Featured photo: Image by Wokandapix from Pixabay
And here we are again. Results day for GCSE’s. To many people today is either one of the best or worst day’s of their life but it really does not have to be. Even if you do not get the grades you have wanted there are still so many options out there – including so many programs that can be taken advantage of.
GCSEs are not the be all end all, and that is truer today than ever before. For some of us the traditional educational system just does not suit us – and there’s nothing wrong with that. For myself I only obtained two C’s for my GCSE’s which is like a 4 in the current system (with my lowest grade being a G in maths – yikes!) but I was nonetheless still so proud of my two C’s – especially the one I got in Science as that is what I studied hardest for.
For me the issue was having missed a year and a half of education due to mental health issues that stemmed from not fitting into a mainstream school setting due to my Autism and Selective Mutism. So that already put me far behind by the time I was finally able to get into a school that more supported my educational needs and circumstances (and it was a really great school that I had some of my best child/teenhood years at).
Unfortunately when we have certain situations or circumstances that crop up – such as mental health – the system does not care for it and will plough on ahead and happily leave us behind. But that is none of our own fault. Mental health can become dangerous if not dealt with so simply trying to barrel through it for the sake of pleasing the educational system simply just is not worth it.
Especially a system that is reluctant to make changes for you when you need them (the Educational board made us fight for what I needed which is one of the reasons it took as long as it did). Again these things are just out of our control. And it also isn’t always just down to mental health either. The style of learning used may work for many but it will never work for everyone – it is impossible.
Everyone is different and so everyone learns differently and often times the one way someone needs to learn something is simply not practiced where they are and so they fall behind.
Again – the way the system works is not your fault. As long as you tried your hardest under whatever the circumstances were then that is all that matters. The future still holds many possibilities if you look for them – especially with the great resource of the world wide web right at our finger tips.
I myself doubted for a long time that I could ever be eligible to get into an area I was interested in due to all that I went through and the end result. But as time has gone on I have proved to myself more and more that this is not the case. It is so easy to learn things yourself now via endless free (and paid) resources on the web. So if the traditional system does not fit you (such as going into university, college, etc) then there are still other ways.
After having completed free IT-related courses over the last 2-years I am now on my way towards eventually getting a job in a sector I want – tech/IT/computers etc – which are one of my interests. And every day I am using free resources to learn more and more about the systems and software I shall be using – and also learning JavaScript with future plans to learn other programming languages.
There are always other paths and other choices available as long as you do not give up and remain determined. Know when to push yourself – know when to take a break – and try your best to make it fun and rewarding. And most of all do not be too hard on yourself – it is important to remain as positive as possible as that makes learning smoother. If you become too negative and start believing you cannot do something then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
And also remember – learning is life-long. Keep refreshed on what you know – learn about new related things that come about to keep your area of expertise fresh and up to date – and learn new things to keep your mind active and healthy.
And if/when you need some support there are organisations out there. Some that have helped me include local and regional Autism and learning difficulty and disability-related organisations – some others out there include Scope and Remploy. The Prince’s Trust is one for vulnerable young adults aged 11-30. There are many mental health organisations and support groups out there such as Mind.
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