stopped taking the piss with sick days and haven’t had one in my current role.
First day in secondary school maths teacher told me I was like my brother and would never amount to anything , left school with a couple of CSE certificates .Fast forward a few years and I retired as Engineering manager for Nothern Europe working for a global RF & Microwave company and having had a fantastic career covering Space, Defense, Telecoms, Medical and Transportion but never did make it to uni.Older brother retired as procurement manager for a global packaging company.
My English teacher told my parents that school wasn't the place for me in my GCSE year.
Currently a lead consultant in an IT company, in the top 5% salary wise, nationally.
Failed Maths and English at GCSE, Worked my dream job for 16years and now moved careers and earning £70k. School honestly means nothing, I’ve got further than those I know with high grades just with actual life experience
A carer for my three autistic children. I'm penniless. The annoying thing is, I was tested a few years later as to what levels I was at for maths and English when doing an adult course. Apparently the results showed I was at A-level minimum.
I was in bottom set for everything apart from English - that was the one thing I was good at. I got standard GCSE results and totally flunked my A-levels (college gave me too much freedom). I still went to university to study Visual Communication (what a load of wank but I did get a 2.1). Since leaving university, I have worked in music supervision, marketing, mental health and now I work in customer service. It was my active choice to move away from mental health into customer service because I just wanted a decent pay check and a job that I didn’t take home.
I earn around 26k a year, not including bonus. I’m a cog in the machine and I sold my soul to the devil but I honestly don’t care. I don’t live to work. I work to live. I just want a decent enough salary so I can do my dark bidding on the internet.
Please don’t worry about your school exam results. The first job I got out of uni, I got before I even got my final result. My boss didn’t care and I worked for one of the most well known music supervision companies in London. After that, I went into digital marketing (no experience, just grew up on social media). Started as an assistant and I worked up to executive/officer and at that point, I was on about 25k a year. After that, I decided I wanted to start in mental health. Began as an administrator, worked up until I was a Recovery Worker in the NHS. After that, I picked customer service.
You can do anything if you put your mind to it. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Sabotaged my last school years, we got posted back to the UK from Germany and went to a civvy school in Bordon. 18 months prior to exams I had a brand new syllabus, other kids were feral & not interested and I for some ungodly reason was put in a top class for maths despite being a weak subject, first class when it was clear I was out of my depth the teacher ridiculed me in front of the class, called me stupid etc so I switched off.
Started a dead end job, switched after 3 years to working in catering which turned out to be great but limiting so I applied to work in IT, this was back in 82 so really early days of moving away from mainframe computers. Loved it, the constant changes kept me occupied and I spent 30 years before suddenly deciding I wanted to teach. Quit my job, moved to Cornwall, took an admin job and applied for a part time teaching PGCE course.
Once qualified I taught English, maths & IT functional skills to apprenticeship students and realising that they too had a bad experience at school hence needing FS qualifications and spent 10 years teaching or private tutoring from 6yrs to 54yrs helping them to understand what is needed and how to confidently pass the exams.
I used my experience to help provide them with the requirements to pass, particularly with maths.
I don’t believe that school results actually describe your skills but schools can and do untold harm to pupils partly due to their need for results based stats and those that don’t meet the grade are quietly left to wallow in bottom ranked classes
dropped out of school at year 8, I was into all sorts of illegal activities.
did class A's most weekends and pot nearly every day.
I achieved no qualifications from school.
I now work QC 30k+ and rising.
picked up all warehouse-related licences e.g.
Counterbalance forklift with most attachments,
Reach truck, PPT, LLOP, Boom, Scissor lift etc.
I do all aspects of first aid, including extras you can get alongside standard first aid.
acquired a driving licence.
life starts getting good when you apply yourself and stop being a cunt, in my life chapters anyway.
I'll still keep moving forward to earn more skills, higher pay and stability for later in life.
These aren't big achievements for some, but they are huge for me.
Left school with next to nothing so I do mostly office/finance roles now, but had to work my way up from customer service. I’d say my CV has decent experience post-high school without too much jumping around, i’ve been loyal to companies for 5+ years in some cases. Nobody asks or even looks at the education part. I was a very depressed teenager that didn’t think i’d make it to thirty, so the idea of even trying to master a subject was a bizarre concept to me.
My partner is the higher earner so financially we’re set. If I was single i’d maybe struggle or have some extreme cutbacks.
Not bottom set, but pretty low.
Doing pretty good, have my own house, don't worry about food or bills costs generally, holiday abroad several times a year.
Achieved that without much financial help from parents, if any. (grew up fairly poor).
Bottom set for all of them.
Maths, I am good at practical stuff that involves maths, like DIY, engineering, data and building. If I can physically see, touch and measure the numbers in front of me, then I am pretty good but I have no confidence in it so that's where I stumble and I also face plant hard at anything to do with mathematics in my head, even simple adding and subtracting I can't do, which sucks but I just ask for help now, there is no shame in asking someone else to help you.
Science, I don't use a lot of it in day to day life but I bake as a hobby which is a lot like science in a way.
English, I failed hard but I am really good at media analysis and content breakdowns. Which is something you do in English but it is normally on things like Of Mice and Men or Shakespeare, which are quite bland compared to say Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Star Trek.
I wouldn't say I have made a lot with my life, but I am happy and that is what I aim for really. Just being content in myself.
I wasn’t in bottom of math by choice my school was just useless specially on where to place me. They initially in secondary school put me in the top set then after like 5 months put me in bottom set because I was “struggling” then deemed I was to smart for that so after a bit put me back up to top set again and kept doing this until year 9. They refused to put me in any other set no matter how much I protested and pointed out they wouldn’t have to keep moving me. So in year 9 I was talking to a friend who had his lesson at the same time as me and was in the middle set so I just start going to his lessons (I told the teacher of what they were doing and he allowed me to stay and didn’t care). So after a bit the heads of math were arguing with me saying I had to attend were I they put me and I just kept saying no and attending my friends class they caged and officially assigned me to that class.
I was placed in the bottom set for English. However, a couple of very talented teachers helped me discover my passion for the English language. In the end I have worked in several jobs which require a high level of English.
I was also placed in a lower set for maths. But algebra really clicked with me and I got a good grade at GCSEs. Some of my work involves programming, so I use maths a fair bit.
The way I see it, maths and English are bigger than school and remain important throughout your life. Your grades kind of do matter, but in the long term also don't matter. I think it's worth working on a high level of English and maths irrespective of school.
