GCSE results day: Susie's story
We know that GCSE results day can bring up a range of emotions. We want to wish a huge good luck to everyone getting their results this week, and we want to emphasise the wide range of route to success after school or college. There's more than one path and everyone is different!
We caught up with one of our past learners, Susie, about her GCSE results day experience:
I felt petrified on the lead up to my GCSE results day. The anticipation was hard to bear. I didn’t think I’d pass no matter how much work I actually put in. These were my first major exams and I was struggling with an undiagnosed learning difficulty.
I got no support from my school for it besides one teacher really trying to help me focus in English, she’ll always be my favourite teacher for that.
I didn’t know what I wanted to do after I finished school. At one point I wanted to go into furniture making. My art teacher told me not to - she sat down with me and helped me apply for a college in Liverpool to do art and design. I got in and enjoyed the course, but my mental health got a hold on me, my dad passed away and I suffered depression like I’d never seen before. It impacted my grades, and I nearly failed the course.
After the course my world had completely changed. I had this new qualification and a new outlook on life after my dad’s passing. I had no clue what to do with myself or who I was anymore. I was stuck when trying to get jobs. I wasn’t getting the interviews for the jobs I wanted, and university didn’t seem like an option to me. I wanted to progress my career and find who I was again, but I had no clue how to do it. They don’t teach you that in school!
After all that, and really not knowing what to do to progress, a family friend told me about The Learning Foundry. She was going sign up as well, but she changed her mind. I still showed up, petrified, thinking what have I just got myself into? What did I just sign up for? Did I even read what was on the leaflet? Wait, oh god, this is 3 months?!
Now, knowing what The Learning Foundry had in store for me, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I met amazing people, got so much support and did amazing things I never thought I’d do. I even went gorge walking! As part of my course I completed a work placement at The Regenda Group doing graphic design for 8 weeks, and at the end of the placement I was lucky enough to be offered an apprenticeship. I’m now a Digital Content Apprentice designing some of the stuff you’ll see through The Learning Foundry today!
I’m able to do something I love while having a learning difficulty I thought would hold me back forever. I’d say to someone looking for their next steps, if you’ve got some time to spare and are eager to learn, try out The Learning Foundry. Do something you love and become something you knew, deep down, you could be.
Want to chat about your next steps? Call us on 0300 123 8088 or email info@thelearningfoundry.co.uk