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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

University 2019/20 intake: next steps (some still students but many now graduates)

391 replies

LouisCatorze · 08/09/2022 17:46

Previous thread

OP posts:
RampantIvy · 24/12/2023 07:23

Merry Christmas everyone 🎄

Due to train unreliability and awful weather I picked her up from work on Friday to bring her home for Christmas - a four hour round trip.

She is home until Wednesday.

ZandathePanda · 24/12/2023 11:33

Dd home as she is here permanently at the moment trying to save up. I think this is the last for her at home - the commute to work is long and she’s desperate to move out. She’s saving a lot on rent/ mortgage though!

Hope everyone has a lovely, jolly and healthy Christmas and New Year xx

bigTillyMint · 24/12/2023 15:56

Happy Christmas to you all.

Mine are both here all year round so I’m missing the welcome home feeling! Hopefully DD will be moved out before long (she really has had enough of being back home as it’s over 2 years now, and don’t we know it!), but as @ZandathePanda says, she’s saving a fortune on rent, etc.

MargaretThursday · 24/12/2023 16:17

Happy Christmas all!
Dd has been working a year in her job and mostly enjoying it. They introduced 9 day weeks (extended days with every other Friday off) which has worked well for her.
She's still at home because we're in the expensive SE so saving up to buy her own place when she can.

icanbewhatiwant · 24/12/2023 21:42

Happy Christmas to you all. It'll be a strange one here with a Ds missing. He spent 11 months in New Zealand. He's now in Australia. He's been there 2 weeks. He's enjoy Sydney and the sun. But really struggling with the people and trying to find work. He's staying in a hostel, he said all the people in the hostel are partying, drinking etc. all night and sleeping by day. He wants to go out and explore, swim in the sea etc. but no one will join him. He has to stay there until his tax code arrives that he needs for work. Once that comes in the post he will move on. He's also applied to lots of jobs but hasn't heard back from any. So I'm hoping things will settle for him. But it's going to be strange on Christmas Day without him. Ds2 is planning a year abroad next year, so we might have 2 dc's not here next Christmas.

Decorhate · 13/05/2024 21:16

Not sure if he is the last one to finish uni on this thread, but Ds has done his final exam today! (4 year course plus a placement year)

He will do some travelling over the summer then start a graduate job in September.

How are everyone else’s DC’s getting on?

bizzey · 13/05/2024 21:22

Ohh @Decorhate ..I remember your name !

How wonderful 💯.
Congratulations to you both .

Do you have a graduation 🎓 to plan for now ?

bizzey · 13/05/2024 21:23

Lovely catching up with everyones news x

Decorhate · 13/05/2024 22:47

Yes graduation is in July

bigTillyMint · 14/05/2024 06:50

Oh, lovely @Decorhate - it sounds like he’s sorted!

My DS has just done his second set of Law Conversion exams - now has to wait 2 months for the results 😫 🤞🏼all good to progress to SQE year in September.

How are everyone else’s DC getting on?

RampantIvy · 14/05/2024 06:54

Great to see this thread pop up again. DD's lease ends next month so she is coming home to live and will find some local work to tide her over while she applies for post grad.

I hope she doesn't find it too difficult settling in at home after being independent for nearly 5 years.

bigTillyMint · 14/05/2024 07:03

@RampantIvy, it took a period of adjustment for my DD 🤣

chocolatenutcase · 14/05/2024 08:36

Oh how lovely to see this thread ignite. My DD is a sailing chief instructor in a boarding school in Scotland so she walks to work along the coast and then takes kids out on dinghies. Great when the sun shines which it has done the past few weeks. Days off she's out walking in the hills. Not using her maths degree much but she's been accepted onto an MSc in London deferred until September 2026, so she can work another year to earn more £££ to fund it. It's like a gap year but being paid and no rent or bills!

RampantIvy · 14/05/2024 09:09

That sounds fab for your DD @chocolatenutcase.
DD is working in a pharmacy and has realised that pharmacy is not for her, but the soft skills she has picked up, not to mention the massive increase in her self confidence has been brilliant. They don't want her to leave, but she doesn't want to sign up for another year's flat rental. Oh, and she managed to achieve a healthcare qualification while she was there, adding another string to her bow.

LouisCatorze · 14/05/2024 11:43

Great to hear everyone's news. I was only thinking the other day that it would be good to hear how all our young people are getting on.

DS moved out (and in with his g/f) a month or so ago. He's a bit bored with the job he's doing already, and planning his next move (and promotion!). Considering doing post-grad qualification at some point but not for a year or two yet. However, he does seem much more motivated and ambitious now than a year ago.

OP posts:
Shimy · 14/05/2024 13:08

@Decorhate Thanks for resurrecting this thread again and congrats on your DS completing his degree. The break between graduating and starting a full time job is a much needed break and glad to hear he's going to be travelling.

@bigTillyMint Well done to your DS for completing those, I've read that the law conversion isn't easy at all. Wishing him all the best of luck.

DS1 is enjoying his job, he recently got a pay rise as well woohoo! which we were all surprised about as he is still under 1yr and received an email commending his contribution to a recent project, so he is very pleased with that. Nothing much else to report.

