New College Year

Hi

Welcome to everyone who is new, and to those who read this blog. I'm sorry for the almost 4 month wait for a new post, however I was very busy with my work placement and all. After my work placement I applied for a job where I was working, however I didn't get one. I'm also one step closer to taking Driving Lessons. I've just got to push my parents to think I'm ready for it, then I'll be hitting the road. I got my Provisional Driving Licence in July. This leads me to getting one step closer to doing my HGV lessons.

To those of you who have started college this year, I hope you enjoy it.

Regarding the summer (What summer? In England, all we've had is a warmer version of Winter), I achieved the following;
To get my Provisional Driving Licence.
To go on one of the worlds fastest Diesel Powered Trains (DMUs we call them in England). The one I went on was powered by a 750 horsepower engine per carriage (The Train had 5 coaches, consisting of a Driving Vehicle at each end and 3 carriages in the middle). It is also the only train design on earth that has a Diesel Hydraulic Transmission. Most UK Train Fans are probably thinking "This sounds suspiciously like a Class 180, also called the 'Adelante'".
To loose weight (At last!)
I also nearly got a job working at one of my area's Bus Depots, however someone else got it instead. It was only a bus cleaning job anyway so it wouldn't have been much, but it's a start.

I'm in afternoons now and my class finishes in 5 minutes, so I'll see you all later.

Work Placement, Euro Truck Simulator 2 Scandinavia DLC and Goat Simulator

Good Morning All

First of all, I'm very sorry for the recent lack of posts recently. This is because I've been very busy, both with stuff at home and my new work placement. We're still waiting for our new hoover to arrive at home even though it was due a few days ago, meaning that I can't hoover my room as our current hoover is literally dying on us.

Now on to the good stuff. What new skills I've obtained through my new work placement so far;
The first week generally consisted of inductions, both to my workplace and to my department. We learned general site things like what to do should the fire alarms sound, who to call in the event of a medical emergency etc
For my second week I was doing maintenance. And what a job it really is. I've made new friends, learned new things and most importantly, had fun. I actually managed to fix our old toaster at home (Typically the day after we got a new one, although the new one is better)

During my third week I was in Retail, and through this I've made more friends and learned general shop floor skills.

During my fourth week who knows where I'll be?

So it looks like my plan for progressing into Truck Driving has begun. Speaking of Trucks, those of you who play Euro Truck Simulator 2 (Including me!) may wish to note that the Scandinavia DLC is out today. And what's more is that the update with the Mercedes Benz Actros MP4 is coming soon.

But to satisfy my hunger for new things until then, guess what I got for £7.99 on Xbox Live Games Store that isn't what most people would think it is? Goat Simulator! And playing that for hours yesterday evening brought back memories of when I had it on computer, but it doesn't like my computer now which is why I got it on Xbox.

Anyway I'll see you on the next post. Now I've got some things to do, class to go to then I'll go home, have lunch and spend more time being a goat!

What went on yesterday?

Good Morning

Yesterday I started my new work placement. I enjoyed it quite well and I'm looking forward to the coming weeks working there. It was confirmed for me yesterday that if I (and the other 2 people on work placement with me) work well enough we could be recruited. More info on that to come. This could be the start of my age 16-18 plan which will start in me getting a job to afford to pay for car ownership (After taking Driving Lessons), which is something I need to become a Truck Driver since the closest depot to my house is quite a long walk, and Truck Drivers often start work at 4am, which is before the buses where I live start running. During Summer is one of the busiest times for Truck Drivers (With decent weather for it too!), and if I get into a Truck Driving job at 18 I'll be one of Britain's youngest truck drivers (Possibly even Britain's youngest truck driver).

I'll be seeing you all soon

New Work Placement

Good Afternoon;

I have had it confirmed that I will be starting my new Work Placement on Tuesday 21st. I'm very excited about this as it may lead me into a paid job if I work well enough. This is all part of a plan for how I will progress in life until Summer 2016. So what will I be doing? Well I don't even know myself yet. Where will I be doing it? Maybe I shouldn't answer that question to my viewers, who I don't know well.

Anyway, onto my plan for how I will progress in life until Summer 2016;
1. Get a job, which I'm helped with by my new Work Placement.
2. Take my Driving Test.
3. Continue to work.
4. Get my own car.
5. In Summer 2016, take my Heavy Goods Vehicle test.
6. Get a job as a Heavy Goods Vehicle Driver (More often known as Lorry Drivers, or Truckers).

