Thread 54 - Summer 25 - Graduations after Uni Year 3

[Oblomov25]

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 53:
Thread53

The car has been moved!

I honestly have visions of DS twitching the curtains watching obsessively until the Mitsubishi departed and then rushing out to drive his own car!

Haha that’s good news @Piggywaspushed !

@ExtensivelyDecorating yes, it’s definitely partly to do with being an experienced driver. And also the ADHD - she doesn’t always anticipate things and we were flabbergasted when she originally passed ! She should be getting medication soon (been waiting a year!) so that might help 🤞

Ds rang last night with lots of news. Unfortunately the a capella society aren’t his type of people and it’s 6 hours a week so that one’s out. But the powerlifting society said he should be able to compete internationally within a year! That will involve a lot more than 6 hours a week, but he’s already in that routine. He’s also going climbing in the Peak District with a girl tomorrow and he thinks he wants to join MI6! 🤣

This is great news that he finally has a conditional offer from the Army. Fingers crossed for the medical and assessment day. What intake would he be hoping for? January or May?

Our DD threw us a curve ball when she announced she was starting officer training with the Navy after university even though she had 4 grad scheme offers. She had never shown any interest in the military, just aid work. She is now doing a 2nd degree and it looks like she may become a naval barrister. She loves the military life especially as it allows her to do lots of running and triathlon training.

Thanks @Aslockton - at the speed therapy work could be 2027! Your DD sounds as though she is having an amazing Naval career

DS had just texted to ask about the uotc which I think is university officer training corps - so assume it must have a society or branch at uni ? Anyone know anything about them ?

Whilst we're talking military - ds reckons he might join the army reserves and get paid, but the regular army is definitely out due to him having very little sight in one eye - surely the same applies for the reserves?

Ah, I think ds must be talking about the same thing as @NCTDN 's ds?

@crazycrofteryour ds is at Sheffield isn’t he ?

Nottingham @NCTDN

Ah that’s right. My ds is going climbing in the peak district tomorrow too so I two and two together and made 5!

Haha @NCTDN what are the chances?! I guess they’ll be at opposite ends of the Peak District?!

@Piggywaspushed Where was the first place he drove to? We live in flat area and in lieu of a hill the driving tests took in a little bridge over the railway line.

@craggyrat Your DS is keeping his options open in spectacular style. He should do a vlog aimed at 2nd/3rd students to raise their spirits against the soul destroying online assessments.

It's interesting that quite a few are looking at the armed forces. Do you feel it's state of the world driven eg Ukraine or more about breadth of opportunities? One of DS's friends went into the navy last year after a couple of years work experience, didn't go to university. He started talking about it about age 14 and is loving it.

DS is another who rarely volunteers information but will respond to direct questions. The corporate tour surprise of the week was helping inseminate pigs!

What, in Sheffield? Aldi!

@Piggywaspushed Yes there must have been a priority after not being able to get the car out. Seems like it was empty cupboard!

@EwwSprouts pig insemination sounds v A creatures great and small!

I think for DS the lure of the Forces is the not being in an office all day and the opportunity for sport and travel. When he did grad scheme assessments last year and got through to the final rounds for some he said the jobs were soul destroying. Well that's the world of work for a lot of us I'm afraid, DS!

He has made a decision. History TA it is. He was so shattered last night. Next week he has one day in the office in south Leeds then it is a mini van to Bedfordshire to be on a dig Tues to Fri. It is digs for new builds so not exactly Knossos but he got paid yesterday so that's good. Subject to DBS he will start after half term until July DV. He has enjoyed this job and the people are v nice but as a means to an end the other just makes more sense.

Yes, the lure of the Navy was not being in an office/or a bedroom working from home and looking at a spreadsheet or screen all day. She loves the variety of each day and all the sporting opportunities. This was a girl who had never done any sport before university, never voluntarily gone to a sport's practice or joined a sports team at school. Park run during university changed all this.

