For some, this week will have included the pat on the back they were expecting after a long, nervous wait over the summer.
They’ll have woken up to a set of A Level results which will see them sail on to their chosen university and will spend this weekend celebrating and learning how to cook spaghetti bolognaise.
For others, results day will have been one to forget and hopes of going to uni, either their chosen one or not, will have gone out the window.
It’s probably hard to accept at this stage but in truth a poor set of A level results could end up being the best thing which ever happened to you.
A university degree has been held up for years as the must-have qualification but in truth there are more and more employers who are valuing solid work experience more highly.
Obviously you’ll need a degree if you want to become a doctor or lawyer or any of the other more academic professions, but if you want to work for some of Northern Ireland’s private sector companies, or indeed for some of the public sector departments, a degree isn’t always essential.
More and more will hire students straight from school on apprenticeship or a host of other schemes which give you experience right from the off.
Yes you’ll be starting at the bottom – a truth which is perhaps hard to swallow for some of those beginning their first job – but the experience you’ll be gaining will be invaluable as your uni-going friends learn how to watch Fifteen-to-One and stack empty lager cans into a giant pyramid.
And many of the school-leaver schemes offer the chance to study on the job, whether it be practical qualifications, an HND or a degree.
Choose the latter route and you could end up with the same qualification as your university peers after three years with the added bonus of that previously mentioned experience and a regular pay packet.
Compare that to a new university graduate who enters the world of work with little or no on-the-job experience and a whacking great loan to pay off.
Reading this, you’re probably thinking that it’s only manufacturing companies or other traditional industries which offer a route to work for school leavers – and they do – but you might be surprised about the options which are open to you.
So-called professional services companies, such as Deloitte, PwC and many others, as well as many technology companies have schemes on offer to take in school leavers, right here in Northern Ireland.
It means you could become an accountant or consultant or work in any area of these huge global behemoths, even around the world.
The benefit for them – aside from the work which you’ll be doing from day one – is they get to mould the type of worker they need, rather than one which learns bad habits at university, and get young people armed with experience and capable of handling themselves in the workplace.
So, if you’ve got your A level results this week and they aren’t what you hoped for or you aren’t going to end up doing the course you want, don’t overlook the straight-to-work route.
Get applying now, but also make sure you celebrate with everyone else this weekend. And learning to make a good bolognaise is always a worthwhile.