I've done something stupid...

[Frequency]

I've applied for and paid a deposit for and signed a credit agreement for an A Level Maths course. I was sleep deprived, ill and possibly delirious. I should not have been left unsupervised with internet access.

I took my maths GCSE three times. The first time I got an E, the second time I got a D, the third time I was sick of maths and finally realised study was my only way out. I managed a B. My tutor was just as surprised as I was. I was predicted another D.

I decided this was a fluke and convinced myself I was bad at maths and have avoided the subject ever since going on my merry way doing non-math related jobs and education.

In my sleep deprived, delirious state I decided I wanted to do a computer science degree because I like money and computer people make lots of it. I'm not mad about that decision. I quite like computers and tecchy things and understand the basics of networking and coding and programming. To get a Computer Science degree you need to math which I can't.

My sleep deprived brain thought the solution to this bump on my path to become a computer science millionaire would be to apply to and pay for A Level maths.

I'm less than 30 minutes into the first web class and I'm on BBC Bitesize going over key stage three work trying to make sense of it. I think I now understand how to expand single brackets and multiply positive and negative numbers but I'm not sure that I understand why -5 X -2 = 10. I just know it does because the YouTube video with pretty drawings told me it does.

My dilemma is do I continue with the course because I really would quite like a computer science degree or I do I hope and pray there is a cooling off period and phone ICS Learn and beg for a refund?

I don't need a certain grade to continue my plan of becoming a cyber security analyst but I do need to feel confident about math which atm I don't.

Fake it till you make it.

You may surprise yourself op :)

Don’t forget where you come from when you’re a billionaire though.... good luck

You're thinking about it too much.

Don't think about your future millions (admittedly unlikely because AI is going to take over programming in the near future), just focus on passing the A level maths. You've paid for it and having a good knowledge of maths is a great thing. So just focus on that.

Sounds like you need a good night's sleep more than anything.

Is the cost of ics ok if it doesn't come to fruition?

Crack on! Enjoy the brain teasers.

Just think of the sense of achievement when you've passed.

Is the cost of ics ok if it doesn't come to fruition?

I'll be pissed at having wasted my money and time if I still can't math at the end of this tortuous path but we'll still be able to eat.

God, good for you! I once drunkenly enrolled in beginners Greek and ended up attending 14 classes cos I couldn't afford to lose the money for no reason. Got me fucking nowhere, but I can read a menu in corfu like a local. Yours is actually useful . (Ish). You'll be great, go for it.

You don't absolutely need a computer science degree to get into programming, nor A level maths. I did an Arts degree but got in through a graduate program (a long, long time ago, admittedly) and we were trained in-house. Someone I work with started out on a helpdesk then applied for advancement internally. They got a less formal training program as company practice has changed but they were trained on the job.

That said, I think you still should do the A level and the degree because it will be such an achievement and you will feel so proud of yourself. It's similar to what I'm planning for my retirement (if people of born after 1970 ever get to retire).

If you need/want the money in the meantime, there are other avenues into the profession. Good luck.

@Mac47

"God, good for you! I once drunkenly enrolled in beginners Greek"

I am very sorry, because I know I shouldn't laugh, but I just did. A lot.

I’m going to agree that you don’t need a computer science degree to get into coding and a computing role, although it is way more competitive than it used to be. But there are loads of roles in that area that are related and lead to decent pay which don’t require huge technical knowledge. It’s worth doing some research.

I am though going to disagree about A level maths! It’s really bloody hard and not likely to be very much fun. Many schools won’t let anyone with lower than A/7 at GCSE take it because it’s so demanding. There have been long threads on here about it in the past.

You got a B at GCSE, which is a good grade, indicating that an A Level isn't unrealistic. Could you call the company and ask for reassurance regarding 'handholding' and tricky areas of the course? This was the deal breaker for me when I recently signed up to an OU degree course!

On a side note, I struggle(d) to understand "why" with certain elements of maths, too. I also never understood why multiplying negatives equalled a positive, but I've just found this article and I feel enlightened!
mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.negxneg.html

Honestly, A Level maths will include a lot of topics that are rarely used in practical computing. By all means do it if you want the challenge but most of it won't get you much closer to your career goals.

If you're not confident in GCSE level maths then A level will be quite hard going.

My advice would be, try to get your refund and tackle GCSE maths again - but this time ace it.

You don't absolutely need a computer science degree to get into programming, nor A level maths

My plan is much more in-depth than get a degree. I mapped out my entire career path. My sleep deprived brain is very imaginative.

First, I'm going to learn to math. Alongside learning to math I am going to start my first units of my computer science degree. I envision this part to be easy as it's an introduction to computing and technology. In eight months, once I can math and have finished paying for my A Level, albeit, not completed it yet, I am going to take my CompTia A+ certification (again I envision this to be easy).

Then I will bag myself a job as a first or second line tech support agent on a help desk where I will put to use all wonderful things I am learning in my degree. At some point (probably when my degree starts covering it) I will take CompTia Networking+ and maybe some Microsoft courses and finally, once I am near to completing my degree I will take CompTia CySA+.

