Thats wrong, they are handy but most employers look at your experience rather then GCSE's. I failed Maths and did mediocre in english at GCSE. Never went to Uni and have a GNVQ and BTEC. Im currently earning 13K at the bottom level of IT, I have several job interviews which all look promising for new jobs ranging from 18 - 30k. Now id like the 30K job but it requires 5years of expreience in Tech support with knowlege on Microsoft exchange server 2003 and network administration. Thats not a qualification, thats just starting at the bottom and working up the ladder. GCSE's and A levels are not the be all and end all, but putting in the effort now will help you at uni, will help teach you to just blank out riding and knuckle down and get you work done, getting you a degree and also enjoy the student life.