A level results: not as important as everyone thinks

As school leavers around the country gear up for their A level results, I'm watching what happens at the other end of the university process.

Our youngest child has just graduated and been lucky enough to find a job. But many of her friends are finding it much harder. And, after watching years of students move from full-time education into the wider world, I'm convinced that what most often sorts the sheep from the goats is not academic achievements, but the initiative and persistence that young people show in building their experience and driving towards their goal.

Two of our children have general arts degrees, which aren't the best bet for getting a job, but one of them ran her university's rag week while she was a student which gave her management skills, confidence, and lots to talk about at job interviews, while her younger sister started trawling the internet for work experience in and around her chosen field -- music -- from the day she left school.

I know young people who have tried for half a dozen years before getting a medical school place, but who refused to give up their dream of becoming a doctor, and others who have banged on the door of the film and theatre worlds until they were let in.

So I would say to this week's A level candidates -- whether your results are terrific or disappointing, it's how you take hold of your life that will ultimately matter. And to parents, who these days can often invest far too much in how high their children leap over exam hurdles -- in the end character will count every bit as much as grades on paper.