Thread 45 GCSE Covid Cohort - Bunnies bouncing into Spring

[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

previous thread

Oh @Zebracat you sound exhausted and fed up 😥Do you feel she/you understand what actually went wrong first time round and has she had help to cope better in September?

Will she get a full loan? If you're not having to support her, then maybe a three year course is still a good idea, to give her time to grow up, and gain some confidence and resilience before moving into the workplace. And if it doesn't actually boost her job prospects, at least she won't end up paying the loan back! By the end of three years, you won't be unreasonable to insist that if she moves back with you she has to pay rent. At this age it's more difficult, when lots of her peers are still at uni, being supported by parents.

It's a shame she hasn't got a job though, there seem to be lots available round here, but maybe it's area dependant.

Oh @Zebracat - sorry you're having such a difficult time. I can relate in some ways as DD only started a job last week. She has been applying for loads since she came home in December, but this was the first she even got an interview for so we were very pleased when she was successful. Apart from 4 days visiting uni friends she too has just been hanging around, sleeping most if the day and doing little else. However, she is still keen to re-start at UEA in September on a new course so light at the end of the tunnel.
If your YP has found something that excites her, it may be worth letting her go with it. I think finding something they are genuinely interested in is half the battle.
Hope you have good news on your hip soon.

@Zebracat Sorry to hear you are running on empty. I hope you get a date for your hip soon. You going into hospital might help your YP become more aware of how much you do.

If there are no jobs for now could you point her at voluntary work so she is having to work alongside others, gaining basic transferable skills and putting some structure into her week?

Digital media does lead to jobs
https://www.charityjob.co.uk/jobs?keywords=social+media&jobId=902157
https://www.charityjob.co.uk/jobs?keywords=social+media&jobId=899039

Sorry to hear you are finding things difficult Zebra.

Hi zebra. Sounds tough. :(

Just to say, there are LOADS of jobs in creative and digital media. Massive growth industry.

I keep , in vain, looking for jobs for DS1 - one that caught my eye last week was working for one of the big rail firms in their media department. It was well paid, flexible and sounded fun. They specifically required degrees in digital media or marketing.

Aww. Thanks for the responses. The issue is that she thinks these courses would get her a job in the Games Industry. She has no interest whatsoever in marketing. So clearly she is not understanding something. But if I try and point her in the right direction , she will dig her heels in. I am so torn between just letting her get on with it and trying to help.

@Zebracat 95% graduate employability. As she has grades in hands might it be worth an informal chat with the department?
https://www.hull.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/game-design-ba-hons

Ooh, nooo,she specifically needs to do computing, graphic design, or one of the funky new games design degrees (as linked above!). Digital media is broader and ends itself to marketing, although there are some design elements

@EwwSprouts Thank you so much. That looks so much better than the ones she sent me. I have passed it on.

@piggywaspushed. I know. And if you are doing Digital Media, do it somewhere good. But also, she did a computer Science A level and didn’t enjoy it and got a C. Now she says she wishes she’d tried harder, but for the whole of the second year she said it was BORING and TOO HARD and wanted to drop it. But I got her resentful look when I reminded her of that.

@Zebracat Many sympathies.
My dd has been going through similar things including the coasting for A levels. Although she hasn't hit the point that she wishes she tried harder. I suspect she will at some point, and it'll be my fault for not forcing her!
She had a job until December, then spent all last term looking but not actually applying as far as I can tell, and now she's got her head round applying she's getting feedback that she's great, but they want someone long term, and as she's off to uni in September they're not interested "but do apply again if you don't go".

Oh @Zebracat - that sounds tough. Agree with others that if what she wants is games design there are lots of degrees that are more relevant than digital media as I understand it. Although I’d also suggest building a portfolio is big too - are they active on GitHub and stuff like that? Just a posting their own stuff; getting involved in challenges; engaging with the community can help
as I understand it. My dc got involved as part of uni applications for comp sci) but I think has taken a step back now, but had some
useful/interesting conversations.

From
the comp sci a level what were the good bits (programming???) and the boring bits - do you know? comp sci is theoretical - guessing something more tangible
might tick the boxes???

What were her other A levels in?

Just checkingin - Oblomov how's your back any improvement? does applied heat make any difference?

@Zebracat Sorry to hear about the challenges with DD. Despite what MN shouts about, that we should, 'hands off' and leave them to it when applying to Uni and deciding on careers, it's clear many aren't at the maturity level for this yet and still need a lot of parental guidance, mine certainly weren't and it's really difficult 'sitting back' and watching them blundering about. I hope she finds something she likes soon.