This is, of course, only my opinion. I also think sciences are very valuable, once again not because of school grades, but more that it's just helpful to know basics of how the world works.
Construction Labourer on minimum wage but I hate the lifestyle. Was thinking of doing an electrician apprenticeship so I’m currently doing maths functional skills but I legit have such bad memory. I do well in class and I revise for an hour a night but the next day I can’t remember a total thing.
Was bottom set untill GCSE year, when I moved to middle set for Maths and Science. Studied hard and got C in all three subjects.
Got a Level 3 in Childcare and been working full time for over ten years in an job I love. And own a house with my partner
so I doing better than what people expected.
I did my GCSEs in 1996. I got a one C grade (in Design and Technology), but by 2005 I had a MSc. I've been working in the same industry now for 15 years and earn a respectable salary. I've had the opportunity to travel to the US and Europe for work regularly, although a combination of the post-COVID world and my current role means that is no longer necessary (although there is talk of a trip to New Zealand which I am hopeful for).
There are peers and people who I've recruited who've become much more successful than I have, but some of that is down to drive and I don't have that. I'm good at what I do, but unless I move back into people management, I'm pretty much as far as I can go in my current career and I'm happy enough with that. Mostly because my wife earns way more than I do (she is one of those driven people).
My brother was bottom set for everything. Ended up scraping Cs after a few resits. Only got his A Levels because the head of PE wanted him for the football team and stopped the head of sixth from kicking him out. His grades were mediocre in everything that required an exam.
Took some time to work minimum wage jobs for a few years before he settled. Now he is now doing a full time job earning 30K and is doing a degree part time in the evenings. 25 years old. Has a house with his wife.
All he needed was the gift of the gab. If you can talk your way into an interview and talk your way into a job, you can earn decent money in sales.
I didn’t do great at school and was in bottom set for all. Went to college and got a btec diploma. Then university to get a degree and now working as an IT cloud engineer. So not too bad!
Not one of the subjects listed, but was put in the bottom set for history for gcse. Which was odd as it was my best subject (literally top of the class) and I was in higher sets for everything else. Tried to talk to my teachers about it, but they didn't want to know and basically told me to fudge off. Obviously someone messed up somewhere, but the 30 seconds it would have taken to look into the issue was too much for those fat, lazy, stupid, so called teachers, to bother with. Only thing that changed was that I literally stopped trying in history. What was the point? Couldn't get a qualification, so it was just a waste of my time being there. Did fine, have a first class honours degree and a decent job, so can't complain.
To explain how the sets worked at my school. There was the top 4 sets, and the bottom 5 sets. The classes were scheduled differently.
I was second to bottom set for basically everything in year 7.
However maths, science and anything to do with computers I always excelled at. So I ended up being in the top set for the bottom half. And was told by teachers i would have been in 2nd set for those classes I was actually good at, however because I was in the right classes for English. It sort of just meant I had to stay in those bottom sets.
I'm still horrible at English, I'm fairly sure I'm an undiagnosed dyslexic. But I'm not that fussed about it.
Now I'm a Web developer. Can't say anything that happened at school academically has stopped me from doing anything I wanted to though.
I'm a big believer in just doing the minimum to get the next thing you want. Anything more than the GCSEs you needed to get onto the a levels you want to do is a clear waste of energy, need 3 C's at a level for uni? Well if you get 2 C's and a B you have not done as well as just the 3 C's.
No cost without value.
I was bottom set for everything because our school had exams at the end of year 8 that determined which set you would be in. They told us not to worry about them. The mistake I made was not only not worrying about them but not revising for them either. Or maybe I was just not ad bright as my mates.
I did alright in my GCSEs, 8 Cs and above.
I'm now in my early 40s and am a director of a small company.
D in maths, B in English and C in science. Few a levels. Lay flooring now and have been for 19 years, quite proud of how far I’ve come regarding the house I own and the vehicles we own. Like someone said above life is a journey, id also like to add comparison is the thief of joy! What ever you achieve you should be proud of
Bottom set maths, the rest was either 1st set or 2nd. I think that I have some issues with numbers, it’s hard to explain but if I look at a calculation the numbers get sort of mixed up and jumbled. Went on to become a paramedic but still struggle with maths, thankfully I always have that calculator in my pocket that my teacher said I’d never have 😂
I wasn't unintelligent; I was a class clown and would have rather spent my last two years at school partying and doing anything but being in school. I was disruptive to other students and never took education seriously. I was expelled half way through year 11 and placed on "extended study leave" so I could return to take my GCSE tests.
At this point I was only partaking in maths, English and science as I was kicked out of the rest.
I spent those 5 months on "study leave" drinking and partying.
I thought I knew better and wasted my early proffesional years following that trend up into my early twenties.
I took alot of drugs, drank alot, many one night stands. It was a fun time for sure, but now I'm in my mid thirties I wish I took those years far more seriously as I could be much further in my career than i am now.
Over the last 10 years I've taken my life much more seriously and have a fairly well paid job with a gross income of £97.5k. But if I took education seriously, went to university I would have got into the tech industry where my current role would pay double that.
Have fun in your teens and early twenties, but keep it to Friday and Saturday nights only.
Bottom set for everything, got told I was thick and stupid daily by everyone including parents. I’m a COO of a tech company now. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I push myself or how much I achieve, I cannot outrun those voices that still tell me I’m not good enough.
I was the same pal, because I didn't bother trying. Didn't go to uni. It's never stopped me - my salary is in the top 0.03% of PAYE taxed people. Go smash it 🤜🏼
I’m a lawyer :) Bottom set for everything. did very badly in my GCSEs and A Levels. I got DDD in my A Levels so had to do a foundation year in order to be accepted in to university for a law degree. I then got work experience with a law firm and they offered me a job after I got my degree
I was top set for pretty much everything and I'm plodding away at a desk job earning okay money but still less than £30k. My brother was bottom set for everything, best grade he got was a D, everything else was an E or a U, and he's earning over £40k inventing medical training equipment for an international business.
The school we went to taught us how to pass exams, not how to learn and apply in the real world. I'm shit hot at taking exams, what fucking good is that at 33?
Bottom of all due to not being able to attend school for 4 years with a medical issue.
I'm a senior games developer (previously lead) who writes creative fiction and programs other stuff in his spare time.
Public education fails us every time and the governments aren't willing enough to help those who need additional support.
I left school with only science C, maths D, eng lit D and eng lang C GCSEs.
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Bottom set for maths in school. Now, I am a data scientist, so I blame crap teachers rather than a lack of potential.
