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Post by EspadaIII on Jul 20, 2023 18:04:57 GMT
Son #2 graduated today with an Integrated Masters First in Civil and Architectural Engineering at Salford University. A lovely day helped by some lovely sunshine over the Manchester Ship Canal (!) and a good cricketing day for England.
He bested his older brother who only got a First Class Honours in Real Estate two years ago...
So we have a happy family and daughter is off on a gap year shortly so I am no longer the father of school age children.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Jul 20, 2023 18:24:23 GMT
Well done. I bet you're really proud. Will he be working for you by any chance in some way? Sounds like he's well qualified for a good career.
It's nice to hear about the nice things happening amongst us. I've had mostly bad news recently.
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Proud Dad
Jul 20, 2023 20:05:56 GMT
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Post by EspadaIII on Jul 20, 2023 20:05:56 GMT
Son #1 will hopefully qualify as a chartered surveyor next year but I suspect he will stay in London so doubt he will join my firm.
Son #2 has a job with a large construction firm doing engineering design working in offices in Salford Quays and Speke. Starts in September.
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Proud Dad
Jul 21, 2023 5:38:06 GMT
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Post by Humph on Jul 21, 2023 5:38:06 GMT
Good lad!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2023 8:21:50 GMT
Congratulations to your lads, EIII. Impressive achievements.
3 years left of being a school age parent here - son going to University in September and daughter embarking on GCSE year. Time flies.
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WDB
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Jul 21, 2023 8:50:48 GMT
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Post by WDB on Jul 21, 2023 8:50:48 GMT
Well done, the next generation.
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Post by EspadaIII on Jul 21, 2023 9:48:03 GMT
Thank you.
With all the recent hoo haa about the proportion of 18 year olds going to university, it was interesting to note that the vast majority of the graduates yesterday were mainly from overseas. A mix of Indian, African and some Arab. Almost no Chinese (two?) and perhaps a handful of Europeans. British students of any ethnicity (as determined by my son who has a whole range of UK friends) made up less than 10%. Amazing subjects, especially the PhDs, and it is obvious that some nations are sending their brightest students to the UK for Engineering and Computer, especially cyber security.
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bpg
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Oct 25, 2023 13:20:32 GMT
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Post by bpg on Oct 25, 2023 13:20:32 GMT
Nothing as grand as you chaps. My youngest son is in his second last year of high school. I've mentioned before he's autistic, he's also dyslexic. He struggles with books and tests though he has great support at school with a dedicated helper. His maths is very good once he understands the topic.
Over here, apprenticeships are still a big thing for those not going on to university via the traditional further education route. It is still possible to do a degree via the apprenticeship route for certain jobs.
As part of high school studies, students are encouraged to get a short (3 week) placement with a company. My lad got a placement, through a friend of a friend, with a local company which specialises in electrical installations. Local substations, solar panel installs both commercial and residential. As previously mentioned he's not a bookworm but get him interested in something and he will analyse the living daylights out of it. He is in his element with this placement, coming home every day absolutely beaming telling me what he's been up to and what he's learned that day, where he's been and what he's got up to.
An apprenticeship may be the making of him.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2023 13:37:44 GMT
That sounds great, bpg. I wish him all the best, and happiness in his work - sounds like he's got a very bright future.
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Oct 25, 2023 13:38:07 GMT
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Post by Humph on Oct 25, 2023 13:38:07 GMT
That’s good to hear. Well done that young man! Sometimes I think there’s too great an emphasis on academia as proof of ability. I’ve from time to time hired some well qualified graduates who turn out to be pretty useless and indeed some less qualified but more experienced individuals who have been excellent. The two groups are of course not mutually exclusive but I can certainly attest to being surprised by the ineptitude of some who on paper perhaps should have had more about them. The main difference is attitude, the former group (including myself as young man) often seem to think the world owes them a living just because they have a degree, whereas the latter group has had enough experience of real life to realise that you have to put in to be entitled to take out.
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Post by EspadaIII on Oct 25, 2023 16:40:35 GMT
Due to lockdown issues we didn't realise that our daughter should not have gone on to do A-levels but should have gone to college to do a more vocational course in healthcare or similar. She is practical but not academic and is very much the sort of person who would benefit from an apprenticeship.
Maybe bpg's son will not only go onto an apprenticeship but get back with this company. He won't be the first person to be taken on in such circumstances. It is a win win. It has been three week practical interview which is ideal.
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WDB
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Oct 26, 2023 6:52:35 GMT
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Post by WDB on Oct 26, 2023 6:52:35 GMT
He is in his element with this placement, coming home every day absolutely beaming telling me what he's been up to and what he's learned that day, where he's been and what he's got up to. An apprenticeship may be the making of him. That’s delightful, BPG. Human ability is not a linear quantity, so it’s great that he’s got an opportunity to find a vector that suits him.
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bpg
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Oct 26, 2023 8:53:14 GMT
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Post by bpg on Oct 26, 2023 8:53:14 GMT
Thanks all for the comments.
As a Dad I think everyone wonders what their children are going to do and hopefully grow in, my concern was my son finding an environment and niche that interests him.
Even if he does not work for that particular company he definitely has more of an idea what he wants to do.
He's less impressed with the fact he has to do the work and pay tax for the privilege. Haha. I need to work on that and explain the benefits. God help me if he gets his analytical head on and it moves into the political aspect of tax spend. 😱 I may be gone for some time...
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WDB
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Oct 26, 2023 9:39:37 GMT
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Post by WDB on Oct 26, 2023 9:39:37 GMT
Even if he does not work for that particular company he definitely has more of an idea what he wants to do. That’s the key point. A few people grow up knowing they want to be a dentist or a pilot, careers for which there’s a well-defined point of entry and a specific training roadmap. The rest of us have, at best, a vague idea of what we might do, and don’t really know till we try something. This needn’t be his path for life but it’s given him a valuable idea of what’s out there and how he might fit into it.
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