A lesson for the nation
My younger brother left school during the era where you were scarcely taught but they wanted to give everyone a qualification so someone somewhere could say everyone leaving this school has proof of education. (And someone in the government would get a knighthood for raising educational standards).
So it was that my brother's final act on leaving school was to take the 'Basic Numeracy Test' (imagine what you will what this involved). He duly received a letter congratulating him on his outstanding performance on having achieved the pass mark, he scored 29%. My mum asked, '29% is that good.' (why did she need to be told? FFS) to which my brother replied, 'No it's wank.' I'm sure if a representative of the Education Authority had been there he would've been made a Professor of English to go with his maths qualification.
Scoot forward to Xmas 2008 and he's just been made redundant for the second time in his life; since the age of 16 he has worked 20 out of 21 years give or take a month or so. He has never risen to anything higher than QA at the factory where he worked (the bloke who checks the mouldings to say if they are ok or not) and although saving as much cash as he can lives in an area where the council drop all the people who disrupt normal folks lives.
And when he lost his job he phoned mum to tell her but broke down in tears as he felt being unemployed was shameful.
He's never saved anybody's life, discovered or invented something fantastic and he isn't even the sort of hero who picks up 130k a week for kicking a football but f*ck me purple, i'm so proud that someone with so little going for them can just knuckle down and work and he just happens to be my brother.
(Discreditor wants the dream to come true, Mon 29 Dec 2008, 15:21, 4 replies)

Your brother sounds like a decent sort
Just because he didn't do well academically: not everyone is cut out for scholastic achievement.

Some people are perfectly happy to do a straightforward job and lead an honest life - and good luck to them. There is no shame in that.

What I do think is disgusting, however, is the government's misguided thought that higher university attendance is somehow a good thing. Like, in order to say you've achieved anything in life, you have to be able to say you went to university.

I'm glad you're proud of your brother: I would be too.
(EuroSong I love horse meat: best of all the animals, Mon 29 Dec 2008, 16:50, closed)

Indeed
Several people I was at university with who did other degrees (e.g. Art, Geography) are doing jobs you could do straight from school (answering phones, filling shelves).

I spent 4 years at university and I'm not convinced it was worth it academically, for starters the interest on my student loan is more than I pay back every month.
( thistle, Wed 31 Dec 2008, 21:48, closed)

Britain had
the biggest empire in the world due in no small part to people like your brother.
(jackhiggs no longer a v!rgin as of..., Tue 30 Dec 2008, 11:49, closed)

And..
The greatest manufacturing industry, it's all very well inventing, but someone has to make things as well!
I'd be proud, too..
(Beer Elf Thought this was like a campfire, anyhow, on, Thu 1 Jan 2009, 15:52, closed)