........and yet I earn 100k per annum......Just a brief note to all those who contact this forum for advice and receive nothing but smarmy, sarcastic and pointless missives is response...do not give up an trust in your innate abilities. There are opportunities out there for those who stuttered between the ages of 17 and 21.....

Please do tell us more. Are you contracting? What type of work do you do and how did you break in / get over the academics issue? Dare I ask, which firm do you work for now?! Ben

Is this guy for real - If so please tell us your secret - Was it a series of lucky breaks?

I also want to know more. I am currently at university and I am bordering on a 2:1 and a 1st however my A-level grades were not upto the standard that the companies are looking for. Please advice.

Hi,Apologies for the delayed reply. The answer is.....contracting! I took this route:IT Support, IT Management, Programme Mgmt and then SOX....obviously top grades would have been preferable but my message is do not give up. If you do not fit the conventional corporate model, build your own clientbase.

It is so reassuring to hear that someone with a 2.2 is doing so well. I got CCDD (including general studies) at level, a 2.2 for my degree and I am now doing a Masters. The problem for me is, I do not have relevant work experience and my Masters is being disregarded by companies...Have I had too much education for my own good, or am I just looking in the wrong places for a consulting job?

Hi Trish,In my opinion, it's not a question of too much education - rather (as you have alluded to) the balance between your education and the level of relevant experience. To be honest, when starting out I had to forget the idea of leveraging my academic results (obviously) and find an entry point in industry. From them on, it was a case of making a name for myself within the organisation and gaining a reputation for problem solving and delivering process enhancements. In every organisation I have joined, I have challenged those with top draw academic results and exceeded the expectations of those who looked at my degree and a level results. It sounds trite, but once you find a way in (and you may have to aim a little lower than you would like), graft your way upwards. Take pride in the quality of your work and build yourself a reputation with the organisation - become synonymous with delivery. It worked for me and opened up the path to personal satisfaction. Life experience, including the ability to bounce back from disappointment, is of very real value to employers. Gook luck.

If you dont mind me asking... how old are you?I am it IT support and am finding it very hard to get out. Do you have any advice?

Neil,You haven't given me much to go on, but in broad terms, IT Support is a tough environment to work in (as you know). Your employer probably views your department as being a necessary but costly overhead and your internal customers no doubt use you and your colleagues as a means of venting their own frustrations with life when their mouse stops working.I am 32 and my advice would be to look at how your company currently operates and strive to improve the contribution IT makes. Take the biggest operational problem you can find within IT and endeavour to solve it. It may be a lack of communication between IT and the business. It may be the lack of proactive Problem Management, whatever.......Being on the sharp end, you will know better than your IT leaders exactly what their #1 priority should be. Get a plan together, sell it to your IT Director and hit the business with it.That's my generic advice..........what is your exact background?