15 Minutes To Go....

My stomach is tied in knots and I feel nauseous with nerves, and I'm not even doing anything! Today is the day Shoes writes his first A+ exam. In fact, it starts in just 15 minutes. I spoke to him this morning, and he's wisely left all his notes at home, deciding to stick by the recommendation that last minute cramming is actually a hindrance rather than a help. He's been working so hard the last month or so, and he is definitely prepared. The only thing he's worried about is that he didn't have the time to go through all the course updates in depth, so instead he's been doing practise exam papers and learning the updated material that way. The pass mark is 60%, and it really is going to come down to how much of the paper consists of updates, and how much of the core material.

He's more nervous for this that I've ever seen him. This Networking exam and the Operating Systems paper next week mark a turning point in his life. For years he's struggled to find his niche; struggled to find something that he's both passionate about and has a natural affinity for. Finally, when he did some soul searching and decided on IT a year ago, it was like - why did we never think of this before? It's a natural fit; he's enjoyed every moment of learning since then, and has concentrated on finally getting out of the restaurant industry with a driving intensity. It's so tough when your dreams boil down to two exam papers.

If he does fail either one, it's not the end for him by any means. He can rewrite them, but June is the last month that he can write on the 2003 course objectives, which is what he started his studies with. He just happens to be in that unlucky group of students who have their entire course overhauled during their study period. He would have to start the same course from scratch with the 2006 objectives - in other words, he can't just go study again and write in 2 weeks time; he'd have to study brand new stuff for the next 6 months to a year, and only then write the updated exams.

It means everything to him to pass, and therefore I am a sympathetic bag of churning nerves, because it means everything to me to see him happy and successful. I'm going to go now and get something to eat - although I can't actually see myself eating it - and I'll post again when its over. If you're reading, say a little prayer or cross your fingers now on his behalf - he needs all the good energy he can get.