I expect I will have been promoted by this point but if not I will look at graduate programs (this is where the A Level Math came in. You need X amount of UCAS points for the best ones, which I don't have).

At the end of all of this I will be the world's leading authority on Cyber Security and menz will bow down to my computer prowess. I will be probably be living somewhere hot and sunny and will definately be earning millions. Although, to be fair, if I only end up earning a minimum of £1500 pcm and don't have to work nights and weekends, I'll be happy and will decide it was all worth it.

Your goals are awesome. Sounds tough but nothing worth doing is easy. Smash it.

I'm stealing that.

I'd go for the refund. You found GCSE maths heavy going, as would I and that is why I have no maths qualifications.

A Levels are far more in-depth than GCSEs and a huge step upwards. Make sure you are being realistic. If you are then go for it, but if not then go for the refund.

Where did you sign up for it? I've been looking into doing A levels as an adult learner but can't figure out what the process is.

ICS Learn, online. You have to phone them and pay over the phone. As I'd been awake all night I was still up at 9am when they opened and had already located my nearest exam center which takes in private students and had already emailed them for a quote on the cost of the exam.

I was enrolled and ready to learn by 10am. Sadly, I then had to go to bed as I was on nights. Tonight is the first time I have had chance to actually sit down and attempt the course.

You phone ICS, pay, gain access to their system for 2 years. Once you feel confident enough you book your exam. Exams run every January, April and June at schools, colleges and exam centers across the UK. ICS have a list of places that accept private students.

I'm going to learn to math

Please stop verbing nouns.

Have you had any experience working in tech support? Or know somebody who does? A huge amount of helpdesk support is now based overseas and the UK end is reserved for hardware issues. I would have thought A level maths would be less useful than buying a load of "spares or repair" boxes and teaching yourself to fix them.

I don't mean to sound harsh but if you don't understand why 2x5=10 then there is no way you're going to pass the A level.

Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you 7 days to cancel and refund after purchase.

I do think there is massive need for change in the way maths is taught in schools. I have met so many people who were clearly intelligent across a broad range of subjects, but simply did not understand percentages, algebra, etc., and therefore when a shop offers "50% discount!" they have no idea whether they're being ripped off or not.

This thread has made me chuckle- good on you OP, you can do it! I’m actually really impressed at how your brain works when you’re ill and the amount of thought you put into this; when I’m ill I definitely don’t have that level of commitment (when I’m not I’ll I don’t have that level of commitment). You should actually be really proud of yourself!

Don’t forget us little people when you’re sunning it up with millions in the bank

Hmm, I think FuriousVexation wants you to learn to English too..

@FuriousVexation agree the verbing of nouns annoy me too

But op was asking why -2x-5=10 not 2x5=10

Someone up thread did link up an explanation but Sometimes in maths, you just have to memorise the rules & conventions. No reason to it.

Best of luck in your maths A level
I always despair when people go around saying maths is hard. It's not, you really just have to put in a lot of hours and effort into it.

I come from an Asian country and most people would be extremely embarrassed to admit they couldn't do maths

I was quite shocked when I moved to the UK and people were openly admitting to me that they were terrible at math.

The culture back home was very much, math is hard but if you stick at it and spend time on it, it is the one subject you can score 100% in. If you can't do well in math, you will be fleeced by people (especially if you go round admitting it to others!!)

It's maths not math

Have you had any experience working in tech support? Or know somebody who does?

My first job was in tech support and I've already looked into local jobs. There are a heap of companies within travel distance that need technical support assistants and 1st and 2nd line tech support agents. I can already build a computer from scratch and install operating systems and carry out basic software problem solving and I'm not really interested in the hardware side of things so buying spares or repairs boxes won't help me on my path to becoming a computer millionaire. There aren't too many local opportunities for computer hardware engineers and it's a completely different degree and career path. I'm interested in cyber security mostly and to a lesser extent coding and programming.

A Level maths won't necessarily help me either. I was aware of that even in the depths of sleep deprivation. My aim with that was to gain confidence in maths and maybe some UCAS points but if I only gain confidence I will class it as a success. I'd be happy with a grade C or above.

I tried to do functional skills maths at a local college not too long ago (alongside a full time course as it would have been free and I wanted to improve my confidence in maths) but they wouldn't let me because I had a B at GCSE and I passed their functional skills pre-test thingy that they make all adult learners do.

I didn't get an award or grade and I don't know if I just skimmed it by the skin of my teeth or if I aced it. I only know they said I'm not eligible to sit functional skills with them.

I could get a refund and pay to do GCSE maths again but I already have a B and anything higher (or even lower) wouldn't benefit me at all (except in confidence with numbers), whereas if I build confidence via the A Level route I might pass. I might not but at least I have a shot at a beneficial qualification, iyswim? That was my thought process at the time of applying anway.

Hmm, I think FuriousVexation wants you to learn to English too..

I already have an A level in that. I got an A. Perhaps a maths A level won't help me afterall