Result!

So that's it, after four long years, officially today's my last day of student existence. While I wouldn't rule out any future educational forays, I'm done with study, and especially with exams, for a good while. Having said that, a Dietitian's career includes the maintenance of a compulsory Continuous Professional Development portfolio, but I think I will enjoy the opportunity to carry on learning things, just in a less concentrated way.

I got a First! I was pretty confident, given that up to now I've achieved that level in every module except one, so I would have been pretty cross if I hadn't made it. I was invited to do a viva on Wednesday though. People asked to attend a viva either fall clearly into a degree class, or are borderline candidates who can be boosted into the higher class if they perform well. My confidence of achieving a First was not so great that I felt able to skip the viva - after four years of effort it wasn't worth the risk, so off I went to jump yet another hurdle on the way to the finish line. It was only 20 minutes, but I am truly sick to death of being made to 'perform' for an audience with a marking sheet in their hands.

More good news today: I've been invited to interview for one of the jobs I've applied for. That has made me feel so much more optimistic - up to now my applications have been met with stony silence. There are very few suitable NHS jobs coming through - about one a week, which may be anywhere at all in the country: recent locations have included Wigan, Hull, Chester and Lytham St Anne's. At the moment I'm limiting applications to those that are up to 2 hours travel from home, in the knowledge that I wouldn't be able to commute beyond a hour and would have to live away from home during the week for those further away. The interview is for a job that is about 90 minutes away from my home, but only about 40 minutes from Lola II's house. I'm not making any plans yet; an interview is still a long way from a job offer.

So that's it, the end of my undergraduate journey, and the beginning of a new career. I've had a lot of support along the way, particularly from mum, dad, Mr A and Lola II, but not forgetting you blog readers. I'm not sure what will happen to this blog - I love writing it, but I don't want it to turn into an account of badminton, events in Leamington Spa and 'What I Did At The Weekend'. There are plenty of social events coming up: this weekend we're having a family gathering, there's the Leamington Peace Festival, at least three camping trips and the rest of the summer. But much of the satisfaction for me has been the recording of my journey through dietetics over the last four years, and if I continue, then that is the focus I would like to retain. And I hope you'll stay with me for the next phase of Lola Life.