I talk about how getting lower grades in school does not mean you have to settle for less. School is not for everyone and we can create our own pathways.

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Post author By Charlie August 25, 2022
Lower Grades are not the End of the World
theweeklyrambler.com/lower-grades-are-not-the-end-of-the-world/
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).

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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.

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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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