Are A-Levels really the only boarding pass to success?

Thursday 18th August 2016, a normal day for some, but for second year college students, today is make-or-break day. For many, A-Levels are the first class ticket to university.

On the other hand, some students have sat their exams with no idea what they want to ‘be when they grow up’, therefore there’s no direction for them post-college.

Of course, not every student will walk away thrilled, some people don’t pass. Because of this, students are rejected from their chosen uni placement and think; “This is it.”

But is it? The majority of our Juice Academy social media apprentices have completed A-Levels with no desire to go to uni, hence their choice to become an apprentice.

Take a look at three of our current Juice Academy girl’s A-Level stories:

“Since starting sixth form and being introduced to UCAS and university courses, everyone wanted to go and I decided to jump onto the ‘bandwagon’. Exams passed and the closer it got to results day, the more I realised I really didn’t want to go university. Instead, I started looking for apprenticeships which is when I found The Juice Academy. I now work full-time in something I’m passionate about.”

Kate Thomson – The Landing

“I got my results last year. Due to personal reasons, I missed one full term at college and only ever got back into one of my three subjects and had to do a lot of self-teaching. I’d already received an unconditional offer from Salford Uni but suddenly decided I wanted to take a gap year before going to university. I’m so glad I did because it meant coming across The Juice Academy. I’m so excited about my life and future and can actually see myself being more successful than if I’d gone along with my original plan!”

Karla Threlfall – Hamilton Davies Trust

"I didn't know what I wanted to do at university so I just applied to any course that would take my predicted UCAS points. I studied Music Industry Management for about three months until I realised that uni and the course simply wasn't for me. I stuck at my course for the year but failed miserably in the end- I just didn't enjoy it. However, if it wasn't for my course, I would never have found my love for digital marketing where I gave it a little shot in my current job and eventually applied to The Juice Academy. Now I love my job, my course and life. Not the ideal circumstances to get to where I want to be, but definitely worth the wait!"

Chelsie Wright-McNulty – Run2

These aren’t the only apprentices that think this way, and maybe you do too! Are you stuck in a rut with your next steps at the moment? Perhaps you didn’t get the A-Level results you hoped for, or maybe you did but have decided that uni really isn’t for you?

We’re taking on more social media apprenticeships this Autumn. If you’re interested in kick-starting your digital marketing career, apply for our boot camp on Thursday 20th October.