A-Level results are being dropped left, right and centre today. Our future doctors, teachers, technicians and inventors are nervously peeling open envelopes to be told the next chapter in their journey towards fulfilling their ambitions.
For some, the Whoopers-Of-Delight, they get to gloriously relay their hard-earned results to friends, families, strangers on Facebook and the relief is overwhelming.
But what if things didn't go to plan?
Do the dreaded resits loom? Or maybe just total abandonment and readjustment of your career path?
I'm one of the strong believers that A-Levels are seriously overrated. Hitting my late teens in crop tops, rounded sunglasses and platforms, I dropped out of my A-Levels as I had no idea what I wanted to do - but I knew I no longer fitted into a school environment. I wanted to get out there, to work in the here-and-now and in that time I had some amazing jobs before I stumbled across marketing. On the other hand, I have watched my fabulously talented younger sister breeze through school, not a detention in sight, with a clear vision of being an illustrator and who is now heading to Arts University Bournemouth. In her case, as with those in a similar situation, I think the system works beautifully.
But I look at the teenagers, the almost-adults, our wonderfully complex Generation Z and think, "It's all a bit much, isn't it?".
The lack of understanding of two exam questions could determine what you do for the rest of your life. At 18, is this why our teens are a little more grown-up than they should be?
Gloriously, what's wonderful and offers us university-dodgers a little ray of hope, is we are now more immersed in the digital world. This opens up amazing opportunities to young people (I feel bitter that I now write about "young people" and am no longer considered one!) who can thrive regardless of the boundaries which are set out by the exam system. We see online entrepreneurs in their early 20s reaping the rewards of being out-of-the-box-non-conformers and it's bloody marvellous to see they have as much of an equal footing as the candidates that make it to university.
So whilst we celebrate those successful results, this is for all those who didn't quite make the grade.
We say to you that a handful of exams do not define your hard work, your ambition, your dedication or your abilities . You are no less intelligent or driven and no goal is too big for you to achieve. Keep at it. Keep going. Carve out a path that suits you and be as amazing as we know you are.
Ps: Cath Kidson didn't go to university and now she's a multi-millionaire.
