Background History

I’m James, I currently live and work in Bristol UK, I was not the ideal student at school and I used to muck around a lot and that was my downfall, I just wanted to have fun more than I wanted to knuckle down and study.

I ended up failing my GCSE’s my highest grade was a ‘D’ nevertheless I still went on to college to study Micro Computer Servicing and Technology (MST) as well as retake GCSE Maths and English. I still failed Maths, but I did get a ‘C’ in English and English Literature. I passed the hardware side of MST but not the theory, I was not good at putting things into words.

When I left college I had a few dead-end jobs and then I ended up getting a job as a trainee computer engineer for Lloyds Bank, but working in their offices in London, I loved that job but it was short-lived as I was not getting any training and they just sort of forgot about me, I was young, 18 at the time and had no idea about the “real world” they then let me go, and again I was back to the beginning and because I had no formal training or any real qualifications I was unable to get another job in the IT industry. I got a job at a pet shop (Pets City) and stayed there for about 12 months and to be honest it was the best year of my life as I made loads of friends there and we were like one big happy family.

Big Change in my life

I met my partner online and he lived in Somerset and I was in Surrey, our relationship moved quickly and before I knew I handed in my notice and then moved to Somerset to be with him, and 21 years later we are still together and now living in Bristol, with our Dog – Mac and Cat – Tom!

Shortly after I moved in I got a job working the night shift in a petrol station in Bridgwater which I hated I had to deal with all the drunks on a Friday and Saturday night and I used to get a lot of abuse so I stayed there for a couple of months and then I got a job in PetsMart in Weston Super Mare and stayed there for about 10 months then they ended up dropping my hours so I could not afford to stay there.

My Partner worked for a breakdown company in Bristol and they had just bought a huge warehouse and they were after a warehouse worker and so I went for the job, the money was a lot more but of course I had to travel from Bridgwater to Bristol and I did not drive at the time so I had to get the train and then cycle from the train station to work! long story short I am still working there and now in my 20th year but I now do a lot more things there, I no longer work in the warehouse not unless I’m needed and I look after their IT to a point as well as accounts, and general admin. I love the people I work with but it’s not really a job where I can progress.

The decision to go back to education

I had been thinking about going back to education for a few years but I was always reluctant to do so as I was scared that I would just not understand anything and end up failing. I’m very good at being self-deprecating and my partner gets annoyed with me when I do that. I spoke to one of my friends who has been through university and he said “Just go for it” and so here I am.

I managed to get student finance and as they say “the rest is history!”

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Modules Taken and completed with TMA and Module Scores

Module Code	Module Name	Assignment Score	Module Score
TU100	My Digital Life	TMA 01 – 76
		TMA 02 – 86
		TMA 03 – 63
		TMA 04 – 75
		TMA 05 – 82
		iCMA 51 – 87
		iCMA 52 – 89
		iCMA 53 – 56
		iCMA 54 – 75
		iCMA 55 – 82
		iCMA 56 – 72
		iCMA 57 – 70
			Grade 1 Pass 85
Module Code	Module Name	Assignment Score	Module Score
MU123	Discovering Mathematics	TMA 01 – 95
		TMA 02 – 86
		TMA 03 – 72
		TMA 04 – 85
		iCMA 41 – 100
		iCMA 42 – 67
		iCMA 43 – 64
		iCMA 44 – 56
		iCMA 45 – 52
			Grade 2 Pass 76
Module Code	Module Name	Assignment Score	Module Score
TM129	Technologies in Practice	TMA 01 – 90
		TMA 02 – 88
		TMA 03 – 88
			Grade 3 Pass 66
Module Code	Module Name	Assignment Score	Module Score
TM257	Cisco Networking (CCNA) Part 1	TMA 01 – 99
		TMA 02 – 96
			Grade 2 Pass 77
Module Code	Module Name	Assignment Score	Module Score
TT284	Web Technologies	TMA 01 – 70
		TMA 02 – 82
		TMA 03 – 63
			Grade 2 Pass 82
Module Code	Module Name	Assignment Score	Module Score
TM255	Communications and Information Technology	TMA 01 – 71
		TMA 02 – 98
		TMA 03 – 81
			Grade 2 Pass 80
Module Code	Module Name	Assignment Score	Module Score
TM254	Managing IT, The Why, The What, and The How	TMA 01 – 86
		TMA 02 – 77
		TMA 03 – 81
			Grade 2 Pass 77