By Rhiannon Wilson
When I took my A Levels and it came round to results time I had already anticipated that I had not done well at all. By this time I was already stressed and worried because of all the work I had handed in that I had already had a back up plan by applying for a BTEC.
The day before results day I found myself becoming increasingly stressed until I thought if I have a plan B then I’m not really in trouble. I thought at the time that a levels would be the only way to go to university and that university was the only way to get a good qualification.
On results day I had one pass and two fails I had already dropped my fourth as earlier on in the year and realised I would have to take up a BTEC. When I got home I was depressed and thought I was useless for not being good enough.
Throughout the day listening to friends and hearing other people’s stories I realised grade boundaries had gone up and most of my friends had similar grades to mine. I wasn’t useless or stupid but A levels just wasn’t for me couldn’t learn in the environment well and the stress was overwhelming me.
Going into a BTEC I began to learn about other vocational qualifications such as traineeships and apprenticeships. I wasn’t learning well doing a BTEC either and I have always worked best in a more practical working environment and an apprenticeship was my answer for that.
But those results didn’t stop me moving forward and for me those results didn’t matter anymore because there is always a solution. I didn’t need to be depressed about my results because actually they did not define me they did not make me who I am today and as long as your willing to work hard you can pretty much go into any career you like. 
