Thread 44 GCSE Covid Cohort - Countdown to Christmas & New Year

[OrangeCinnamonLatte]

This is a support thread for our young adults post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting, and their results ( or life updates for those who went into work or have had results earlier). It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, uni vs employment please don't within this thread.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue. We were previously on the secondary board and then further education, now we shall be here in 'Parents of Adult Children' gulp

Our DS/DD may continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed). Be warned there might be lots of 'Uni Freshers' chat this time of year. My experience is that everyone is welcomed wherever, whatever their child is doing we have some in work, gap years , apprenticeships etc too. Lots of contributors with different experiences and always sympathy and advice to be had

Congrats to @Monkey2001 DS!

Yay, well done @Monkey2001 jnr !

Just had a marathon catch up. @Monkey2001 , fantastic news. I’m so glad to hear everyone’s positive news and sorry to hear of the ongoing struggles and sadnesses of others.
Dd seems to be having the time of her life and is certainly making the most of being so near Heathrow! She went to Milan for a long weekend with one of her flatmates and they had two walking tours which she thoroughly enjoyed and is off to Rome with the history society in the Easter holidays.

@Monkey2001 Brilliant news!

Yes please to some music. Up for celebrating all skills and talents.

Thanks all! 😁

That’s fantastic @Monkey2001 and well deserved! Hope he enjoys celebrating. Dd didn’t go on a church weekend away - must be a different church, but all the big ones seem to do them for students.

I’d love to hear some music @Comefromaway

That’s fantastic @Monkey2001 - so pleased for him!

Just catching up after a while. That’s great news @Monkey2001 ! Really good.

@PhotoDad - loving the artwork. Glad to hear your DD is getting sorted for accommodation next year.

Sorry to hear about all the illnesses. Father-in-law has been really poorly here with pneumonia but seems to be on the mend thankfully.

I’ve been in my new job for three weeks and really dislike it. People are lovely but I am not enjoying the work at all. Sadly I only left old job as they outsourced us to another firm - I’d been there 18 years and loved the work and people - so it wasn’t that I wanted to move on but after six months the outsourcing was a disaster. So that’s all quite stressful.

DS still loving Cambridge life despite all the strikes. He’s got a job in college as northern student rep which pays nearly £12 an hour when he gets the call which is great. He also seems to be assistant stage manager in college freshers play which is something he has never shown any interest in! Between all that and sport am hoping he is studying too…

Fantastic news@Monkey2001 And I would love a link to some music @Comefromaway . And I also love the artwork @PhotoDad . I bet the Art School are thrilled with your Dd.
Things are going well here. Our girl seems happy and positive about the future. She has a number of job applications in. Ive sat on my hands a lot, think it’s really important that she does it by herself, and owns the choices and the outcomes. She is managing all the admin beautifully.She’s going by herself to visit a friend in Europe this week. Her plan is to restart Uni in September, but that may change.
We had a meeting with her psychologist, who told us that we are really important to her, even though she doesn’t show it. It somehow has freed us up to be more loving and affectionate, and to stop worrying that this was the first step into a downward spiral, and more of an opportunity to think where she really wants to be, and to see how far she’s come.

Great news @Monkey2001.

that sounds really positive @Zebracat, you are doing such a great job with her.

@craggyrat that sounds tough with the job. Is it in theory doing the same role as before?

@279Nouveauxnoms - thx - similar but private client and not corporate.. it's not for me!

Good luck with the search for an alternative @craggyrat

Fab news @Monkey2001 it's been a hard few years for medic applicants.

Good luck with the job hunt @craggyrat

Hmm, not working. Oh well

And just so I am not showing favouritism Here is dd. (I'll have a look for some of ds doing his musical theatre but often videoing is restricted.

www.tiktok.com/@ellenlouise87

Congrats @Monkey2001

i currently have a wannabe medic and a wannabe vet in the house - DD is home for reading week and she has these two round today. Medic is doing interview prep, not sure what the vet is up to. I think* vet’s twin is here too, and the wannabe computer scientist has been and gone.

• there’s been some coming and going, it may have been the same girl twice

@Monkey2001 So pleased to hear the good news!

Congratulations to Monkey Minor.

Had a weird issue with losing posts all the time so haven't been on much lately but have been following everyone's news, honest, and those with medical worries for themselves or loved ones have been in my thoughts.

Been out for a Valentine lunch with dd and bought her £5 of Tesco red roses, which she was very pleased with. Finally got her to agree to an assessment by a private therapist, so that's next on the list.

First I have to go to Manchester with dd2 for the interview that never was. It was cancelled last week because of the lecturers' strike... Too late to unbook the hotel, so we're going anyway and will see what we think. Hopefully we'll have a good time anyway (but it won't be anything like the last time I visited Manchester, which was in 1988 in full Madchester Rave On mode...can't say I remember too much about it...)

Blimey @Comefromaway what incredibly talented people you have raised. Our girl is doing ballet on line, I’ll send her a link, she will love it.

Congrats Monkey ds.

@Comefromaway I totally loved it. Sat at work loving it! I loved the bit at the first one end when the guitarists get going, and then the drummer finally finishes.

Reminds me of years ago my male friend forced me to go and see this band I didn't really feel like seeing that day, in a small grubby pub with straw on the floor, just outside Cambridge. Years later, when famous, they turned out to be Green Day - Basket Case.

The drummer is incredibly talented. I've talked about him on here I think. You should see him and my ds do Rosanna, it's insane.