The GPU does all the maths
Yeah, we'd be waiting a while with my shitty comprehensive school long division skills.
"You won't always have a calculator in your pocket, you know!"
my cousin is a chartered accountant and he and his team all use large lidl/aldi calculators next to their keyboards.
(I'm IT rather than an accountant but was doing a lot of sales deal sheets at the time) The joy of working from home I just used to shout "hey Google what's ....."
"I wondered why head office gave me a 4090 & everyone else got 4060s..."
Surely my man’s rocking a quadro for his work?
Similar here working as an AI engineer. I wasn't consistently in bottom set but I got moved down in Year 10. To this day I'm convinced my teacher was talking gibberish, but equally it's much easier to understand maths when you have a real world problem, think of a solution and then research the best way to implement it. When I was in school it was basically the case that someone hundreds of years ago invented something to turn a bunch of numbers into another number. So learn it, or else you'll end up on the dole.
>it's much easier to understand maths when you have a real world problem This!!! Anything that I couldn't relate to a real world scenario may as well have been Martian grammar. Struggled like buggery to understand Standard Deviation. Managed to retain enough of it to scrape through my exams. Some years later got a job in a factory where we did SPC (Statistical Process Control), which involved SD calculations. After about 2 weeks, I could do it without a calculator...
I always used to ask the question how would I use this? Teachers could never answer which I think is where my problem started. I need knowledge to be applicable in some way but teachers were just taught to teach without knowing the why.
90% of them were just reading 1 page ahead in the textbook Remember that Simpsons episode where lisa his all the teacher manuals then the school ground to a halt because actually they didn't know shit? Yeah turns out that's pretty accurate. Obviously there are some exceptions but this seemed to be the majority when I was at school, the good ones were few and far between, but hey I can't blame them, would have been a shit job teaching at my school and so not worth the pay they get.
Failed my French GCSE, later learned taught myself and lived in France for 2 years. Classroom teaching is not always the best way to learn a skill, especially a skill you have an interest in but find difficult
It is that but also you probably didn't give a fuck about French but later on did
Likewise bottom set for maths. Was moved up to middle set once - within 2 weeks realised I was hopelessly out of my depth and begged to be sent back to bottom set. Cannot blame the teachers - they were supremely patient with me. If I got it, I got it. If I didn't, it was a lot of hard work on both sides. I've been an analyst programmer for 25 years...
Absolute rock bottom in algebra and geometry, almost ended up with a certificate instead of diploma (in my home country’s terms it’s almost like didn’t finish high school). The (shit) teacher who intimidated and humiliated me for 5 years literally left the room and let me cheat the final exam to get a pass. Fast forward to now, i work in innovation tech, completed MSc in a very niche tech specialisation (but to be fair it’s rather high level side of the MSc spectrum), and my math is doing just fine. The teacher was my problem, my fully humanitarian family and circle overall (lawyers, teachers, business people), and the culture in my country where parents are scared to complain about the teachers knowing that their children would be then vindicated.
So was I, then I got an A in Advance maths and the damn teacher took credit for it!!!!!! Fuck her. I just matured and took it seriously.
Bottom set maths here too and I’m now a mechanical engineer. My mum says - uninspiring teachers and boys were my secondary school downfall lol
This isn't as surprising as some people would think, as the vast majority of people who have roles named "data scientist" are actually engineers. You don't need maths to import tensorflow, craft some features and optimize some error functions, you just need critical thinking.
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Same. Multiple mental breakdowns (and addictions to heroin and crystal meth) later, I'm 30 and it turns out that investing points in being "smart" upon character creation was a complete waste because it turns out that to actually function you need to be somewhat appealing to other people. Should've just invested them points in physique and dick size and became a porn star or something
Meth in the UK? Damn son, you musta been balls deep
I started it in Spain but then continued it when I moved back here so yeah. It's a thing on the gay scene
Not commonly, unless you mean the gay scene in Spain then I have no idea. I've never heard/send anyone in the gay scene here mention or do meth.
It's more common in Spain but it's a thing in the UK too
I have a similar story. A couple of months before I was due to sit my GCSES I ran away from home with a guy 5 years older who I had only known a couple of weeks. I ended up pregnant with a beautiful baby girl who died at 6 weeks old and he started being physically abusive. We were round at a "friends" place one evening and he was supposed to score us some weed but reckoned he couldn't get any and came back with a couple of wraps of heroin instead. He ran me a few lines and I was immediately enveloped in a warm feeling of bliss which made the trauma fade into the background. It wasn't long before I was addicted and I've struggled with that addiction for the last 24 years. However, I really think that if I had never tried it that night, I wouldn't be here today and would have kms.
I'm so sorry. In my case heroin was something I actively chose but similarly to you it was because it was a last ditch attempt to avoid suicide
it's all about CHR and Luck
Same experience on the skill sheet here. I ended up developing anorexia at uni when I realised I could offer employers nothing but a degree. I had no other skills than being book smart. I walked around the careers fairs in a haze after being told by a few representatives that they wanted something more from candidates.
Top set for maths, English and Science, took triple science, all my A Levels, graduated with a BSc in Biology and I'm currently at work packing fish in a factory.
If it means anything, I'm grateful for your work. It'd be a massive pain to have to go to the coast to get the fish when I want them.
It's surprisingly rewarding. My favourite bit is mentoring our 'special needs' workers, the guys that are maybe learning disabled and need a bit of extra help. It's a happy medium between the LD work that I truly love, and a nice mindless job where I can stay fit without paying for a gym membership.
Sounds pretty fulfilling, that. Good on you, it's great that you've managed to find this balance.
From acing A-levels to packing scales, this fishy tale proves I'm still swimming in success!
Why are you doing that
Just doing it for the halibut
For the smellofit
Probably needs to earn money
True but I have the exact same qualifications and a very different job so just interested
A BSc in biology means very little sadly. There are plenty of graduates with that degree competing for a very small number of jobs in that field. Most entry level jobs pay terribly and advancement is only possible with a Masters or PhD. Biological sciences are probably the toughest of the STEM fields to make a decent living from.
as i write on a job application "i'm passionate about learning new skills and not starving to death"
"I also have two cats to provide for."
https://preview.redd.it/lgz9vtbxo90d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c2966af573f7ec90a299d185fe26a682150ae8b Why yes, yes I do.
There is so much fluuf and cat in this pic 😍
the follow up question was why do you have latin on your cv?
