I left at age 15, worked in a Deli for 4 months before starting a Fitter/Machinist Apprenticeship.
Leading to being a Tradesman 4 years later.
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I had just turned 16 and walked out of school as soon as I finished my last āOā Level GCE exam never to return. I would say that at the time it was definitely the happiest day of my life.
A short while later I started as a Youth in Training (YIT) with GPO Telephones - later the name was changed to Trainee Technician Apprentice (TTA). I had actually been offered the job before I took my GCEs, it turned out to be a job I really enjoyed.
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So fortuitous to land in a job you enjoyed.
Did you stay in that position for many years?
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I completed the training on transmission, coax and microwave radio and promptly left for Australia in 1966 where I worked at various related jobs such as building and installing Xbar PABX, quality control, line maintenance, TV and even repairing office microfiche machines.
When I returned to the UK I a spent a few years working in the PO Tower on microwave radio before returning to Australia after which I never worked in electronics again but ended up in the power industry.
The whole story is far more complicated than that but that is a rough synopsis
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You do have excellent writing and analytical skills Bretrick for someone who left school so young. 
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English was the subject I disliked the most as well.
I had double English lessons on Fridays in year 9 and always had homework for the weekend.
I *never * done that homework. So every Monday my teacher sent me to the Principleās office where he would give me 6 cuts on each hand. I would go back to class sniveling.
Classmates would be quietly laughing at me and my misfortune.
Come the end of that year, on the last day, my English teacher pulled me aside and said his actions were for my own good. I told him to get stuffed and walked out.
When my school years were over - year 10, I decided that because I could not defend myself physically I would use words to curtail my abusers.
I set about doing crosswords, reading the dictionary and thesaurus, looking up any word I came across that I did not know.
Thus my knowledge of words became wide and very advantageous.
Several times when I was confronted by bullies I was able to stop them in their tracks with the use of words.
No swear words, just succinctly using words to confound them into walking away, saving myself a possible beating.
Today I write letters to the editor, to politicians, to businesses and corporations to express my opinions.
I have learnt the power of the word truly is mighty.
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What a smart cookie you were from such a young age. My heart really goes to this vulnerable but strong teenager. You were like the bamboo who bends but never breaks and it is your intelligence that saved you.
I am so sad to hear that classmates would rejoice at a classmate misfortune. Teenagers/children can be so cruel at times. 
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I unofficially left school at around 14 years old, stopped complying so to speak, no coherent career path to report.
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I left school at 15, in the may, I had a job as an apprentice electrician but had to wait until I turned 16, before I could start, it was only a few weeks though, it was the long hot summer of 76ā¦
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Was being an electrician your life career?
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I left school at Christmas 1952 when I was 15. Started work as an apprentice blacksmith a few days later on the 2nd January 1953. On completion of my apprenticeship in 1959 I did my 2 years national service in the REME as a welder.
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Sadly no, I was made redundant twice and after the second time, couldnāt get back into it, had a job after for eight years then spent the next thirty as a commercial laundry engineer, now I work in a care home doing the maintenanceā¦
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I left school at 18 with 8 average O Levels and 2 slightly below average A Levels, but it was just enough to get me a place on an HND college engineering course, which was enough to get me a five year sandwich traditional engineering apprenticeship with Rolls Royce. (Six months in industry, six months in college, for four years, followed by a final year in industry)
That was enough to get me a full time position when I came out of my time, and then spent the next 37 years testing jet engines or parts thereof around the world until I retired.
The latter is the best job I have ever had, but the pay isnāt as good as at my previous employ.
I was also a Union rep for many years and became a radical moderate, fighting the excesses of both left and right wing factions, plus on occasion, my employer, for the rights of the āmiddle of the roadā workforce.
I was also the office pedant, which came in useful as both a rep and later when I became an investigator. I think now that although everyone is somewhere on the autism spectrum, I was possibly higher up than most of my colleagues, but it never held me back.
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16 and straight into Brunell Technical College (Acton). From there I got myself into uni (sponsored) through a government technical agency via my answer to an ad in a national newspaper. I wasnāt going to apply, but one of my tutors at tech talked me into applying and I never looked back, working for the Crown until I retired.
