Accounting Career : Mature student with NO GCSEs or A levels ?

Hi everyone.

I am a mature student who has recently completed a BA accounting and finance from an ex-ploy university, and got a high 2:1 (67.2% overall mark, in my third year). I was born outside UK and came to Britain in 2000, to escape from the long-standing civil war (?) which commenced when I was just four years old and continues still today in my country (I am now 30). When I came to the UK, I was 15 years old with no educational background whatsoever. When I arrived I was enrolled to a high school in East London. Not even able to write my own name and I was put in year 10 and a year after the school was over, and headed to college.

During my time in school, I was exposed to my first learning environment and it was great. Sadly, even though the school had allowed me to take the GCSEs examinations, I didn’t pass any subject. Thanks to my father who went to Britain’s most prestigious university, London School Economics and did his BA accounting and finance (with a first) in 1982, and postgraduate economics at Oxford University, continued to gave me and my siblings a home schooling. Soon after the end of high school I enrolled AAT at college and completed up to level 3.

From 2005 to 2010 I left school and started working. since then I have done many different low level jobs ( cleaning, warehousing, mostly through agency).

In 2010 I decided to change my life and enrolled into a university. From my first year at university to my final year, I have doing 42 hours of private revision every week for 6 days, even in my summer holidays. I remember in some weeks sleeping fewer then four hours.

Yesterday I received my exam results and it was great. According to my module marks from my second to third year, 8/12 of my marks were above 76, some were even above the 80s. I was really aiming to get first class honours to avoid the UCAS paradox, but I have missed it by a hair.

My university has told me that my degree classification is a high 2:1 (67% which is based the result in my third year only, because of my university’s regulations awarding degrees to students based either on their second or third year whichever is higher). Many universities in the UK, this overall mark represents first class honour degree. I have been told by LSE that I can do their postgraduate degree unconditionally with this mark, but employers are not ready to accept me. Should I continue searching jobs or stop looking at.

I am really sorry for my English which I am still trying to improve. My dear friends, I think I have written enough about myself for you to comment and give advice.

First I would like to ask you, am I doing well or not?

Do you think that the fact that I do not have a GCSEs or A levels will hold me back or even make my degree worthless?. I remember when I was at university, particularly in my second and third year, as part of our exam revision, helping so many of my follow students with 3 As at levels. One of my friends even had 5 As at levels and simply opted not to go to a top university because his parents didn’t wanted him to go outside London. I have seen his A level exam certificate and it was real.

My final question is, should I start GCSEs and A levels courses now?. I am sure I will get As especially in maths and further mathematics. But the idea of doing GCSEs and A level for another two to three years is really backing me off.

Opentuition, do you think that my high 2:1 degree will have any value without A levels and GCSEs.

Please is there any hope for a person like me?. I don’t want to go back again to do the jobs I had been doing before I went to the University ( e.g Rubbish collector and cleaning street, warehousing etc ) Which I really hated it. Opentuition Help me Please!!!!!!!!!!

Many thank?s!