DS joined University Officer Training Corp during university. It was a great way for him to realise the military was not for him! He got great opportunities to go up in chinooks helicopters and try powered flying. But he hated the regimented stuff.

@Aslocktoncan you give more info on outc? It appears that they get ‘paid’ £15 for a two hour training session.

@NCTDN there was a post on WIWIKAU yesterday strangely
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Lxt4YGHLf/

University students serving with the UOTC are personnel of the military and are attested and paid when on duty. They are classed as Group B (Non Deployable), whilst in the UOTC. Students undergoing service with the UOTC hold the rank of Officer cadet. Students have no obligation to pursue further service in the armed forces when they leave university and can resign from the UOTC at any time. UOTCs are led by officers and non-commissioned officers from the Regular Army and wider Army Reserve. (from Wikipedia)

DS got about £50 per evening training (this was often a talk and a meal). He got paid every time he did something with UOTC. He did not do the training camps in the summer as he was always away competing. Some of his friends were paid about £2000 a year. He learnt lots, but knew the military would not be for him.

@craggyrat I think it was! I was relieved to hear it was a 'proper' farm and the pigs could play football. Did you take yours to the Herriot museum when younger? The arm up cow interactive was thought hilarious by DS and young cousins.

Thanks for the answers about the lure of the forces. Great to hear it's for positive reasons. People my age who went in 40 (yikes!) years ago round here tended to go for want of other opportunities. @Aslockton glad they both found the environment that works for them.

@EwwSprouts yes we went to the museum a few times as not that far from us. My mum used to work with the 'real' Mrs Tristram Farnon!

@craggyrat From things you've said before I had you down as NY. Now that is a fabulous claim to fame!

Congratulations to @craggyrat DS! And also nice to hear about people settling in.

DS (backpacking in Vietnam) was right in the path of the typhoon, on a motorbike trip, no less. Luckily, it was just heavy rain by the time it reached him. He is having an amazing time so far.

DD is still spending much of her time on art projects, but is also job-hunting with no local success so far. Her next steps are to look further afield, and (finally) learn to drive. She is proving amazingly cheerful and resilient, which is great to see given some of her wobbles a few years ago.

Went to see DD yesterday (we had something booked to go to together), did a bit of shopping and lunch as well and dropped off all the stuff that got forgotten last week. She seems to be settling in really well, has got to know a group of girls in her block, been out to a couple of the Freshers parties and been having lunches with them in the on site cafe (they are in catered so it's included). All good.

Lovely to catch up again. I haven't read all the updates so pardon me if i don't say a specific congrats to something AMAZING! there's always lots going on with the dc here, they're all brilliant and resilient. Congratulations to all those settling in. I've never heard of UOTC but it sounds very interesting, i'd have encouraged ds2 to look it up. DS1 would rather die than have to do anything regimented. He lasted about a term in DofE and got lost during the 1st expedition.

DS2 to will resume final yr (4th yr) this Saturday. It's been lovely having him at home, ds1 loves it when his brother is at home, they're besties and it helps get him out a bit more. Ds1 has just sat his graduate assessment (end of yr 2 assessment) and got news this minute that he passed, but we're not sure if there is a more senior role for him to progress to (which is annoying) apparently there'll be more feedback on Thursday. DS2 is furiously applying for jobs at the moment. I think he's realising that it's tougher out there than he thought. He's got some assessments lined up and he's doing lots of case study coaching and online test practice which i think is helping.

I've mastered swimming, moving the head from side to side, floating, swimming a bit on the back but would love to learn how to swim with my head above water (breast stroke) so there's continuos breathing but the instructor said that is 'bad swimming', apparently, and those people don't know how to swim. I'm not convinced.. They look like they're having fun to me, and I intend to learn how they do it, on my own if I have to, the arms i've got, but the 'frog leg' seems to elude. I can see what i'm meant to do, but my legs just flail about.