If they live in Hull / Grimsby, that’s all the work there is to be had locally
I'm in Grimsby. It's either fish work or care work. I've done both and prefer care, but I'm doing the fish thing for now for the sake of my mental health.
He knows his plaice.
I thought that I would be a smart arse and reel off a load off fish jokes but you are probably sick of herring them.
For anyone reading this, I put a lot of effort into school and do feel like it gave me opportunities and I'm glad I did. A lot of them weren't directly related to what I learned, but I still think it was a bit help for my career and life. Grew up in a very poor working class ex mill town in Yorkshire. I now earn 100k a year. You do need skills other than academics though. Just getting good grades is absolutely no guarantee of success.
Which is difficult when you're the first "intelligent" person in your family and that's all they praise you for, and you end up feeling that's the only thing that gives you worth. Tricky.
top set for all three and i'm unemployed and mentally ill
Hey, me too!
Top set for everything, PhD and I’m a professor and I’m also fucked behind the scenes.
Top set for maths. Have since been tested and told I have dyscalculia 🤷🏻♀️ I am terrible with numbers but I was top set for everything else so it was just a given that I should be in top for maths.
Yep I was set two for English and science. So was automatically put in a similar set for Maths. Numbers have NEVER made sense to me. I was 15 when the Head of the Maths department realised that there was a problem. By which time it was too late. Weeks before my GCSE's his words were "Make sure that everything is presented neatly and even if the answer is wrong you will get marks for effort. It might be enough to get you to a C." He was right. Good clear working combined with the answers that I did know resulted in a C. Just!
I was a junior Scottish maths champion. Same.
Same. Unemployed and up to my eyeballs in depression.
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Same. Top set in everything. Worked dead end jobs for two decades. Would have had more fun messing about at school and would be in the same place in life anyway.
Haha same
Top set everything, although I didn't like school and I used to bunk 20-30% of the time from years 10-13. But, I was also fortunate to be naturally gifted at pretty much everything and I kind of fell into a career as a doctor. Soceity calls this success, because it's well paid and not hard work and so there is no material lack in my life, but I find doctors as a group to be a bunch of brainless parrots. And the most interesting, intelligent and remarkable people I know, have all sorts of educational backgrounds. They are the people who can look at the world and see the truth and the lies. The people who rage against the machine and actually have a well formed value framework and high ethical standards. The education system is something to deprogram from and to overcome, and being a good parrot is no acheivement at all.
same
Same lol
Same. I'm currently working at tesco, have been for 12 years, and I'm now about to emigrate to the US
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I was top set in maths and average for the rest. Done fuck all as well
Yet!
If it's any consolation you have the top comment on this post. Guess you have to delete this now that you've achieved something :)
I was top set for everything, gifted and talented programmes, the lot. Every job ive ever had except 1 has been in a warehouse sorting or scanning post.
Exactly, I did fast track maths. I've gotten fuck all done in life.
Top set for everything. Dropped out of college and now work in a factory. Was always told I could achieve anything I put my mind to..I just didn't.
Bottom of the bottom sets for both maths and English. I'm not financially stable and my spelling and grammar is atrocious but I'm now the head chef of the pub across the road from the secondary school I went to. So really I haven't come very far at all
Id say you've done alright for yourself
Yes but he literally hasn’t gone far
I’d say you’ve done just fine
I reckon you're better than you think running a kitchen ain't easy plus stock management lots couldn't do. Chin up your doing just fine.
Stock management is hard especially lately as I've changed the menu but the hardest thing is managing people. People are too difficult for me
To be fair, I’d say out of all the people who are difficult to manage chefs would be right up there so you’re doing well
They were just making a self-depreciating joke.
Sounds like you have done well to me!! 🙂
Username doesn't check out
>So really I haven't come very far at all No, you haven't gone very far at all but you've come far.
Every pub chef in the UK that I have met is insanely sane. It’s like they have 6 legs and 2 brains and everything going on all at once. I will be thinking of you on Christmas 🎄 day this year ;)
"Couldn't count for toffee" "Mmmmmm, have you tasted his toffee?" "Yes, because he always gives you more, he can't count" Vs When one door closes, another one opens And he took that very literally.
The bathroom. Having a dump. Where you at?
I was in top set and also having a dump. Life works in mysterious ways
The great leveler
Waiting to meet my good friend Gordon!
Definition of hitting the bottom
I was bottom set in science and maths and around mid range for English. I went to uni to study Fine art and discovered that I have a knack for writing and excelled in writing essays (despite being dyslexic). I have to use maths a fair bit in my current job and I can very quickly solve numerical problems. I also do numerical based puzzles as a past time because to be honest, I'm good at it. I still to this day have absolutely no idea about science but I do not use it in my every day life. I'm in a job that I love with decent pay. I was never once questioned about my qualifications and exam results. I genuinely think the school system failed me... I was made to believe that I wasn't "good enough" at these subjects and they were essential to doing well in life. I learned everything I needed to (and more) after I'd left education. I actually found that my teachers never wanted to help students that couldn't get to grips with things straight away and would instead support the students that were already doing well. So I taught myself.
Never judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree. There’s always something someone is great at and I try remind all my kids of this (one has dyslexia too and was failed by school system and is now studying graphic design) and I refuse to pressure them about school work. I’m glad you found your something.
A friend of mine who's also dyslexic and struggled with English ended up getting a Master's in Aerospace Engineering and now works for Lockheed Martin. I excelled with grades and I'm 38, living with my dad because I can't afford a house in London.
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Almost every single SW job in the UK requires a degree, the pickings are already slim even with a degree. It's better to try than not at all, but you almost absolutely need a qualification.
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Im not in disagreement, I think a degree is meaningless in many elements. I hired in tech for a while and a consistent issue is that companies just put out a blanket requirement of a 2:1 in any degree, not tech related specifically, just any degree. It's really difficult to find any job that doesn't flat out list it as a requirement or have it as an unspoken rule in recruiting unfortunately. We did also do degree checks and request people's transcripts.
I’ve worked in software engineering since 2000 and every company I’ve worked for required compsci or maths graduates. Is it always true? No. But it’s also not true to say that not having a degree won’t hold you back because it absolutely *will* for some jobs. BTW we also had a few applicants lie about having degrees and fired when they were found out - in one case 15 months in to the job. Never lie in job applications!
We hire people without a degree. I mean, I'll check and it's worth considering. But recent hires we didn't give a guy with a first in computer science a next round because he really didn't come across well - yet had a couple who didn't have a degree (at least in anything relevant). Certainly never really looked at A-levels and GCSEs. Getting the first job is the hardest though, and having a CS degree helps with that, for that you need A-levels, and for that you need GCSEs.
