Can you be successful without GCSE'S
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I think it is harder to get a foot in the door with larger companies if you do not have any qualifications, obviously a lot of people manage to get started in smaller companies and work their way up from there (and I know a few of these people).
What it does seem to do is make it harder to get employed if they lose their jobs - We have a family friend who worked in a large London law firm (don't remember what he was did but he worked there for years and started at the bottom) and he earned at least £80k per year (back in 2000). He got made redundant when the company experienced problems and because he didn't have a single qualification to his name he couldn't get a job earning anything like what he was previously on (eventually he had to take a job in sales earning £20k a year). Obviously all his bills were based on a much higher salary and he had a mental breakdown.
My GFs dad trades commodities and it seems like a large number of people in that industry had very few qualifications and just started making coffee in the offices at 16. He earns an absolute packet so it is clear you can still be very successful if you are willing to work hard.
What it does seem to do is make it harder to get employed if they lose their jobs - We have a family friend who worked in a large London law firm (don't remember what he was did but he worked there for years and started at the bottom) and he earned at least £80k per year (back in 2000). He got made redundant when the company experienced problems and because he didn't have a single qualification to his name he couldn't get a job earning anything like what he was previously on (eventually he had to take a job in sales earning £20k a year). Obviously all his bills were based on a much higher salary and he had a mental breakdown.
My GFs dad trades commodities and it seems like a large number of people in that industry had very few qualifications and just started making coffee in the offices at 16. He earns an absolute packet so it is clear you can still be very successful if you are willing to work hard.
Artist for a major game studio. Worked on games such as motorstorm and lego harry potter. Failing the first time round gave me a lot of motivation to do what I truly wanted to do. Especially packing boxes in a warehouse, that gave me a kick up the ass.
It depends really, if hypothetically you're still 16-18 it's probably worth taking some kind of qualification at a FE college as you've still got potentially up to four years of free education left, and without GCSEs there's a good chance they'll push you to take some.
Yes you can, but as people have said before it's getting more and more difficult - you need to make up for your lack of qualifications with passion, drive, determination and above all competence in the job your doing.
More and more companies have specific apprenticeship and graduate schemes which require GCSEs, A-Levels, degree etc just to get on to them. It's basically a numbers game, getting qualifications like GCSEs and A-Levels it should make it easier to get better paid jobs all things being equal.
Do you like doing stuff with your hands? Trying going into industry, skilled workers tend to command decent salaries. I worked at an oil refinery on placement and you could become and apprentice at 16. If you passed and became a fully fledged operator you could be earning £60k in 5-10 years.
More and more companies have specific apprenticeship and graduate schemes which require GCSEs, A-Levels, degree etc just to get on to them. It's basically a numbers game, getting qualifications like GCSEs and A-Levels it should make it easier to get better paid jobs all things being equal.
Do you like doing stuff with your hands? Trying going into industry, skilled workers tend to command decent salaries. I worked at an oil refinery on placement and you could become and apprentice at 16. If you passed and became a fully fledged operator you could be earning £60k in 5-10 years.
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You need good grades to be an electrician/plumber.. it's a lot harder than when I did my NVQ3 in IT.
Soldato
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You dont need GCSEs to be a successful pornstar. Though it helps to have a PHD 
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i left school with no gcses above d but i managed to go to college soon got 3 nvqs, 2 a levels and i am now a chef at 21 and i managed my own public house at 19 (which is what i wanna do) and before that was a kindergarten teacher
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Caporegime
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I know Alan Sugar always gets trotted out as an example in this debate but can anyone think of anyone younger? The world isn't the same today as it was when he was growing up.
G.c.what?.e's
I take it you mean those bits of paper they gave me after 15 years in prison, sorry school.
Albeit, a way of going to college, which is probably their only worth to my existence (which college definitely wasn't) I haven't removed them from the loft where my mum keeps them in 15years nearly.
Since then I've had maybe 8 or 9 jobs and could have lied on every single one and they would have been none the wiser.
Saying that mind, I did learn a hell of a lot in school, but I would say my grades as good as they were don't reflect anywhere as much as I know now. Experience > revision.
I take it you mean those bits of paper they gave me after 15 years in prison, sorry school.
Albeit, a way of going to college, which is probably their only worth to my existence (which college definitely wasn't) I haven't removed them from the loft where my mum keeps them in 15years nearly.
Since then I've had maybe 8 or 9 jobs and could have lied on every single one and they would have been none the wiser.
Saying that mind, I did learn a hell of a lot in school, but I would say my grades as good as they were don't reflect anywhere as much as I know now. Experience > revision.
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Don't employers check your school records/credit record/criminal record?
No they do not, like they have time or money to do that. (maybe in canada they have a centralised database)
I dont think there even is a central database for gcse's and A levels is there in the UK is there. (unless you pay, and business can't be ****** with that)
Half the time employers don't even bother to phone your references.
One lad that I look up to ever since I met him, didn't have a single GCSE to his name. He worked a few electronics positions and set a goal to himself to be an FPGA designer, own a fast car and a big TV.
He took the path of an apprenticeship and got his BTEC. This took him to university and he work at it as though it was a 9 - 5 job, got up early everyday and busted his arse for the weekdays and just relaxed and did nothing on the weekends.
He didn't get a single bit of coursework or project result below an A. When we graduated he came 4th in the year and had a little difficulty in getting a job. The interviews were fine but his Southern tones were a bit much for some interviewers who turned their nose at him (including GHCQ and Lockheed). It wasn't long till he was snapped up as an FPGA programmer enjoying the good life.
It's definitely possible to be successful but it certainly makes things a lot harder without an education to back you up. If you've got a good attitude and you work hard, anything is possible.
He took the path of an apprenticeship and got his BTEC. This took him to university and he work at it as though it was a 9 - 5 job, got up early everyday and busted his arse for the weekdays and just relaxed and did nothing on the weekends.
He didn't get a single bit of coursework or project result below an A. When we graduated he came 4th in the year and had a little difficulty in getting a job. The interviews were fine but his Southern tones were a bit much for some interviewers who turned their nose at him (including GHCQ and Lockheed). It wasn't long till he was snapped up as an FPGA programmer enjoying the good life.
It's definitely possible to be successful but it certainly makes things a lot harder without an education to back you up. If you've got a good attitude and you work hard, anything is possible.
You can be successfull still it just means you start from the bottom and have to work your way up. The higher the standard of education then generally higher up you start on the ladder. However if your good at your job and work your wAy up from 16 then those 5-6 years experiance will count more then a degree from most universities.
