Don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade, oh but I’m going to anyway. My question: aren’t all these pictures of students jumping up in the air after getting their A level results a bit over staged?
When I got mine, some 20 years ago. I merely glanced at them (an A and a B by the way) and went back to work, I was doing (paid) work experience for our local newspaper.
I knew it then, and it seems to have got forgotten over the years, but the reality was and is that you need more than decent grades and even a degree to secure a decent future. Getting those grades might mean you’ve got into university. But even when the economy is booming getting your dream job or any job is going to take a lot of hard work beyond that.
First you’ll need a hard skin and talent – having family who are well connected and a good degree helps, but I’ve worked alongside Oxbridge graduates who were useless and non graduates who were brilliant, and guess who’s still in journalism (clue: the latter)?
Even then you will need dedication and single mindedness – you’ll need to get work experience and lots of it, unless you are a science or maths supremos who intends making your career in academics/research (and even then you may need to be a bit determined because even those jobs are in short supply).
But most of all you’ll need humility, even at my age I’ve a lot to learn. I don’t assume because I’ve been in journalism for 20 years that I know everything.That’s probably why I didn’t jump for joy when I got my results all those years ago, and why even when I got my 2(i) I didn’t go crazy either.
The journalists and colleagues I’ve worked with and friends in jobs in fact all those making a living, are those who kept their head down and let their work speak for them, not their grades.
Sorry to be a party pooper!