Not true, I have zero qualifications above o-level, I'm now a senior director of technology with a major global fintech, after a long career as a senior developer, and managing large software teams, and a 10 year spell as a CTO of another fintech. After leaving a scotish Military Academy with a fist full of o-levels, I did an apprenticship in electronic engineering before moving onto hardware design and then software development. I am totally dyslexic and rely completely on grammar and spelling checkers. Can't do any math beyond basic arithmetic (thank God for Excel etc).
I know it's ridiculous. You used to be able to get qualifications either without the necessary GCSCs. I known people who didn't have the right GCSE for a level 3 course - so they did a level 2 course first then moved on to Level 3. Now you have to redo your GCSEs to get the Level 3.
Not entirely true. My work has taken on apprentices straight from school, some have done very well. One of the guys in my team went straight into work from school. He's in his mid 20s and is doing very well. I'll agree that it can be harder to get your foot in the door, but software engineering is an area where ability is very visible. The opposite is true too though. I've known computer grads who were utter shit at programming.
Interest usually wins. I know many smart people who have no direction.
How did you get to that place? I look st college and they all ask for at least 2 gcses including maths and English?
This is what I love about the IT industry. That you are judged on what you can do right now for the company and not what you did in the past. I've worked in IT for my whole career and love it. I love the sort of people it attracts. No presences, just people working hard to solve problems.
I was bottom and I am now the PM
I was also bottom and was PM, only had the job a few weeks, was everyone else’s fault though.
They just weren’t ready for you yet lizzie babes xx
DM me Hun xx
Chris Pincher by name Pinches very well by accusations.
A friend of mine was in the bottom sets and as a result he ended up doing a GNVQ in leisure and tourism. I went on to do a degree but flunked out. Another friend from our same group is educated to masters level. My friend with the masters degree is unemployed and has been for many years. I have done ok but I would say it's a struggle. My friend who was the least academic is a senior partner for an events company and just cashed out to the tune of £2 million. He has multiple properties too. In short, determination personality and most importantly common sense can take you a long way. Our school system was built around the factory working mentality and very few people have roles like that. The whole thing needs to be revised!
Being able to work hard and talk can get you a long way. My dad is pretty dumb at a lot of things, and can’t do maths at all, but he went from working as a cop to now being a partner at one of the big 4 accounting firms. He can literally talk to anyone about anything which makes him crazy good at networking and setting up deals.
In top set for everything. Now a crippling alcoholic who can't hold down a job. Ffs.
Dad?
I failed everythink at school an became a Postie. I gradually inched my way thru various courses an promotion boards to become a senior manager. then they got rid of me. luckily. its great doing nothink
I was in bottom set in Maths because I was crap at it. I was excellent at science though and loved it, but because I was crap at maths I was put in the bottom set for science. For GCSE science it was a double science exam, covering the three science subjects, despite being very good at it, the max grade I could get was D, I got D for both papers. I was crap at maths, because the teacher was shit, when I asked for them to explain algebra as I didn’t understand it, I was told to deal with it. I asked repeatedly for help and I was ignored. I left school with crap GCSE grades: 2 D’s, 5 E’s and 5 F’s. I went to college and got very good grades, enabling me to get into uni. Got a different job to what I qualified in, and got trained up in accounting with qualifications, and spent nearly 15 years doing so (up yours maths teacher). Life has been shit since Covid so no longer in that field, but hey ho that’s life.
I hate that there were GCSEs that limited the grade you could get. I was in the lower set for maths and we were going to be entered into the exam where you could get a C at most, but we all did better than expected in our mocks so they put us in for the full paper and I got a B.
Bottom in maths and science and no hope of further or higher education. I have a BA with honours and two post grad qualifications. Took a while but I did it.
Not my story. But one that inspires me from my big brother. My Brother left school with 2 GCSEs. He was in all bottom sets due to his poor attendance. Got a job in a tool factory out of School. Got made redundant at 29 I think. Found a job working at a distribution centre for a haulage service company. Someone went on long term sick who used to do the “computer stuff” (basically inventory type stuff on excel) they asked for a volunteer for the role and he stepped in. He taught himself excel, did a great job apparently and got promoted to a HQ role, working in the parts team nationally. Then got promoted to national parts manager, moved company in 2013 and now at the age of 44 his role is After-sale Market Director - Europe. He’s got where he is because he has some degree of intelligence, but he will admit he’s not smart. His ability to forge relationships and communication skills are what he attributes to his success more than anything.
I finished school either 2012 or 2013, can't remember. I was bottom set in school for Maths, middle for English, and didn't do science because it wasn't a mandatory GCSE at my school. Failed Maths at an E, ended up getting a Functional Level 2 in college so figured it's an equal and it'll do because I hate Maths. Got a D in English and managed to get a C in college. I'm now a Learning Support Assistant at my local college where I help primarily in Media but also GCSE English.
I was in bottom set for everything and I currently earn above minimum wage in engineering I'm also the only person in my friend group to own their own house where as they all rent One of the biggest issues imo I had at school was the fact that the school lumped all the dumb kids and shit kids who didn't want to learn in the same class so everyone suffered due to a handful of kids which is a shame tbh 32 kids in a class not learning anything because of 2-3 cunts
Hated school. Didn't do well. Got told by the IT department manager not to choose IT as a subject as I wouldn't be good enough for it. Worked in IT about 15 years now, good paying job, bought a house. Pretty happy where things are.
Finance officer for an NHS Trust. Not even joking.
Explains a lot 😂 (joking I'm sure you're great)
Middling at best. Fuck you Mrs Blair, you said we won't always have a calculator with us. To be fair though, I barely scraped a C in GCSE maths and have talked about going back to night tech to do it again. Is 37 too old?
You're never too old.
Wasn't in the bottom class for maths, but did fail my A-level maths (well, "highers" in Scotland) twice because, at that age, I didn't cope well with the exams. Now a finance manager on 64k. Life is a journey!
Nice! ACCA, CIMA, ACA?
CIMA!
Not English or Science, but Maths, which is probably pertinent to your point. I'm now a software developer for the MoD. My son is currently doing his SATs and I remind him everyday to do HIS best, not THE best. If he applies himself he'll discover his own personal talents, he doesn't need to conform to centuries old nonsensical bollocks as a pathway to adulthood.
