redemption from a 2:2?

So this is where the cool kids hang out?

Do something amazing, however small , is my advice.

 

I often advise people to build demos, contribute to open source projects, build up a portfolio to make up for lack of academic credentials.

In practice sadly the skills needed to do this are the exact same ones needed to finish your degree with a good grade.

 

Can't agree more. I got a 2:2, but I spent all my time making stuff rather than studying, and was hired almost solely on my portfolio.

I've been thinking about going back to education now (15 years later), because maybe this time I will actually listen (and also that an ex colleague did go back, and now he's a Phd. And I like the sound of that.)

 

True but people are older and a poor grade can be just the incentive they need to focus and start working towards a bigger goal.

I know people who didn't do so well at uni because their schools/parents just didn't prepare them for self-guided study. They waited three years for someone to tell them what to do....

 

I'll buy that. I hated sports at school but got into it in a big way (lead by martial arts) in my 30s. I'll take most of the blame but I think my school must share some, as evidently the potential was there but unlocked.

 

A 2:2 shouldn't be any cause to complain, most games companies will be far more interested in your games related side projects and anyway a lot of us in senior and lead roles are university drop-outs, or never even went to uni, or have degrees in things like lion taming and trifle arranging and are otherwise self-taught. To an employer a degree proves you're capable of seeing something through, able to learn, and probably not stupid. And that's about it. The difference between a 2:2 and a 2:1 is really there to sort who is more suited to further academic study, from who perhaps isn't. IMO employers shouldn't care, although of course sometimes they do - usually without much justification. Most employers who are not conducting scientific research, are deluding themselves if they think they need people with first class degrees.

If you do want to redeem yourself for academic purposes, or in order to get onto a graduate program requiring a 2:1, the obvious option is to do a masters. There are many you can do without needing a 2:1 and if you pass with at least Merit, nobody will care about your Desmond.