Thread 56 – Covid GCSE Cohort – Spring 26 – Yr 4 Uni and Graduates

[crazycrofter]

The old thread has filled up and no one noticed - I think we're missing @oblomov26 sharp eyes!

I've tried to tag in everyone I can think of, but apologies to anyone I've missed!
@shimy @endlessdistraction @justherewithmypopcorn @mummyinbeds @aslockton @oubliettebravo @craggyrat @anothernewname460 @ealingwestmum @ewwsprouts @seeline @piggywaspushed @nctdn @icanbewhatiwant @comefromaway @heifer @kingscotestaff @delphigirl @zebracat @cantonet @socks1107 @blinkbonny @anneofcleavage

@Aslockton he is much better today. It was the river pollution I'm sure as he wasn't the only one. He was so poorly. Back to work though now as 48 hours are up. Nothing yet re Forces. Weekly messaging to Navy and RAF - never hears any progressand no progress on portal. SARs submitted to GP and hospital a week ago for Army - they have 28 days to comply i believe. Uploaded the Cambridge GP blank record as never saw them. And so it goes on.. !

So frustrating for your Ds @craggyrat - fingers crossed for some progress soon. Glad he’s feeling better - river pollution sickness sounds grim!

@BlueMarigold Dd is at Nottingham so not relevant to you but she gets her final mark (the dissertation) on 10th July and graduates on 29th. Amazingly all her work is being marked, despite the strikes. Ds’ isn’t though - but it doesn’t matter too much being first year. When is your DD’s graduation?

@Piggywaspushed would the press officer role be helpful as a career step even if unpaid?

@BlueMarigold DDs results come out on 2/7 with her graduation on 15/7. She has had her final mark - 75 for her dissertation - so has a pretty good idea of final classification, but waiting on confirmation 🤞
We're just back from a family holiday to Mallorca - I think we all needed a rest! DD still has no job, and doesn't really know what she is looking for which doesn't help. At the moment, she still has her role as a Student Ambassador so is applying for everything she can there - doing quite well as lots of students have returned home for the summer. Her contract lasts until the end of September, so she could even apply for all the Freshers week shifts if she can fins a spare sofa to sleep on!

Yes, that's his thinking and it's probably true.

Not sure I’ve posted on here before but DS is in this cohort. He deferred his first year & although he’s loved his course and made good friends he has struggled mentally - the uni have been amazing though.
He's just applying for jobs now and he’ll use a local careers service when he gets home in a couple of weeks.
He's done a tough STEM degree and has had customer service jobs, but nothing related to his subject. He was going to do the integrated masters but changed his mind so didn’t apply for internships last year.
And to join in, he’s never had a gf either - I think the timing of Covid didn’t help. It’s when his MH issues came more to the fore and a burgeoning gf situation was cut short. He hates online dating but I hope one day he’ll meet a nice girl 🥰 his older cousin (30) has just got his first serious gf (idk if he’s had one before & if no it would’ve been very casual).

DS has just received his results and obtained a First! Really proud since I know how hard he has worked this year. Graduation is the end of July and we're off on a family holiday before that. This is the first summer that he's not working for the last 4 years which I have suggested/encouraged since he starts his graduate job in Sept (SW engineer in defence sector). He's already been on holiday with his GF and he has a week away with the lads coming up before joining us on a family holiday. He has spent the last few days having a room clear out (much appreciated) and selling old tech via CEX/ebay. Who knew that he would get a few hundred quid for monitors/keyboards/Skylanders, etc gathering dust.

Welcome @Lentilcakes - it's never too late to join us! Well done to your ds for persevering despite his struggles and good luck to him with the job hunting!

Congratulations to ds @sansou - on the first and grad job! You must be very proud! I assume he's living at home?

Dd has also been clearing out her room; we've had to buy her a metal framed loft bed, because the rabbits had been chewing her old bed, and jumping on top of her in the night. 😫On the plus side, there's now more room for them to run around and she has a desk and lots of storage underneath the bed.

Ds is working full time at Tesco and seeing friends around work hours so we haven't seen much of him. I can't wait for dd to start her new job as she needs the routine; for the time being she's still going back to Nottingham every weekend to see friends and help with the youth group.

That's fantastic @sansou ! Well done to your DS. And welcome @Lentilcakes . I've now got germs from DS and feeling v sorry for myself

Thanks for the welcome! Congrats to @sansouDS! We won’t find out DS classification until later in the summer as he missed a couple of exams due to MH crisis & hell he’ll be taking them in the ‘summer season’ - he does get all his other results next week 🙏 which will be dissertation and the end of last semester exams,

Hi everyone! Hope all is well. I’ve had a read of the updates - good to hear good news (@sansou, @Oblomov26 ) and sorry to hear of frustrations (@piggywaspushed but good news re recent interviews). I do feel for this generation of job hunters, it is absolutely brutal.

My DS has had his degree result already - 2.i which he is delighted with, and has embarked on a summer of fun travel and frolics. He has done a uni surf trip to northern Spain which was @one of the best weeks of my life” to a 4 day electronic music festival in Anglesey which was “honestly the best 4 days of my life, Mum” (🤣) to a few days at home to sleep and do his washing and is now hiking in the dolomites with his girlfriend before joining us (with gf) on a family villa holiday in France.