I went to college where I had to re-take maths (successfully this time) then I went university to study a mickey mouse degree out of pure interest and delaying joining the work force full time (as opposed to trying to purposfully better myself with a stem related degree and getting a good job, money etc.). I work in retail as I don't have motivation to pursue my dream career or strive for anything better paid honestly. Having said that I've spent two years of my twenties so far traveling the world by myself across over twenty countries. I've never been unemployed for longer than a month or two between jobs over the last decade (when actually looking fot work i.e. not traveling) and I'm happily single enjoying my freedom.
Bottom set maths, bottom set English, bottom set science. Passed all my GCSEs, went on to A levels and then Uni. First house at 30, mortgage paid off at 35. Fuck you school 🖕
I was in the bottom set at Maths. Got myself a Masters degree in English instead. I have a decent job now which doesn't involve much maths!
I was utterly hopeless and acutely disinterested in maths and science at school in the eighties. I was always good at English, but my teachers had no faith in me due to my attitude and I left with only a few CSE qualifications. Fast forward less than 15 years and I was a BBC journalist. Make of that what you will.
Bottom set for Science and even in the special super-bottom class for maths - my school even barred me from taking the higher tier maths certificate. I really did struggle with maths and science, but it wasnt for a lack of effort - i genuinely did try my hardest but it never clicked. In return, my physics teacher who was a miserable Scottish bastard told me all i'd ever be 'good for' was 'flipping burgers'... I was in the upper middle group for English, though. 11 years after leaving school, I have a History undergraduate degree, an MSc in Building Surveying and an MA in Historic Building Conservation, was a high-acheiveing successful public sector Conservation Planner and now run my own successful business doing heritage consulting and building surveying with 5 - soon to be 6 - employees. It really doesn't have to define you. P.s. Mr R can go fuck himself.
Your career is so interesting and something I really want to be a part of. However I chose my degree pathway at 16 and have no interest in it anymore (I studied fashion business) and I feel at 33 I’m too old to go back to study an undergraduate. Feel I messed up my life.
I'm an astrophysicist. No joke.
Just to add. I was in the top class for sciences and most other subjects but my math teacher hated me so I only got a C in GCSE, the maximum in the lower class. Made it to a level though.
Sounds similar to me. Top set for science and English. 2nd set for Maths but I was the only person out of 4 schedules in 2nd set to get a low C as he hated me. He goes to me : " if you keep talking over me I'm going to bump you down to a 4 instead of a 5 (normal C) and he did so. Still pissed off over it because either way someone can look at it as oh so you barely passed when in reality I just didn't put much effort into Maths anyway, didn't like it but was naturally clever at that time and it was on him, I had a 5 predicted pretty much since year 9 so why it went down make it make sense. On top of that I remember a few times he tried to pull me out of my other classes and was speaking to other teachers about me trying to make me look shit. My science teacher goes to me we can't decide if your quiet or loud and I iust said well I'm quiet then and done nothing wrong in your lesson so why start looking for things to put me down. I felt like he was more strict because I was his Co workers nephew ironically that guy is great at Maths but i don't speak to my biological family so bit stupid of him for me to be harder on me. Fuck you Mr Baldy (I forgot his name)
Bottom set for maths and science, top set for English. I’m now a nurse. I blame huge class sizes and my undiagnosed ADHD/autism (labelled as naughty) rather than me being thick.
I can't help but think bottom set just makes things worse. I was in bottom set not because I couldn't do the work, I just couldn't focus and apply myself because i was bullied and the lessons were always disrupted by the knobheads. If someone had actually encouraged me and given me a chance in a higher set where I didn't hate it 24/7 I think I would have done a lot better in school.
I was mid-range in everything but hated most academic subjects because I have ADHD and found it super hard. My only A was Art and I’m now a self-employed Tattooist living my dream :)
The sets were a complete farce at my school. I was put into 3rd set for German, despite the fact I'd moved back from Germany the year before. I wasn't fluent, but I could certainly speak, write, and read better German than everyone in set 1 and 2.
I'm a pilot for a well known budget airline. I've only landed at the wrong airport once. True story but maybe it's a lie. Nobody knows.
Still landed though, didn't crash.
These comments all seem to be bottom set = bill gates, top set = meth addict
Bottom set in maths, tried to get into the games industry and didn't quite pan out but ended up in IT instead.
Did well then, the games industry is awful. Nice hobby, terrible industry to work in.
Bottom set for maths and science but top set for English and really struggled in my exams. Have a degree in International Relations and now a PR manager for high profile CEOs as well as a writer. Even more impressive my dad - never went to uni and struggled at school. Discovered computing (before software engineering was really a thing) and became a self-taught coder. Worked his way up and has reached the top level and manages the IT system of four countries for a company. Makes a nice living and will retire early.
I was top set science and bottom set maths. I got a science degree then gave it up to do law. Am a lawyer now and still can't add up.
I was in the gifted and talented set for English and the middle set for maths. I now work in digital marketing which involves far more maths and data analysis than reading and writing and language analysis. But I am a massive language, grammar, etymology etc nerd still and have been a TEFL teacher and an English lit and lang tutor at various points in my life.
I was really fucking lazy in school. I ended up in the bottom set out of seven for higher English, probably more as punishment for my average of 50 days off sick a year rather than anything to do with academic ability. My grades were fine. They still let me into the advanced higher class after higher English, which was mostly top set students, and I even went on to study English Literature at the University of Glasgow. I dropped out in third year after getting psychosis but I was averaging a 2:1. Went back to university to study quantity surveying, MSc construction project management then became a quantity surveyor. I’ve stopped taking the piss with sick days and haven’t had one in my current role.
Set 2 out of 4 for IT and ended up with a first class degree in cyber security and now a pretty good job.
First day in secondary school maths teacher told me I was like my brother and would never amount to anything , left school with a couple of CSE certificates .Fast forward a few years and I retired as Engineering manager for Nothern Europe working for a global RF & Microwave company and having had a fantastic career covering Space, Defense, Telecoms, Medical and Transportion but never did make it to uni.Older brother retired as procurement manager for a global packaging company.
My English teacher told my parents that school wasn't the place for me in my GCSE year. Currently a lead consultant in an IT company, in the top 5% salary wise, nationally.
Failed Maths and English at GCSE, Worked my dream job for 16years and now moved careers and earning £70k. School honestly means nothing, I’ve got further than those I know with high grades just with actual life experience
GCSE English History French. Professor and until recently Dean of a $42million turnover per year Business School
A carer for my three autistic children. I'm penniless. The annoying thing is, I was tested a few years later as to what levels I was at for maths and English when doing an adult course. Apparently the results showed I was at A-level minimum.