What car do I want? That depends on what's available. At the moment I'm thinking about the following cars;
Vauxhall Corsa 1.0, 1.2 or 1.4
Citroen C1 1.0
Suzuki Swift 1.2 or 1.4
Suzuki Alto 1.0
Ford Ka 1.0

Anyway I've got revision to do, so I'll see you on the next post.

Back to normal, well, almost normal.

Good Morning

I apologize for the lack of posts over the previous days, as I have been off college for the Easter Holidays. I expect some of you are wondering what I did over the holidays, so here's just that;

I saw relatives that don't live near me
I ate lots of chocolate
I played Xbox
I went to the beach (Yes the weather here in England has been much better recently)
I went on an open top bus (Some of you may never have known about them before this post)
I attended work placement as normal

That's about all I did during the holidays. And now to answer a question some of you may be asking. What is an open top bus? An open top bus is a bus that only has a small section of roof, or even no roof on some buses. They come in single and double decker versions and are generally only used in the summer. Back onto college now, so I've got some exciting news. I am hopefully starting work placement at another employer soon, watch this space.

Have a nice day, and I'll see you on my next post

Easter Holidays

Good Morning;

Good news! A time of year that I call 'Chocolate Eating Season' is now approaching. As I mentioned earlier I have nothing planned for the Easter Holiday, and I like to do it this way as it means that if anything should pop up I am most likely to be free that day. Anyway, I haven't got anything else to post about so I'll be seeing you later

College Book Group & My Plan for This Year

Good Morning;

As I mentioned in my post on Monday 23rd, I had decided to join the College Book Group. Yesterday was when I joined. We meet once a month and judging by the book that I had to read on Monday Night, we'll be reading some interesting stuff. Which is quite good really as I took out several books on being a Firefighter, as that's yet another job I'd like to do. So I'll be reading through them over the Easter holidays. Anyway, onto my big plan for this year.

Money has always been a problem for me as I get £10 a month of pocket money, which for some of the things I want is nowhere near enough. I'm intending to purchase a day ticket on my local bus operator to go job hunting. I've seen a few places within a reasonable commute from my house that are recruiting, so they're definatley on the list. I may even enquire about jobs at my local bus operator. It's all a part of my big plan, which goes as follows (And hopefully I'll be able to stick to this);
April-May: Get a job, prefably one that pays well.
May-July: Save up a reasonable amount of money, prefably a 3 digit sum.
July-September: Take driving lessons and test, using money I got hold of a few years ago.
September-End of year: Get my own car and wave at the buses as I overtake them.

Anyway I'm going to go now, otherwise I'll be late for class.

See you all soon

College Life Facebook Page

Good Afternoon;

I have made a Facebook page for this blog. It's called 'College Life Blog'. Here's the link

https://www.facebook.com/pages/College-Life-Blog/459013434255273

Have a good day

Last week before Easter

Morning,

It's the last week before Easter Holidays for me, and as usual I've got nothing planned over the holidays. Just a quick post today as I've got class in a few minutes. I've got a mock exam on Wednesday, and I'll be spending my maths sessions doing nothing but revising this week, as Wednesday is the day of my mock exam. I'm also joining the Book Group that we have at college tomorrow, so I'll be posting more about the book tomorrow. I've also made a decision that I'd like to study A-Levels at the 6th Form that we have at college.

Anyway I'll leave you with this, and I'll see you tomorrow

My day off tomorrow, my new morning routine and 'spotting' something on my way into College this morning.

Good morning viewers;

An early post today as my class is due to start at 9am. Anyway, we have a Staff Development Day at my college tomorrow so I won't be in. Tomorrow will be spent either in bed, helping my dad wash his car, cleaning my room or playing Xbox with my friends. But first things first I'll be having breakfast, getting dressed and then walking my dogs. I'll also be seeing my sister and her boyfriend tomorrow. So now you know how I'll be spending my day off.

My new morning routine is working out very well. Getting up at 5:45am isn't as hard as I thought it would be, and the buses all seem to run to time at that time of the morning. My idea of allowing myself more time to eat breakfast, get dressed and get all my gear together and have enough time to walk to my friend's house and then walk with him to the bus stop in plenty of time has worked really well. Speaking of public transport, the new Double Deckers on the route that passes my college are in service and are a nice change to being packed in on a Single Decker, although the Single Deckers aren't too bad when they're busy.

