How significant are exam/skill test retakes for cadets?
From what I've read they're very significant. The thing is that despite myself having left school with very few GCSEs and having achieved the lowest grade at university, I'm currently in the 95th percentile of salaried UK earners as a software engineer for a well established bank.
The foundation of my subsequent question is that despite myself reading that recruiters in this industry are critical of the things mentioned in the thread title, my personal experience in a field that requires high levels of skill and professionalism indicates actual proficiency is more significant than numbers based on structured learning.
My question is as follows: do you think someone who is a bit of a dunce with structured learning, someone who struggles with achieving high grades on their first attempt, still stands a decent chance of getting that fabled first job in this industry?