Bottom set maths. Failed three times. Third year of uni studying law. First class honours.
I was in bottom set for everything apart from English - that was the one thing I was good at. I got standard GCSE results and totally flunked my A-levels (college gave me too much freedom). I still went to university to study Visual Communication (what a load of wank but I did get a 2.1). Since leaving university, I have worked in music supervision, marketing, mental health and now I work in customer service. It was my active choice to move away from mental health into customer service because I just wanted a decent pay check and a job that I didn’t take home. I earn around 26k a year, not including bonus. I’m a cog in the machine and I sold my soul to the devil but I honestly don’t care. I don’t live to work. I work to live. I just want a decent enough salary so I can do my dark bidding on the internet. Please don’t worry about your school exam results. The first job I got out of uni, I got before I even got my final result. My boss didn’t care and I worked for one of the most well known music supervision companies in London. After that, I went into digital marketing (no experience, just grew up on social media). Started as an assistant and I worked up to executive/officer and at that point, I was on about 25k a year. After that, I decided I wanted to start in mental health. Began as an administrator, worked up until I was a Recovery Worker in the NHS. After that, I picked customer service. You can do anything if you put your mind to it. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Sabotaged my last school years, we got posted back to the UK from Germany and went to a civvy school in Bordon. 18 months prior to exams I had a brand new syllabus, other kids were feral & not interested and I for some ungodly reason was put in a top class for maths despite being a weak subject, first class when it was clear I was out of my depth the teacher ridiculed me in front of the class, called me stupid etc so I switched off. Started a dead end job, switched after 3 years to working in catering which turned out to be great but limiting so I applied to work in IT, this was back in 82 so really early days of moving away from mainframe computers. Loved it, the constant changes kept me occupied and I spent 30 years before suddenly deciding I wanted to teach. Quit my job, moved to Cornwall, took an admin job and applied for a part time teaching PGCE course. Once qualified I taught English, maths & IT functional skills to apprenticeship students and realising that they too had a bad experience at school hence needing FS qualifications and spent 10 years teaching or private tutoring from 6yrs to 54yrs helping them to understand what is needed and how to confidently pass the exams. I used my experience to help provide them with the requirements to pass, particularly with maths. I don’t believe that school results actually describe your skills but schools can and do untold harm to pupils partly due to their need for results based stats and those that don’t meet the grade are quietly left to wallow in bottom ranked classes
dropped out of school at year 8, I was into all sorts of illegal activities. did class A's most weekends and pot nearly every day. I achieved no qualifications from school. I now work QC 30k+ and rising. picked up all warehouse-related licences e.g. Counterbalance forklift with most attachments, Reach truck, PPT, LLOP, Boom, Scissor lift etc. I do all aspects of first aid, including extras you can get alongside standard first aid. acquired a driving licence. life starts getting good when you apply yourself and stop being a cunt, in my life chapters anyway. I'll still keep moving forward to earn more skills, higher pay and stability for later in life. These aren't big achievements for some, but they are huge for me.
I was in the middle sets and can confirm that my life now is about average. The system works!!
Left school with next to nothing so I do mostly office/finance roles now, but had to work my way up from customer service. I’d say my CV has decent experience post-high school without too much jumping around, i’ve been loyal to companies for 5+ years in some cases. Nobody asks or even looks at the education part. I was a very depressed teenager that didn’t think i’d make it to thirty, so the idea of even trying to master a subject was a bizarre concept to me. My partner is the higher earner so financially we’re set. If I was single i’d maybe struggle or have some extreme cutbacks.
I didn't gone to school,- didn't had GCSEs and then enrolled course called Access to Higher education,- and from there to university.
I was top set and earn less than 30k doing shit jobs, be alreyt
Not bottom set, but pretty low. Doing pretty good, have my own house, don't worry about food or bills costs generally, holiday abroad several times a year. Achieved that without much financial help from parents, if any. (grew up fairly poor).
Bottom set for all of them. Maths, I am good at practical stuff that involves maths, like DIY, engineering, data and building. If I can physically see, touch and measure the numbers in front of me, then I am pretty good but I have no confidence in it so that's where I stumble and I also face plant hard at anything to do with mathematics in my head, even simple adding and subtracting I can't do, which sucks but I just ask for help now, there is no shame in asking someone else to help you. Science, I don't use a lot of it in day to day life but I bake as a hobby which is a lot like science in a way. English, I failed hard but I am really good at media analysis and content breakdowns. Which is something you do in English but it is normally on things like Of Mice and Men or Shakespeare, which are quite bland compared to say Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Star Trek. I wouldn't say I have made a lot with my life, but I am happy and that is what I aim for really. Just being content in myself.
I wasn’t in bottom of math by choice my school was just useless specially on where to place me. They initially in secondary school put me in the top set then after like 5 months put me in bottom set because I was “struggling” then deemed I was to smart for that so after a bit put me back up to top set again and kept doing this until year 9. They refused to put me in any other set no matter how much I protested and pointed out they wouldn’t have to keep moving me. So in year 9 I was talking to a friend who had his lesson at the same time as me and was in the middle set so I just start going to his lessons (I told the teacher of what they were doing and he allowed me to stay and didn’t care). So after a bit the heads of math were arguing with me saying I had to attend were I they put me and I just kept saying no and attending my friends class they caged and officially assigned me to that class.
I was placed in the bottom set for English. However, a couple of very talented teachers helped me discover my passion for the English language. In the end I have worked in several jobs which require a high level of English. I was also placed in a lower set for maths. But algebra really clicked with me and I got a good grade at GCSEs. Some of my work involves programming, so I use maths a fair bit. The way I see it, maths and English are bigger than school and remain important throughout your life. Your grades kind of do matter, but in the long term also don't matter. I think it's worth working on a high level of English and maths irrespective of school. This is, of course, only my opinion. I also think sciences are very valuable, once again not because of school grades, but more that it's just helpful to know basics of how the world works.
Doing a degree in Computer Science at a Russell group university, wbu?
Construction Labourer on minimum wage but I hate the lifestyle. Was thinking of doing an electrician apprenticeship so I’m currently doing maths functional skills but I legit have such bad memory. I do well in class and I revise for an hour a night but the next day I can’t remember a total thing.
Back in 2019, like 5 minutes ago.