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I was 14, 15 the month later, i started at a builders merchants (in the offices ) as a junior clerk, plus audio typist ā¦.
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I left school at 16 and went to work in a French { English based factory] and worked my way up to Audio inspector within 18 monthsā¦
The best years of my life,very well paid too.
Loved helping my parents help when they hit on hard times.
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Left school at 15 without a qualification to my name and wanted to be an electrician. Had an interview with the YEB (Yorkshire Electricity Board) and they said that they would let me know.
Meanwhile my school leaving date was drawing ever closer and heard nothing from the YEB, so I attended an interview at a backstreet engineering company, I was accepted immediately. Left school on Friday, and started a 7 year apprenticeship as a fitter and turner on Monday.
Wages were crap, but training was excellent. Thrown in at the deep end and survived. Finished the apprenticeship at 21 with qualifications in mechanical engineering gained from technical college on day release throughout the apprenticeship. Machinist, toolmaker, and electrician was my life for the next 35 years until finally been made redundant in 2000ā¦
Had enough of working for the man, so bought a van with my redundancy money and became a self employed courier (white van man) best job I ever had and made lots of moneyā¦
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I left school 15 but was already working in a local hotel weekends from age 14 . I wanted to train as a hairdresser but mum told me NO as i had to work to feed the family and they couldnt support me . In those days an apprentice hairdresser was paid Ā£1 a week . So i ended up working very low paid jobs and earned about Ā£4 a week and gave mum Ā£2 . Factory work shop work , waitressing , cleaning . I never had choices due to life circumstances, and it was when i was 50 years old that i got redundancy and went to college, got qualifications, and started earning .
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I left grammar school aged 17. I did my O levels the year before and did OK but not as well as the school expected as I had several weeks off school in the run up to the exams due to an operation. Some of my friends went straight into jobs in Banks, RAF, Army, etc and some decided to do A levels.
I couldnāt decide what I wanted to do but the Secondary Modern School just up the road did a one year secretarial course and for the first time, pupils from our school were invited to join them. I decided to do that and studied Typing, Shorthand, Accounts, Commerce and Book Keeping. Probably the best decision I ever made. Passed everything with distinctions. Living in a rural area there were few opportunities to use my secretarial skills.
I had been working in a posh gift shop since I was about 13 at weekends and during school holidays and they asked me to stay on. The money was poor really and a big local hotel was advertising for chambermaids and the money was much better and tips were excellent. I went with a friend, started work at 6am until 2pm then had to go back about 6pm for the daft ritual of āturning backā the bedding. My friend and I used to race along the corridors so we could get it done asap.
Did that all summer, then met my future husband who came from Leicester and moved back there with him some months later. Went to a Recruitment Agency and there were loads in the 70s and they were most impressed with all my qualifications which meant some had to be put on a separate sheet! I decided to work as a Temp as I could pick and choose where I worked and the pay rates were excellent and I could get used to Leicester.
I worked in offices all over the place, advertising agencies, electricity board, newspaper group, hosiery and knitwear factory offices, solicitors etc. I loved it and just about all of them offered me a permanent post. After many varied jobs I accepted a job as Secretary to the Managing Director at a huge knitwear factory with factories all over the East Midlands. There were so many jobs back then you really could be choosy and name your price. I stayed there until I had my first baby.
While I was at home with children I went back to college part time and studied part time for my Certificate in Teaching and when we left Leicester and moved back here I applied to teach at my old secretarial school, got the job and worked there for 10 years teaching all those subjects in the same rooms! That did feel a bit weird. I also worked for Adult Education in the evenings at same school plus a couple of others.
So life went full circle for me.
PS I should have said working as a chambermaid was such hard work but great fun. Everywhere had to be spotless and the Housekeeper ruled with a rod of iron. Every day after we had finished cleaning all the posh rooms and corridors we had to go to the back of the hotel and scrub the staff stairs which were bare wood. Damned hard work. At the end of the week all the staff us, waiters, gardeners, etc sat round a massive table and the Head Housekeeper came round with two pay packets each, one was wages and the other was tips which were sometimes nearly as much as the wages. It really was like Upstairs, Downstairs but set in the 70ās. 
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What an interesting life! Thank you for sharing.
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