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 76…
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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, couldn’t 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 maintenance…
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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 isn’t 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 “middle of the road” 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 wasn’t 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 ….
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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 months…
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 2000…
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 money…
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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 £1 a week . So i ended up working very low paid jobs and earned about £4 a week and gave mum £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 couldn’t 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 “turning back” 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 70’s. 
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What an interesting life! Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you for such a comprehensive reply. It sounds like you landed on your feet and had a great time experiencing it all.
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Well done susan it shows that it is never too late to achieve our dreams!
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18 and University
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Same here
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14 unofficially, but university at 27
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15 and the university of life… 
Or the school of hard knocks…A bit of both really… 
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I have much admiration for you susan_m. It just shows it’s never too late.
What did you eventually do when you got your qualifications?
Me - I left school at 15 & worked in a factory as a machinist making Aertex shirts.
Got married at 18, had babies, bought a shop & ran it with hubby Tony for 40 years.
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