Post-Exam and Pre-University Pride.

A couple of things inspire this (thoroughly pointless) post. One, the fact that it is results day for A-Level and BTEC students (not forgetting Scottish Highers last week!) and two, my own sense of nostalgia.

As is usual at this time, commentary on social media appears to either: 1) champion the success of those who got the grades or place they were after, or 2) highlight to those who might not have received the place they wished, that success in life is not dependent on going through Higher Education. Now both of these perspectives are completely fair and justified in their attempt to instill a sense of pride into their respective audiences and indeed pride in individual achievement is important (it is, after all, completely free, which in these financially trying times makes it all the more valuable!)

However sometimes, I find myself wondering about how the instilling of pride in oneself, an individual or a group crosses the line of disparaging another and a common feature I have come across in my work with students is that for one reason or another, they either lack or have lost the pride in their work and in themselves for what they have achieved, even if it might be something small and the restoration of this is the first (and quite possibly if I think about it, the most important) step to putting them back on the path to success.

Quite possibly the reason I way the work in such a fashion and look at the person as well as the work is because I had my pride attacked repeatedly before, during and after (yes it still goes on if you are wondering), studying and so I know what it's like and how it made me feel to be asked "English Literature!? (or Gothic Literature for my postgraduate) what use is that going to be?" as if because I was not doing a course which would instantly enable me to be a good little contributor to society I was in some way a sorry insult for a human being. Here's another anecdote from the world of work. My first job out of undergraduate was for a media agency and during the interview we were asked "What are you most proud of?" Now perhaps you might think I was young and naive then to think that "My degree!" was an appropriate answer because that's exactly what the interviewer evidently thought when they said disparagingly "Ugh (yes they said "Ugh!") anyone can pass University, choose something else!"

I later found out that the person who was interviewing me did not pass University and realised then that their attitude toward me stemmed from a need to construct their own sense of self-pride at the expense of my own. This was not and is not, OK. Unfortunately there are a lot of misconceptions and myths about what and who University is for as well as what it is that students are or should be, some of them very old-fashioned ideas, others more modern and maybe if I have time, I will write more to challenge some of these, but for the moment, I will focus on the right to feel proud.

As I said at the start, people who tout their success without University are not wrong, you do not need to go to University ("I need to get a degree to get a good job" I hear someone say, but careers and University is another topic for another day!), you want to go and there is nothing wrong with that, just as there is nothing wrong with being proud of yourself. It should also be noted that even if you want to go to University but didn't get the grades or can't take up your place for whatever reason, there are still avenues for you to pursue to get what you want, it is not a forgone conclusion that you either go or do not go.

Unfortunately you might find people like I did, who take a bizarre pleasure in tearing your pride away from you and in making you feel worthless, but hang on to it. You have achieved so much already and when times gets hard (they will, they always do) fall back on your pride, not in a nasty vicious way aimed at others, but quietly, where you can look in the mirror and remember that you are good enough for reaching this point. If you have trouble with that...you can always find me and I will tell you how you appear to me.

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