The day this paper comes out is A-levels day, so we wish the young people at schools in our region the very best of luck.
It can’t have been easy for students this past couple of years, with Covid severely disrupting studies and forcing a lot of learning to be done remotely.
When I was at Wyke College in the 1990s, I was a mega-nerd and, for some reason, decided to do six A-levels before going to study English at the University of Hull, which I loved. Had it not been for a chance spotting of an ad for trainee sub-editors at the Hull Daily Mail I might still have been knocking around the corridors of the Cottingham Road campus, as I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do for a living once I’d graduated.
But what I would say to young people is – it’s not the end of the world if your grades aren’t what you expected. Everything happens for a reason, and it might mean you take an entirely different path – one that ends up even more rewarding.
Back when I was a student it didn’t cost the earth to go to university, for a start. It does pain me very much to say this but now, I would say, think very long and hard about whether it’s what you want to do before committing yourself to such serious debt. There are a fair few other options out there nowadays for finding decent work experience and then good employment.
We’re planning a feature on the A-level results for next week’s paper, so, whether you’re a school, parent or student, please do get in touch with us if you have a story.