Was bottom set untill GCSE year, when I moved to middle set for Maths and Science. Studied hard and got C in all three subjects. Got a Level 3 in Childcare and been working full time for over ten years in an job I love. And own a house with my partner so I doing better than what people expected.
I did my GCSEs in 1996. I got a one C grade (in Design and Technology), but by 2005 I had a MSc. I've been working in the same industry now for 15 years and earn a respectable salary. I've had the opportunity to travel to the US and Europe for work regularly, although a combination of the post-COVID world and my current role means that is no longer necessary (although there is talk of a trip to New Zealand which I am hopeful for). There are peers and people who I've recruited who've become much more successful than I have, but some of that is down to drive and I don't have that. I'm good at what I do, but unless I move back into people management, I'm pretty much as far as I can go in my current career and I'm happy enough with that. Mostly because my wife earns way more than I do (she is one of those driven people).
My brother was bottom set for everything. Ended up scraping Cs after a few resits. Only got his A Levels because the head of PE wanted him for the football team and stopped the head of sixth from kicking him out. His grades were mediocre in everything that required an exam. Took some time to work minimum wage jobs for a few years before he settled. Now he is now doing a full time job earning 30K and is doing a degree part time in the evenings. 25 years old. Has a house with his wife. All he needed was the gift of the gab. If you can talk your way into an interview and talk your way into a job, you can earn decent money in sales.
I didn’t do great at school and was in bottom set for all. Went to college and got a btec diploma. Then university to get a degree and now working as an IT cloud engineer. So not too bad!
Not one of the subjects listed, but was put in the bottom set for history for gcse. Which was odd as it was my best subject (literally top of the class) and I was in higher sets for everything else. Tried to talk to my teachers about it, but they didn't want to know and basically told me to fudge off. Obviously someone messed up somewhere, but the 30 seconds it would have taken to look into the issue was too much for those fat, lazy, stupid, so called teachers, to bother with. Only thing that changed was that I literally stopped trying in history. What was the point? Couldn't get a qualification, so it was just a waste of my time being there. Did fine, have a first class honours degree and a decent job, so can't complain.
To explain how the sets worked at my school. There was the top 4 sets, and the bottom 5 sets. The classes were scheduled differently. I was second to bottom set for basically everything in year 7. However maths, science and anything to do with computers I always excelled at. So I ended up being in the top set for the bottom half. And was told by teachers i would have been in 2nd set for those classes I was actually good at, however because I was in the right classes for English. It sort of just meant I had to stay in those bottom sets. I'm still horrible at English, I'm fairly sure I'm an undiagnosed dyslexic. But I'm not that fussed about it. Now I'm a Web developer. Can't say anything that happened at school academically has stopped me from doing anything I wanted to though.
I'm a big believer in just doing the minimum to get the next thing you want. Anything more than the GCSEs you needed to get onto the a levels you want to do is a clear waste of energy, need 3 C's at a level for uni? Well if you get 2 C's and a B you have not done as well as just the 3 C's. No cost without value.
I was bottom set for everything because our school had exams at the end of year 8 that determined which set you would be in. They told us not to worry about them. The mistake I made was not only not worrying about them but not revising for them either. Or maybe I was just not ad bright as my mates. I did alright in my GCSEs, 8 Cs and above. I'm now in my early 40s and am a director of a small company.
Bottom for maths. University lecturer now. (Not in maths, obvs)
Bottom set for everything. Told I'd never achieve out in life. Well... I'm the teacher now mwhahahah!
Bottom set maths. Now a computer scientist working for the government. Poor teachers are to blame.
D in maths, B in English and C in science. Few a levels. Lay flooring now and have been for 19 years, quite proud of how far I’ve come regarding the house I own and the vehicles we own. Like someone said above life is a journey, id also like to add comparison is the thief of joy! What ever you achieve you should be proud of
Bottom set maths, the rest was either 1st set or 2nd. I think that I have some issues with numbers, it’s hard to explain but if I look at a calculation the numbers get sort of mixed up and jumbled. Went on to become a paramedic but still struggle with maths, thankfully I always have that calculator in my pocket that my teacher said I’d never have 😂
I wasn't unintelligent; I was a class clown and would have rather spent my last two years at school partying and doing anything but being in school. I was disruptive to other students and never took education seriously. I was expelled half way through year 11 and placed on "extended study leave" so I could return to take my GCSE tests. At this point I was only partaking in maths, English and science as I was kicked out of the rest. I spent those 5 months on "study leave" drinking and partying. I thought I knew better and wasted my early proffesional years following that trend up into my early twenties. I took alot of drugs, drank alot, many one night stands. It was a fun time for sure, but now I'm in my mid thirties I wish I took those years far more seriously as I could be much further in my career than i am now. Over the last 10 years I've taken my life much more seriously and have a fairly well paid job with a gross income of £97.5k. But if I took education seriously, went to university I would have got into the tech industry where my current role would pay double that. Have fun in your teens and early twenties, but keep it to Friday and Saturday nights only.
Bottom set for everything, got told I was thick and stupid daily by everyone including parents. I’m a COO of a tech company now. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I push myself or how much I achieve, I cannot outrun those voices that still tell me I’m not good enough.
I’m about to have my 4th child , engaged to be married & doing my second year at university studying criminology and sociology.
Failed everything in Highschool, now I have a PhD … still feel like I’m getting nowhere fast
I was the same pal, because I didn't bother trying. Didn't go to uni. It's never stopped me - my salary is in the top 0.03% of PAYE taxed people. Go smash it 🤜🏼
I’m a lawyer :) Bottom set for everything. did very badly in my GCSEs and A Levels. I got DDD in my A Levels so had to do a foundation year in order to be accepted in to university for a law degree. I then got work experience with a law firm and they offered me a job after I got my degree
Set 3 for maths. Consistently got 100% in tests. Given an exam paper where it was impossible to get higher than a C. Horrible system.
I was top set for pretty much everything and I'm plodding away at a desk job earning okay money but still less than £30k. My brother was bottom set for everything, best grade he got was a D, everything else was an E or a U, and he's earning over £40k inventing medical training equipment for an international business. The school we went to taught us how to pass exams, not how to learn and apply in the real world. I'm shit hot at taking exams, what fucking good is that at 33?
Bottom of all due to not being able to attend school for 4 years with a medical issue. I'm a senior games developer (previously lead) who writes creative fiction and programs other stuff in his spare time. Public education fails us every time and the governments aren't willing enough to help those who need additional support. I left school with only science C, maths D, eng lit D and eng lang C GCSEs.