Do you ever wish you did things different in your career?

idahoblues said:
It’s crazy looking back at school in the 70’s and how negative everything was, being told you’ll be lucky to get anything. The first time coming to the US blew me away on how positive everyone was and how they wished nothing but the best for me, so accommodating and helpful
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So tue about the 70’s. Your future was decided at 11, the middle classes ensured that on the whole, their kids got the Grammar School places and the working class kids were shipped off to a Secondary Modern school that would prepare the working class kids for the jobs that the middle class parents didn’t want their kids to do.
 
My only regret is not finishing my degree course but the rub is that if I had got down and studied properly and stopped partying I probably wouldn’t have broke up with my then girlfriend (my only personal regret is the way that finished) nor would I have ended up in the job where I met my wife and the life I have had since.

In other words things happen for a reason. Maybe.
 
Citizen of Legoland said:
My only regret is not finishing my degree course but the rub is that if I had got down and studied properly and stopped partying I probably wouldn’t have broke up with my then girlfriend (my only personal regret is the way that finished) nor would I have ended up in the job where I met my wife and the life I have had since.

In other words things happen for a reason. Maybe.
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I can relate to this with a slight variation.
My then girlfriend broke up with me after a 15 month relationship early in the final year of my degree course.
I was gutted at the time but buried my head in my studies.
Had that relationship continued I would have ended up with a shit grade degree and I wouldn’t have been able to train for the job I did after Uni.
Eventually I ran my own business with my Mrs, she did the meet, greet and all the small talk with the clients, I did all the technical stuff.
A mate of mine said to me when we were both teenagers there are girls you go out with and there are girls you marry.
Very wise words from someone so young.
Like you said things happen for a reason.
 
halfmist said:
So tue about the 70’s. Your future was decided at 11, the middle classes ensured that on the whole, their kids got the Grammar School places and the working class kids were shipped off to a Secondary Modern school that would prepare the working class kids for the jobs that the middle class parents didn’t want their kids to do.
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not strictly true mate...all i had to do was pass me 11+ exam, no money changed hands...plenty from my low end demographic went to Grammar School...
 
Resurrection Joe... said:
not strictly true mate...all i had to do was pass me 11+ exam, no money changed hands...plenty from my low end demographic went to Grammar School...
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I would say that those from very low incomes were put off attending grammar schools due to not wanting to stand out as being working class. The uniforms and sports kit costs were enough to put most off.

I passed my 11+ and was given the choice but I knew my parents would struggle to pay for everything so told them I didn’t want to go (although really I did). You grow up very aware of your situation at a very young age when you’re poor.
 
Citizen of Legoland said:
I would say that those from very low incomes were put off attending grammar schools due to not wanting to stand out as being working class. The uniforms and sports kit costs were enough to put most off.

I passed my 11+ and was given the choice but I knew my parents would struggle to pay for everything so told them I didn’t want to go (although really I did). You grow up very aware of your situation at a very young age when you’re poor.
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there were plenty at my school without a pot to piss in..so you're saying it was your choice rather than some middle class conspiricy?....as it goes a lot of my pals did better in life after sec mod education than those ex grammar school....for what it's worth my ol man woulda packed us off ( 3 of us) to the local comp if he knew uniforms and sports kit were free!
 
Resurrection Joe... said:
there were plenty at my school without a pot to piss in..so you're saying it was your choice rather than some middle class conspiricy?....as it goes a lot of my pals did better in life after sec mod education than those ex grammar school....for what it's worth my ol man woulda packed us off ( 3 of us) to the local comp if he knew uniforms and sports kit were free!
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No not a conspiracy at all, just the way some of us felt I suppose. We experienced snobbery within our own community and it was demeaning, but it puts you off putting yourself into certain situations. Others perhaps didn’t feel being looked down upon as bad as me maybe?

Anyway, I never regretted not going to grammar school.
 
Citizen of Legoland said:
No not a conspiracy at all, just the way some of us felt I suppose. We experienced snobbery within our own community and it was demeaning, but it puts you off putting yourself into certain situations. Others perhaps didn’t feel being looked down upon as bad as me maybe?

Anyway, I never regretted not going to grammar school.
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actually, a fair point, we had a little experience of inverted snobbery, 'look at them, off to grammar school, who do they think they are?...type stuff....my dad was an army sargeant and he stamped that shit out when next home...and yeah, school was school, same exams at the end of it, all about the teaching quality and your mates i suppose. There were far better comps than grammar schools around, which were fading.
 
I passed my 11+ and went to grammar school, but found myself out of my depth academically and really struggled, more or less gave up, would have been better for me at the local comp.
 