Now, about what I 'spotted' on my way into college this morning. I'm sure those of you who live in England, particularly those of you who live in Northern England, have heard the name 'Eddie Stobart' before. For those of you who don't know, Eddie Stobart is a famous Lorry Operator from England, where I live. They're famous because their lorries have girls names on the front of them. Well I saw one on my way into college this morning. It passed my bus whilst we were stopped at a bus stop. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get the name of the Lorry, however I did get the vehicle's registration plate and I will be looking into this when I get home (I have work placement after class today so I won't be home until about 4pm). I'll post the name (If I find out what it was) in my next post for any of you who are interested.

Anyway I must go now as my class is about to start.

See you on my next post.

What's college life like?

There comes a time of year when those who are doing their GCSEs mus decide what to do with their life next, and hopefully today's post may encourage you to become a college student.

So what's college life like?

I personally think it's a lot better than School. Quite simply because you have more freedom. At my college, you're allowed off site at lunch break (Not that that matters to me as I finish at lunchtime every day), and most other colleges will let you off site during long break times like lunchtime. The hours you will do may vary depending on what course you do, however most colleges may only let you study one course (There may be exceptions so make sure to ask!). You will often get access to college conveniences absolutely free, like the free gym I mentioned in yesterday's post. Use of these is often able to be fitted in around your class times, like when I go to the gym after college on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

How do you know what course is right for yourself?

You are much more likely to find the right course for you if you know what you want to do when you're older. If you have a few jobs you'd like to do when you're older, consult with the college you're considering and see if they can provide a course that can help you increase the chances of getting those jobs. I mainly want to be a Train Driver, however I'm also considering becoming a Bus Driver, or a Lorry Driver. The course I'm on teaches you Functional Skills Maths and English, and also helps to prepare you for the world of work. This course is perfect for me as all 3 jobs I mentioned that I want to do when I'm older only really require good English, Maths and Employability.

Do colleges provide Extra curricular activities, like schools do?

This will vary between colleges, so you should probably ask the college(s) you're considering.

Are schoolbuses provided for colleges?

Unfortunately, schoolbuses aren't provided for colleges. They may be additional public service buses put on routes to give college students a separate bus to travel on. Ask your local bus operator about transport to/from the college(s) you're considering.

Would trains be a suitable form of transport to/from college?

That all depends on your class tines, the times of the train(s) you will be catching and if the area your college is situated in. We don't have many railways where I live so I don't use trains much at all.

Will you meet new people at college?

Most likely, yes.

If you want to know any more about college life, please leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

Another Week Over

Well, here we are. Another week of College over. And an interesting week it has been.

I have recently found out that one of the buses I catch in the morning will be re-timed as of 15th March, it will now be running 5 minutes earlier. Now the bus that I catch to the bus stop where I change onto the bus that is to be re-timed won't make it in time, meaning I have to catch another bus from a different stop, and much earlier in the morning as well. So as of 15th March, I must endure getting up at 5:45am, a total of 45 minutes earlier than I do now. That's gonna be a lot of coffee to maintain my concentration until my 12:00 finish time.

Away from the moaning now and on to the good stuff. I'm hoping to raise my Maths grade to a GCSE C grade equivalent, as I didn't do to well in Maths at High School due to a lack of a permanent Maths teacher for almost 2 and a half of my 3 years at High School. I'm also hoping to apply for an apprenticeship in Railway Engineering at Network Rail next year. No doubt that the tea trolley service run by different students from each group on my course every day (Except Friday) will help me to get there as we all know how well people perform after a cup of brew or coffee.

At my college, we have a number of conveniences that many other schools/colleges/universities may not always have. These are listed below;
A gym, which conveniently is free for all full time students. So that's why I'll bee seen in there after class today.
A Starbucks coffee shop on site, which I'm bound to use when I have to get up at 5:45am.
The top floor of our Learning Resources Center is a computer only zone. The floor below is the College Library.
Easy walking routes to the town center.
A frequent Bus service passes my college, with stops outside our campus. The buses come every 8 minutes. The local Bus Operator recently put brand new buses on the route that passes my college, and these have free on-board WiFi. The town center is about 10 minutes Bus ride from my college.
Student's car parking facilities. I don't use these as I don't have a car.
A shop, which sells all your educational necessities and good food, bot hot and cold, as well as popular magazines like PlayStation.

What's life like at my college?

It's very good, I'll tell you that now. More on life at my college is to be posted soon.