General Chat

see daniel you had my respect and then you blew it! i work a full time job, and in my spare time i'm doing an NVQ level 4, i'm a year into an OU degree, qualifying as an adult literacy supporter and i'm about to start my civilian teaching awards. as well as paying a mortgage, fitting a kitchen and keeping my lady happy. and they say they dont make em like they used to eh daniel?

dan night classes might be your only option if you really want the i.t qualificationxxxx(:

Hard work now will reap dividends later. We know what we're talking (sometimes).

Hi Daniel, nice to see you around. I am absolutely appalled that your school can't get you a clear timetable on just 3 subjects - how on earth do they manage GCSEs??? There is no way you should have to drop a subject just because they haven't got their act together very well. This happened to me - my school wouldn't let me do music for 'A' level because I was the only one wanting to do it ... but this was over 20 years ago! By the time the LEA agreed to me transferring schools, I'd lost all interest and just wanted a job. I would hate this to happen to any enthusiastic young person nowadays. You must go ahead and talk to your Head of Year (or whoever) and get this sorted out, even if it means changing schools/colleges. You don't want to be looking back with regret in a few years' time! Good luck - and keep us posted! Mandy :)

Daniel, I am surprised that the college agreed with your choice of subjects as they must have had an idea of what would be possible. As for what to drop... well I.T is the way things are going but if you are computer literate and know your way around, you will probably improve those skills naturally as time goes on. It also depends on your chosen career. Good luck! Paul, I wish the Government would get the idea that sparkies and plumbers are important and re-introduce the apprenticeship schemes. I feel there is too much pressure on students today to get high marks and go onto Uni. Maybe areas differ but that is certainly how it is around here. Jacky :-)

Thanks for the advice. I do know that I am in charge of my own life and can actually do whatever I want regarding education in the future. I am not going to put myself under unnessecery stress through going to a night school for however many hours it would be. I have about 50 years more time to do an I.T class, if indeed i end up doing one at all, so I think i'll stick to my Geography and English for the foreseeable future.

Jackie, I really agree with you there. My son attends a school which is renowned locally for being 'academic' but at his GCSE info evening last year, they were brilliant and stressed that there is a huge shortage of skilled tradesmen. We were very impressed by their attitude, and we've actually been stressing to our son that he doesn't have to go to uni. But it's still very disappointing that a school can't be organised enough to support a child who does want to study further.

Daniel i am surprised that the school have let you et this far without realising that the subjects clashed. i assume yours is a sixth form in the school youw ere attending and not a sixth form college? My grandson had to shope around for a six form college that allowed him to fit in the subjects he wanted to do. i don't think it is feasible to try and do IT if you have to miss so many lessons. if it is any consolation, my son (in the 80s) wanted to go into IT He was advised at the time that geography was a better A level to take than IT for the purpose because there is a lot of statistics in geography. So he didn't take IT and ended up as a systems Analyst. Are you intending to go to uni or to go straight into the family business? If you aren't going to uni you could put IT on the back burner and do IT after you finish A levels at school. I found it quite easy to do A levels at evening classes (and I was in my 30s/40s at the time. Ann Glos

Do you intend going on to Uni. ?? If not - would it matter if you dropped I.T. ? Are you working towards a career ? Do you have any idea what you want to do for a job? Perhaps with your computer skills you could knock up a fake degree, then you wouldn't have to do any 'A'.s at all! Magsx

jackie, the government does do apprenticeships, thats what i do for a living! its getting employers to enrol their workforce thats the problem. apprenticeships have recently been given more government money than ever before. it's bosses that need educating. plumbers and sparkies, plasterers etc are making more money on average than graduates nowadays! paul...

I do intend to go to university but do a politics course, which, i can't learn about at the sixth form. I'm basically only there to build up A levels in the subjects that I like- English, Geography and I.T.

Keep thinking of relevant little bits to add to this!! Ann, similar happened with my hubby. Got 3 'A' levels - none in IT! - failed his first year exams at uni and never went back. Taken on as a trainee in a computer dept and now in his early 40s, he is a senior manager in the IT dept of a multi-national company. So you don't need IT 'A' level (well at least he didn't, and he's done ok!!). Dan, my son's school have mentioned that Geography is a very useful 'A' level.

Hello Daniel, I work with students in Cambridge, (Clare college), and I see how stressful it can be, fitting in all those subjects!I'm sure you will get it sorted, and one day have that degree in politics!.. Keep plodding!

Hi Daniel, If you're planning on going to university you'll need to have 3 A-Levels if you want to go to a "good one" as it'll be impossible to get the necessary points with only 2 A-Levels. Are there any courses you'd be interested in which wouldn't clash? Can't believe your school can't manage their timetable better! I did 5 A-Levels at the same time and none of my lessons clashed! Amy x

I think what ever I pick it'll clash. The geography is worth 2 A's in itself i think. I'll have to check that. All will be sorted out. No worries here.

I have got history GCSE, I didn't quite like doing it but got a B in it. I prefer history, such as ealier centuries. We did Vietnam, WW1 etc.

Daniel, If you intend to take politics at Uni then taking history, sociology or another language would be a good replacement for IT. Crista

My daughter is in the upper 6th and has dropped IT after AS level. She is concentrating on Physics, accounting and Psycology and she will re-take her IT just for the AS. In practice IT isn't any use for people who want to make a career in computing because its all about spreadsheets and stuff - not about making networks work etc. Anyway computing moves too fast for any school to keep up. Daniel - I would have thought that English and Geography (both "hard" subjects) would be a good start but, if you don't get the grades, will that give you enough UCAS points for your chosen uni? I would have thought a language, even to AS level only would be a good idea. Remember too that it is important to have outside interests related to your subject as this will come up at interview. By the way - If anyone who thinks this stuff is easy could you please explain how to resolve Keppler's 3rd law in terms of T^2 (P^2) in America. (I am trying to keep up but it is hard) Bob

Bob, aren't you just fed up with the fact that every year when the results come out off 'they' go again moaning about how much easier exams are today than they were? I don't believe they are, the kids have to work really hard, and not just at exam times but all year round as some of their course work counts. And they taake a lot more subjects than we did. I admire them all, no matter what their grades, as long as they pass within their ability, one person getting a C is equivalent to a much brighter person getting an A*. Ann Glos

Hi Daniel, I have a son just starting A levels so I sympathise. Luckily he was able to do all 3 he wanted at 6th form. However my eldest son had the same problem as you when he was at a college of further education and they organised for him to go to a school 6th form nearby so he could do Art A level aswell as his other subjects. Good luck whatever you decide. Rose