Big Joe Corrigan said:
I passed my 11+ and went to grammar school, but found myself out of my depth academically and really struggled, more or less gave up, would have been better for me at the local comp.
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i struggled a bit...but cheated a lot....would have prob ended up on 115 charges if the rules applied back then.
 
Citizen of Legoland said:
I would say that those from very low incomes were put off attending grammar schools due to not wanting to stand out as being working class. The uniforms and sports kit costs were enough to put most off.

I passed my 11+ and was given the choice but I knew my parents would struggle to pay for everything so told them I didn’t want to go (although really I did). You grow up very aware of your situation at a very young age when you’re poor.
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Different experience for me, grew up on the roughest council estate in my area, passed the 11+ and went to grammar school. Secondary modern alternative also had uniform, designated sports kit etc so no cost difference to my parents. Plenty of rough cunts at my school too, along with the odd posh lad. In fact it was the posh lads who stood out most of the time
 
Resurrection Joe... said:
not strictly true mate...all i had to do was pass me 11+ exam, no money changed hands...plenty from my low end demographic went to Grammar School...
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I was very careful not to say all.
It also made a difference as to what your religion was and whether you were male and female. There were very few boys Catholic Grammar schools in Greater Manchester so competition was intense.
From my school, in my class, only 4 boys passed to go to Grammar Schools and 16 of the girls.
At the end of the school year the whole class was still tested to decide streaming at the senior school.
Only 2 of the girls got higher marks than me,so it seemed unfair at the time my chances had been restricted because of religion and sex.
Moving on to modern times, I had a few Clients in the Altrincham 11+ catchment area.
All were middle class and all literally paid what ever it cost to have their kids privately tutored to get them through it.
Parents of working class kids didn’t.
As another poster mentioned, the cost doesn’t stop there with the Grammar School with extra activities coming at a cost that just puts working class parents from sending their kids to the grammar schools.
 
halfmist said:
I was very careful not to say all.
It also made a difference as to what your religion was and whether you were male and female. There were very few boys Catholic Grammar schools in Greater Manchester so competition was intense.
From my school, in my class, only 4 boys passed to go to Grammar Schools and 16 of the girls.
At the end of the school year the whole class was still tested to decide streaming at the senior school.
Only 2 of the girls got higher marks than me,so it seemed unfair at the time my chances had been restricted because of religion and sex.
Moving on to modern times, I had a few Clients in the Altrincham 11+ catchment area.
All were middle class and all literally paid what ever it cost to have their kids privately tutored to get them through it.
Parents of working class kids didn’t.
As another poster mentioned, the cost doesn’t stop there with the Grammar School with extra activities coming at a cost that just puts working class parents from sending their kids to the grammar schools.
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ok...my particular Grammar school was multi denominational. i.e it accepted anyone who could pass an 11+...no fees..and certainly no private tuition....as for extra curricular school activities...didn't go on any...didn't recieve any abuse ....can only speak of my own experiences!
 
Big Joe Corrigan said:
I ended up a few years later going to evening class at a local college, managed to pass my exams there.
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My Secondary Modern English Teacher wouldn’t allow me to take O level English and said you are doing CSE as it was then.
I managed to get the Headmaster’s permission to do English Language and English Literature at night school whilst still at school with adults that were there to learn.
Result Grade 3 O levels in both of them but only a grade 3 CSE from the Secondary Modern taken in the same year.
It gave me thirst for learning so the following year I enrolled at the local college and got a further 8 O levels and it was onwards and upwards from there doing A levels at the same College then on to Uni and beyond.
There was less than 5 from that Secondary Modern who had gone on to Uni in the 17 years it had been open which speaks volumes for the quality of education.
 
Big Joe Corrigan said:
I passed my 11+ and went to grammar school, but found myself out of my depth academically and really struggled, more or less gave up, would have been better for me at the local comp.
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That is the other side of the coin.
If you’re stuck in a class with kids more intelligent than you and get left behind, the Teachers are going to concentrate on the brightest and I should imagine going to school becomes a very unpleasant experience.
What used to get me is Teachers favourites were always the brightest ones and those not so bright were either ignored or ridiculed by the Teachers.
 
halfmist said:
That is the other side of the coin.
If you’re stuck in a class with kids more intelligent than you and get left behind, the Teachers are going to concentrate on the brightest and I should imagine going to school becomes a very unpleasant experience.
What used to get me is Teachers favourites were always the brightest ones and those not so bright were either ignored or ridiculed by the Teachers.
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I’ve always said it’s easy to teach the bright kids.
 
halfmist said:
There was less than 5 from that Secondary Modern who had gone on to Uni in the 17 years it had been open which speaks volumes for the quality of education.
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I suppose it depends on the years as the increase is quite remarkable …

1960: 5% went to uni or poly
1970: 14%
1980: 15%
1990: 25%
2000: 33%

2020: 50%
 
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