He had a second interview for an offshore survey grad job he really wants in between the surfing and dancing and is hoping to hear maybe today. Fingers crossed! If that doesn’t work out he will get freelance work and keep applying.

youngest Dd is still cheffing and v happy and earning well, I’ve told her she doesn’t have to move out on 1 July as previously threatened - not least because I have a new puppy coming on 18 July and could do with the assistance!

Lots of lovely updates (apart from you catching the lurgy @craggyrat hope it doesn’t last too long).

DD is working 12 hour days at Royal Ascot this week, I am taxiing her to and from the station (different line to ours) and she is coming home shattered but enjoying it. She is stewarding including crowd control around the Royal Family which I am more excited about than she is! It all seems very organised. Next week she is doing a lifeguarding course (her house for next year is very close to a sports centre so hoping to get a position there) and she has also got a job in a local pub here who have said they will want her back in her other holidays so that’s her set up for now. DS is busy with his part time and self employed work plus volunteering, he hasn’t applied for any FT roles for a month or so (needed a break) but a very promising one has just popped up so working on that one.

Great news re your two youngest @Delphigirl - well done to ds on his degree result and good luck with the job! Glad the cheffing is going well...

Your two also sound very busy @EffortlesslyDistracted ! Royal Ascot sounds exciting and doing a lifeguarding course is such a good idea; people always recommend that as a good earner for youngsters don't they. I never suggested it to my two as they're far too ADHD to be trusted.... Ds told me this morning the 'good news' that although his deadline extension was rejected for his latest data coursework (he's used up all his extenuating circumstances!), he'd got the deadline wrong by a day so it was 'only' one day late after all, so he only lost 5 marks and still ended up with a first! So chaotic, but somehow it works...

Good luck to your ds with the latest job application too @EffortlesslyDistracted .

What a rollercoaster @crazycrofter but WELL DONE to your DS, that’s fab!

That's great news @Delphigirl ! And also @crazycrofter ! I feel absolutely terrible. Think it is a chest infection now

@craggy I’ve been off work for 5 full days (never ever happens) with the most awful bug - rivers of snot, headache, fever for first few days then as snot dried up, a chesty productive cough and so so bone-exhausted. I really hope you don’t have the same but if you do it is a full week plus.

@crazycrofterDS came home at the end of May and went off on holiday with his GF. His job is based 300 miles away (5 hrs' drive) so he needs to find a room/flat/house share for a Sept start. He knows the area at least, having spent his industrial placement year there.This time round, he'll have more than minimum wage to live on so drinks will be on him when we visit. DD starts uni in Sept - I can truly say that I've never been so glad that they didn't overlap. DH & I can finally have some childfree non peak season holidays at last!

Definitely worth taking old tech to CEX. DS got £150 for a box of very old Skylanders which was sitting on a garage shelf - remember those? He also got £100 cash for a PS3 & £80 for an old monitor. Cash value is less than value in shop credit but I reminded him that the point was to get rid of our junk and not accummulate more and he cba to sell on ebay/FB marketplace for potentially more.

Ooh lots of good news with degree classifications coming through. Congratulations to the DC. Lovely to hear of jobs being lined up in these really tough times and of fun travels.

@craggyrat Sorry you are poorly. It's such a pretty river.

@Delphigirl Puppy envy! How exciting.

No GF for DS that we know of. He has a very active social life but it centres around sport, plays tennis in four different leagues. He was practice fodder for a lovely young lady yesterday who is on a sports scholarship to an American university though 🤔

I have news!

DS1 has a job!

I mean it's not a grad job but it's a better job than retail and is 30 hours a week as opposed to 16. He still had to do tests to get a £13 ph job , which is mad! But they were very impressed with his level of maths.

It's basically working in the office of a local bus company. Hopefully it does have some prospects. And hopefully, he doesn't hate it.

PS went to see Paddington in London last night (nightmare on trains getting back though - that crash was very close to my house) . I recommend Paddington. It was joyous.

That's brilliant news @Piggywaspushed !

@Delphigirl that is exactly what I have. You have my sympathy. It is just horrendous. Luckily yesterday when I felt really bad was NWD andI also i don't work Mondays so am hoping will be mich better by Tuesday.

@sansou Skylanders - I think DS had that. Did you buy little figures with it? I've probably still got Go Go's somewhere in his old playroom aka the conservatory...

Do Skylanders still sell? We have a box full!

@Piggywaspushed well done to your DS! Onwards and upwards!
@craggyrat eurgh sorry to hear that. I hope yours is a milder dose than mine was.

Going to find that box!!!
Great news on the whole job front everyone. DD is still looking.

This thread popped up on my timeline and I realised I haven't posted for ages.

Congrats on all the good news regarding results and job offers! Such a relief @Piggywaspushed !

S2 (this cohort) has amazingly got a job starting next week. It's came about as a result of a connection he made during his placement year. A bit of a trek from where we live but I'm hoping that will spur him on to move in with friends or work colleagues eventually! Food bill has doubled since he came home two weeks ago!

He will need to drive to get there and hasn't long passed his test and really needs a lot more driving practice in order to not stress out his parents when passengers.... so that is a bit of a worry.

No degree classification yet but that's less important than having secured a job.