As envelopes are torn open and websites refreshed on the day of high school, young people wonder if they can take the next big step in their lives. But what happens when things don’t go according to plan? With GCSEs and other results also due this month, three people whose career paths haven’t gone as expected tell us how their life paths have taken twists and turns, but have gone from strength to strength.
“When I got my UCAS offer, I immediately turned it down because it was too expensive,” says Victoria Wright of Milton Keynes.
Growing up, the 26-year-old always wanted to work in the fashion industry and applied to Bournemouth University to pursue a degree that would help her land her dream job.
But coming from the working class, she says she doesn’t want to “burden” her parents with the financial difficulties of college.
“My goal has always been to get into the beauty industry, into the fashion industry and presenting… that’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” she says.
After taking several jobs in retail and hospitality, the skills she learned helped her land a position as a junior buyer in the engineering sector.
But during one of the Covid-19 lockdowns, she decided to download the TikTok app and started posting videos.
“I had the biggest vision board you will ever see in your life,” she says.
She started out posting fashion videos in her bedroom, now works with brands as an influencer and presenter, and works in an industry she’s always wanted to be a part of.
“I’m living my 10-year dream,” says Victoria, who now has 700,000 online followers.
“I feel that it can be quite difficult to break through in the fashion industry if you don’t have the necessary qualifications.
“But when you have passion and drive, it really shines through to your audience.”
Her advice to young people is: “What should be, will be, and without taking away from people who have worked really hard…a piece of paper doesn’t define you as a person and that piece of paper doesn’t define that value.”
Kit Brown, a 23-year-old primary school teacher from Luton, never really wanted to be a teacher. He always wanted to be a footballer.
A promising young player, he was snapped up by Luton Town but five years ago his dream was shattered after he sustained an injury and was eventually sacked by the club.
He says the decision was “really tough to make” and that it was hard for him to get back up after he was convinced he could turn pro.
After making the heartbreaking decision to give up football for good and feeling the weight of expectation on his shoulders, he graduated from high school and went to Hertfordshire University to study primary school teaching.
“I’ve always had a passion for helping younger children and helping people learn, and that passion has stayed with me,” he says.
- BACKGROUND: How were grades decided?
- WATCH: What to do if you missed your grades?
- ANALYSIS: Is the university worth it?
After an “incredible” first place finish, he said he felt “this is what I want to do with my life, this is the most rewarding job in the world”.
He set up a social media account to “break the stereotype” that primary school classes are only for women.
“If I’ve inspired a person, and especially a young man, to think about a career as an elementary school teacher, I think that’s worth its weight in gold,” he says.
His advice to young people at a crossroads is: “Just because things aren’t going the way you initially envisioned, doesn’t mean something can’t turn into something that will change your life. “
If you had asked Charlotte Cliffe five years ago if she would go to university, she would have said, “Absolutely no way”.
At 38, she is now a second year student of nursing at university.
“I left school when I was 16. I didn’t want to study, I just wanted to go out and find a job,” she says.
The 38-year-old from Hertfordshire became pregnant with her first child after meeting her husband and “parking any idea of a career” to raise their children.
Without a high school diploma, she doesn’t know whether she can study at university.
But an approach to learning led her back into education, where she learned how to write essays and prepared her to take the next step of going to university.
She says, “When I first started looking into it, there was an approach to nursing course, and it was through distance learning…that meant I could study at home.”
After completing her studies, she applied to the University of Bedfordshire and was offered a place in Nursing by the Clearing Team.
After her father fell ill, she said the “fantastic care provided by the community and hospice nursing teams” inspired her to become a nurse.
She says her advice to young people is, ‘If I can do it when I’m 38 and have three kids, anyone can do it.
“There were obstacles along the way … but I proved to myself that there are ways around them.”
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