@Piggywaspushed What sort of Job is ds1 looking for? could you post some job titles to look out for so if anyone sees anything along those lines they can quickly post about here for you? I get loads of emails about jobs etc that I delete.

Not sure Shimy really. He has failed in getting through to final stage of local government recruitment and a job at Trailfinders. He doesn't have specific skills really!

Hey @Zebracat, my DD and I actually did quite a lot of research into various computer games degrees before she decided she wanted to concentrate on traditional art! Places with a wide range of game-related courses and great industry reputations which might not be on your radar are Abertay, Staffordshire, and ARU (which is how my DD found her illustration course, believe it or not.) Happy to share research further if you want to DM (but no need if not!)

@Piggywaspushed That must be so disheartening. What skills does he need to develop? has he identified what they are and is it something he can do a short course in? or does he need to find perhaps an internship in the meantime that will give him the skills?

Don't think he'll get an
internship after finishing a postgraduate. Think he just intends to pick up TA work if all else fails. His IT skills need improvement really but motivation and focus are biggest issues !

Hi all ,

Hope you doing OK @Oblomov23 💐
@Zebracat you really sound like you need a break 💐
We've been on the Gower for the weekend. Dd came and joined us for a couple of days and we went to Cardiff today (passed the RWCMD a couple of times @PaddingtonPaddington ).
Dd is still unhappy with being at Cardiff, mainly to do with her BF back home. She us not really making the most of it. Such a shame. She is now talking about transferring to Surrey into year 2 (it's 40 mins by train) problem is she is not homesick but 'boyfriend sick'. It is all a bit of a mess really, she seems to be going backwards in maturity (temper tantrums on Sat night re: monopoly). I'm just tired of it all. I just want her to be happy. I'm desperately afraid that she might be one of those who is never happy and will always find something to be negative about 😔

The dog was an angel all weekend though...it was such a sight to see him run with joy on Rhossili beach, reliving his racing days.

Tried to take wildlife photos on my phone but they were rubbish! Here's a pony and the doggy.

Best start a new thread soon.

@Zebracat university funding works really well for estranged students, I think I have mentioned on here that I support a girl whose mum died when she was 17 and she got no financial support because she had a £40k lump sum from her mum's pension scheme. As a student she will get £10k loan plus £2k from Bangor Uni, she can live very well in Bangor on £12k. One thing worth looking at for your girl is where the best deals are for people in her situation. At UEA estranged students can get free accommodation. If the degree does not result in good earnings she won't pay much back! I don't really think that aspect of the student loan funding makes sense for tax payers, but it works for the students who do degrees which don't yield good payback.

Sorry to hear she’s still feeling unsettled @OrangeCinnamonLatte . Maybe a transfer would be the best thing for her (although maybe not for you if that means living at home 🙄).

@Piggywaspushed it might be worth him doing some courses in Word and Excel, just to upskill. At my old firm I was always amazed by the tech skills of the apprentices and grads! It’s pretty much expected I think in certain types of workplace.

@Piggywaspushed Even if he gets TA work that will still continue to help him build much needed interpersonal skills and avoid gaps that need explaining to employers. I hear you when it comes to motivation, remember I have one that lacks that as well though he seems to have woken up 'a bit' lately. All you can do is continue to encourage him. He's a bright lad, you don't get a degree and a Masters without some motivation. There are loads of short I.T courses that he can access online. Also, what about the NHS graduate scheme, can he look at that too and see if it appeals at all?

@PhotoDad . That is a kind offer, but I don't think she’s going to listen to me.
@Monkey2001 I did loads of research last year into careleaver/experienced offers.I think she is turning her back on a really good one. I have told her that she may come to regret it. I know young people are silly. I’m sure I was but it is so hard to watch. She’s also not responding to other people who care about her. She says she’s angry with them but will forgive them in time. I’m trying to tell her that she may find they dont sit around waiting for that great day, but she takes no notice. She does have support, she has a psychologist. I think she could do with a little less sympathy for her trauma, and a little bit more challenge on the avoidant behaviour. Typical boomer, me!

@OrangeCinnamonLatte I fell in love with Gower at 16 and had 3 summer holidays in a row there. It's what led me to do a geography degree - although I really wanted to do it at Swansea uni, but flunked my A levels. Rhossili is one of my most favourite places. I keep promising myself that I will revisit, but have never quite made it.

It is so so beautiful. I can only imagine how busy it might get in the summer though !