Thread 51 - Covid GCSE Cohort - Summer 24 - End of Uni Yr 2

[Oblomov24]

2024 Summer, end of year 2 for those at Uni.

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). 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 50:

50

Sounds bliss Delphi, enjoy! And always good to hear your brood thriving in their various lives :)

Good news that the grad job is going well @Delphigirl . What is no2 doing?

My two are both working manically, dd is trying to squeeze in a load more warehouse shifts before her Sept holidays, although she’s in Notts today doing four days of caring shifts and moving into her new house.

Ds is working at Tesco six days a week except he turned down today’s shift in favour of driving his friend’s dad’s passport to Folkestone for £250!

Ha ha love the passport gig @crazycrofter !!
That is no 2. No1 (dd1) is a chartered surveyor who works in commercial property asset management.

Ah really? Ds is considering an apprenticeship in surveying, with the aim of earning lots of money in commercial property management/deals but neither of us really understand what it involves! The other option is finance/accountancy which is my area so much easier to advise. Ds wants lots of social contact /networking, plenty of travel and lots of scope for promotion/new challenges.

Any other ideas anyone might have are very welcome! He’s very gregarious, a deep thinker, a risk taker (as you may have gathered) and has always been motivated by a challenge. Send me ideas please!

Orange do you wanna start a new thread, ready.

@Delphigirl my eldest has just graduated in Quantity Surveying. Just need to him to apply for some jobs now..... 🙄

@mummyinbeds Super update.

@Delphigirl Bonne vacances!

I guess our next thread will have a lot of mention of exploration of career opportunities. DS has not got a clue. By end of next week he will have completed a month in a lab which has been a great experience & they have been very supportive, but I think he's decided he doesn't want a lab role after graduation.

It has been brilliant for DD who earns extremely well and whose first grad job paid for her professional exams and a masters. She was travelling a lot in the uk but her new job will be mainly international travel, and masses of networking etc. she also speaks at conferences aimed at getting more women into commercial property. If you would like me to ask her to speak to your DS then do drop me a message!

I understand QS are hot in demand so I am sure he will not have a problem finding a good job!

@Delphigirl thanks, I've sent you a DM!

@seeline did he enjoy the course/is he still keen on the career or is that part of the problem?

@crazycrofter I think he enjoyed it?! He got a first, so did well. I think he is having a bit of a panic about this being the rest of his life, and 40+ years of work ahead of him! I've suggested getting a job so that he get his professional qualifications, save a bit and then maybe take a year out travelling or something in 3 or so years time. @Delphigirl I think there are jobs out there - he wants to stay in London (where we live), which restricts things, but as I have pointed out, no-one is just going to offer him a job if he doesn't apply....

So many graduate entry jobs are asking for experience - which he hasn't got. Covid really mucked up his year out option and very few of his course managed to get placements. He also hasn't got a driving license (although has had his first lesson 🎉

@Seeline i can understand the fear of committing for the rest of his life! Great news that he’s taken a driving lesson! Ds on the other hand is raring to go, loves working anyway and is looking forward to the next challenge.

If he doesn’t get an apprenticeship this year then uni is the back up plan. Can I just clarify with you and @Delphigirl - as long as it’s RICS accredited, does the speciality/subject name of the course matter? There seems a huge range! And how long does it then take to qualify afterwards?

I think QS and building surveying are different paths. Mine did QS and Commercial Management, but think it was really QS mainly. Definitely make sure it's RICS accredited. I think it's 2-3 years to fully qualify. It's all on the RICS website. Lots of the big companies run special programmes for the graduate entrants to make sure they get all the experience etc in order to get their RICS chartership.

Hi crazy you’ve got mail!
my dd didn’t do a RICS accredited degree, she did landscape architecture, I think if it isn’t rics it adds a year or something to the overall training. But she will be able to tell him all about that.

Ah great, thanks @Delphigirl !

We’re setting off to drive DS to uni for freshers week 2 weeks today (going to swing by and see my family as my dad’s 80th birthday was last week and my parents’ 55th wedding anniversary is tomorrow). Has he thought about packing/what he might need to take? He has not. Has he sorted out his rent so we’re not paying the entire year up front? Nope. I’m sure DD wasn’t like this!

She’s only at home for another week before heading back to Cornwall to start her 3rd and final year. She fancies working in marketing.

Just catching up - summer holidays are my busiest time both at work and at home!

DD is currently facing going into yr3 having to drop from integrated masters course to batchelors. Due to a number of issues with her disability support, including exam access arrangements, she just missed out on the grade needed to stay on the masters. We have appealed but that will not be decided in time for the start of term so she either has to drop down (and hope she can somehow move back) or take a leave of absence for a year, which is not really a viable option as she is autistic and is really struggling with the plan changing....

I am looking forward to the day I can step back as a parent from the day to day stuff, but with multiple children with additional needs and the youngest just going in to yr8 it could be a while!

That’s a shame for her @handmademitlove . I hope she can come to terms with it and make the most of her last year. You have got a long stretch ahead of you haven’t you with a year 8! I’m not sure if anyone else on here has much younger children? How many do you have? I’ve got friends with 7 and 8! I feel exhausted just thinking about it 🤣

Hope ds sorts himself out @OublietteBravo ! Two years ago we’d just moved to a new area and were living with friends whilst waiting for our new build. Everything was in storage and dd was mainly staying with a friend near our old house. I left anything I thought she needed for uni in my brother’s garage. We really weren’t at all organised and it was very stressful but dd made it, settled in well and didn’t find too much stuff was missing! So you’ll be ok!

Enjoy the party @OublietteBravo, the packing last minute, I can empathise with having a last minute packer here too :) Last year for your DD, it’ll fly by. Marketing is a good call, I assume she’ll be looking out for all the internship opportunities starting to roll out now for various sector orgs.

I hope your DD’s appeal is successful @handmademitlove , I have much admiration for all you parents navigating between multiple kids and life.

Good luck to @OublietteBravo and @handmademitlove!!

Focus as my holidays end is with DS, who will be applying this autumn for deferred entry (his did his UCAS form over the summer which is ahead of the game!) His gap year plans involve working in Australia and then in the Med (he's a qualified windsurfing instructor). Do I remember that at least one of you has a DC who has gone to Oz for a while? If so, any tips/pitfalls to share?

New Thread - 52

covid-gcse-cohort-autumn-24-start-of-uni-yr-3?latest=1 52

52

Oh my! where is it? link pls