CheapThrillsMeanNothing · 14/05/2024 13:36

RampantIvy · 14/05/2024 09:09

That sounds fab for your DD @chocolatenutcase.
DD is working in a pharmacy and has realised that pharmacy is not for her, but the soft skills she has picked up, not to mention the massive increase in her self confidence has been brilliant. They don't want her to leave, but she doesn't want to sign up for another year's flat rental. Oh, and she managed to achieve a healthcare qualification while she was there, adding another string to her bow.

Has your DD considered hospital pharmacy, very different from working 8n the community?

icanbewhatiwant · 14/05/2024 15:59

It's great to see everyone's news. Those who remember, DS went to New Zealand Jan 2023 travelling. He worked in a restaurant washing up and helping the chef for 5 months to earn some money, plus did some WWOOFing in several places. Then in December he flew to Sydney and has made his way across Australia and is currently in Perth. He was just about out of money so is working at a remote holiday village washing up again. He hates the job, but applied for bar work, cafe work, office work etc but didn't even get interviews. So had to take washing up, he's been moaning about it ever since. I told him to just think of the money as it pays well. It's right out in the middle of nowhere, so he is getting a bit fed up with being stuck there, I expect he will only stick a month or so. The plan is to save for a car and tent on top. I have a photo of ds on the day he left, with short, clipped hair at the sides and an inch or so on top. His recent photo he sent, he has almost shoulder length, curly hair, much blonder too.
He has no plans to come home. He wants to extend his visa in December or go to Asia. Ds2 has a uni year abroad starting July, he's also going to Australia to UOQ. Ds1 still has no idea of a career path. He did announce recently that he enjoyed being a barista and wouldn't mind doing that we he comes home. That didn't go down well with us, it would be a waste of a degree and student loan. But I guess it's his life. I hope he comes up with something else before he returns.

MargaretThursday · 14/05/2024 19:21

Good to hear from everyone again.

Dd is working as a type of project manager and seems most of the time happy there. She's still living at home but beginning to discuss with her boyfriend potentially moving in together.

@Decorhate congratulations!

RampantIvy · 14/05/2024 22:37

CheapThrillsMeanNothing · 14/05/2024 13:36

Has your DD considered hospital pharmacy, very different from working 8n the community?

Yes she has, but she doesn't want to spend 4 years doing another degree. She wants to do an accelerated masters in diagnostic radiography.

Ragwort · 29/05/2024 03:20

So good to read all the news (for some reason I was locked out of my account for several weeks). My DS got back from NZ in April, had a wonderful time but very happy to return to the UK. He got straight into job hunting and started a graduate role in London last week .. seems to be a great company (so far - I know it's early days!) with an excellent training/induction programme. He's sorted a flat share with friends from Uni and seems very happy. Great to hear how all our young people are doing.

LouisCatorze · 29/05/2024 13:46

Hello @Ragwort, well done to your DS with finding a graduate role so quickly. How did he enjoy his time in NZ?

@icanbewhatiwant your DS may just taking his time to consider what he wants to do with his life. If our youngsters are going to be working until they're 67+ (retirement will probably be a thing of the past by the time they reach that age), who can blame some of them for not necessarily wanting to knuckle down to graduate roles immediately? He may have an acute case of wanderlust!

Wondering how @itscoldouthere DS are both doing too.

OP posts:
simbobs · 29/05/2024 14:51

How lovely to catch up with everyone again. It sounds like most DC are well into adulting. Having found a job straight after finishing a year ago DS got made redundant 7 months later, but started a new job yesterday, still in sales, marketing and account management. Let's hope this company doesn't undergo complete restructuring! He has managed to keep himself afloat with part time work and some savings. He and his girlfriend decided to part ways, though they are still friends and still sharing a house. He gets the keys to a new flat today and will share with a male friend - in other words, do what I suggested a year ago... At least he hasn't had to move home. I love him to bits but I didn't want that!

Itscoldouthere · 29/05/2024 16:25

How lovely to see this thread again after a long time (for me anyway).
So good to here how everyone’s DC are getting along.
We've had lots of change, some good, some not so good.
We are now living back in the UK in London, my youngest DS (who was previously at UEA) spent a year working at a cinema getting his mental health back on track, then in September started a new degree at Aberystwyth University, so far all seems to be going well, he’s just about to finish first year.
Older DS didn’t have much to show from his model making degree as Covid really cocked it all up, he didn’t manage to find any related work once he finished, so spent about a year doing bar work, he then decided that he wanted to try and become an electrician and rather than trying to get an apprenticeship (as he didn’t want it to take 4 years) he did a private course to learn the theory which he has recently completed and passed with flying colours and loved, however he is now finding it impossible to get anyone to employ his as he doesn’t have the practical skills, he’s now thinking he should have done an apprenticeship and is started to feel very frustrated and down about it all.
In general life is feeling rather frustrating on several levels but at least we are all health and mainly happy 😊

icanbewhatiwant · 29/05/2024 20:02

@Itscoldouthere it is great to hear from you, I'm glad to hear ds2 has gone back to university. My Ds1 was at UEA at the same time. I hope he continues to enjoy his new degree, I remember you saying he wasn't enjoying his choice of subject.

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