DS got a third after struggling at uni, how limiting is it?

[Misthios]

DS started uni in 2021 and for the first year his studies were entirely online. DS has significant challenges with neurodiversity - properly diagnosed dyspraxia and ADD, almost certainly autism too. His mental health was very poor and I was very pleased he was living here at home as he simply would not have coped otherwise. He finally crashed and burned after his third year (4 year degrees in Scotland) and was placed in academic suspension for a year. We had the most awful year with him trying to get him formally assessed and medicated for his ADD, he started on anti depressants, found a tutor to help in the subject he struggled with, and finally got through and into his final year.

This year has also been a struggle, the support from uni is just not there, funding in Scottish unis is a massive issue and he was not having check ins with tutors or disability support or anything. It was all very hard for him but long story short he has had his degree results today and got a third.

He is very upset. We have told him how proud we are of him for sticking at it and going back to finish his degree and the class of thart degree doesn't matter. He does not want a high flying job. He just wants to work in a lab. I am just worried that with the very competitive jobs market that he is going to struggle to get anything and will end up thinking that uni was a waste of time.

And I thought the pre-school years were the hard ones.

Let’s be honest - a lot of clever people have no common sense. Academic success isn’t the be all and end all. A person who shows enthusiasm, willingness to learn and and stick at it, is a much better prospect than a person who goes in thinking they know it all and want to start halfway up the career ladder. In fact it was a good deal better when people started on a low pay grade learned the job thoroughly and were promoted according to ability, rather than going in as graduates on accelerated career paths, knowing practically nothing of what happens in ’the back room’ I think it is entirely unacceptable and unhelpful to the OP to say ‘employers won’t be interested’ it shows amazing arrogance.

Helpful. Not.

Wrong. No degree required for the job I have and therefore the class I got did not matter (I didn’t set the world on fire) but I had to produce my certificate which was checked, and had I put a grade I hadn’t got I would have failed the recruitment process due to honesty and integrity.

OP there are some fantastic jobs that either just require a degree of any classification, or none at all. I’m sure your resilient, capable son will find his niche in time and I wish him luck.

Do you know what? He has a degree. He got the qualifications to get on the degree course.
He can’t go back, so boost him as much as possible and build him up. Be proud, everything will be OK.

https://apply.jobs.scot.nhs.uk/

eg search for pharmacy, see if anything looks interesting

Very wise as lying on a cv like that is a criminal offence and a probable gross misconduct termination if found out

@Misthios I think you should do your best but you know it’s an uphill struggle. It’s not true that employers like someone who has had a lot of time off and struggled to complete a degree when many unemployed young people haven’t. I’m feel realistic prospects for employment should be part of what you do now in terms of planning for paid work. You have implied you are worried and have had some great advice and I’ve suggested volunteering and looking at work where there are shortages but he’s got to be reliable and show he’s employable ABOVE other candidates. He might well be but he’s got to prove it because many other dc with good degrees and work experience are looking for work too plus millions of others. I wish him well.

That was 2000…. Now 52% of young people have a degree.

You also asked “how limiting is it” and I respect the fact you don’t like some answers which rather agree with your fears.

That was the AI generated title.

I totally accept that he is behind the pack when it comes to graduate schemes, which he’s not applying for anyway. There has been a lot of really constructive and detailed advice which I’m very grateful for. Not so grateful for the responses which are “yeah he’s fucked” in tone.

My daughter was on target for a good 2:1, possibly a first in her first two years. In her third year, she had some personal issues which derailed her progress and she graduated with a 2:2. This was not long before Covid. After Covid, she was accepted onto a Masters at the same university - her tutors knew what she was capable of - and was awarded a distinction. Her 2:2 does not matter at all but she was disappointed at the time.
Your son has done well. He has passed his degree and a third still means that he has passed with honours. There are usually one or two people who pass their degree and do not pass with honours or even fail it altogether. He has done neither of these things. I think the best thing you can do now is to reassure him that he has done very well and that you are very proud of him. A celebration is in order because he has had to overcome obstacles that weaker characters would have balked at. I hope he finds a job that will satisfy him - l would not have thought a third would stand in the way of him becoming a lab technician.

Yeah just tell him on applications to just put the degree and not the grade. It is still Hons. Or just put anything. Only computers prolly read them anyway.

Oh stop it that’s absolutely not true

@Misthios I thought your own comments somewhat gave the impression you thought it was hopeless! You weren’t very upbeat. So some posters have agreed with your fears. Not quite sure why you are surprised by that but of course you’ve had anecdotes from years ago but they don’t reflect the position now. Of course uni careers and volunteering are the way to go and he really cannot be choosy. What about a driving job?

@Misthios

I do think that he should apply to Boots, as I suggested earlier, Misthios.

A job in one of the branches could offer the opportunity to work with the Pharmacists. Doing well in the branch would bring an opportunity to be considered for something at Boots HQ, where he might well have an opportunity to work on the sciences side.

Even if he gets a few months in a Boots' shop in the run up to Christmas, it could be the springboard he needs.

He may not feel that retail is where he wanted to start, but he does need to explore this particular avenue.

It will be better for him in many ways to be working while applying for jobs.

Be sure to check what there is with Boots.

https://www.boots.jobs/

We actually have a friend of a friend who works for Boots - not sure what he does, something regional manager-y, we are at a wedding where he will be in a few weeks so will introduce them and will encourage DS to ask loads of questions. He has said in the past he would be more than happy to work towards the NVQ in pharmacy prescribing.

It's important for him to apply to the local branches as well, Misthios.

My thinking is that people working in the shop with him, the Pharmacists, say, would notice a well-informed, hard working young guy and support an application for the sciences side.

Applying from the outside means he will be one of thousands but applying from within Boots will mean he is already known to them.

It's really hard when you have graduated to consider options which are the long way round to your goal, but it's important to get in on them. Much better to be in work and making progress, even if slower than you hoped.

I think it would be a boost for him to be working in a branch pre Christmas, if your local store is recruiting.

We ask for a minimum 2:1 for our graduate posts.

But not all recruiters specify. I’d just omit the classification on the CV if I were him.

A degree classification matters for the first job but a lot less for the second, and not at all for the rest. So if he does some temping and then snaps a more permanent role, he should be ok! Plus his subjects should be in more demand than if he had a Humanities degree (sadly! I have one myself).

Goid luck xx