Anyone there an adult student at uni.

[baglady5]

HI, ive been thinking alot about my life for some time and i think i need a career, because i cant live my life like this for the next 30-40 years(if i live that long). I was looking at uni courses and the majority of them are full time which i dont think i could handle doin a course full time becausei would need to work at the same time. Im looking into counselling or mental health areas and its goin to be quite hard to fit it all in and im feeling overwhelmed. Also i would like to have kids in between all this aswell. Im almost 34 so time is against me in a sense.
I really want to make something of myself and be proud and confident for achieveing something i my life.
Are any of you ladies at uni as an adult learner? How do you cope with eveything? Is it worth it? I really need with so advice /opinions on this.
I dont want to look back when im 60 and have wasted my life. I have wasted somuch time already being married, i cant waste any more time.thanks for reading.

[Lucinda]

Hey baglady,

I'm 38 and in the third year of a four-year PhD. I applied to study for a degree in my early 30s, partly because I was on the dole and hoped to make myself more employable by being armed with a degree, and partly because I'd hankered after doing a degree since I was younger.

I did well enough in my degree to be offered funding for a PhD, which was a shock, in that I'd never considered doctoral study! I was considering doing an MA but went straight into PhD study instead, due to the funding and lack of success in securing a job after my degree.

For the most part, I enjoyed my degree. I'm not so keen on PhD study, but I've had to move university due to following my supervisor, which has coloured my experience somewhat!

I"d say go for it, with the caveat that part-time study is almost certainly preferable. You may be eligible for funding too - there'll be someone who can advise you at whichever university you're aiming to attend.

Hope this helps - just ask if you want to know more

[Hols969]

Im just about to start a home learning bookkeeping course, its a little daunting as Im 43 and havent studied for XX amount of years!! I would go for it, life is too short, it is a commitment but if you want something enough you can fit it in. Im not sure I could go back to a full time course as I think I would struggle, so doing this home learning one on my own terms suits me (Ive only just started so will let you know in a year!!!) but perhaps it will lead on to other things or a different career or something, You never know, go for it, it may be a little frightening but if you have the desire to do it it goes a long way. Good luck, let us know what you decide to do. Oh the other thing I really wanted to do was a midwife course but this is full time and 3 years and unfortunately Im the main bread winner so makes it more tricky so I havent quite followed what I want to do really but sometimes its not always possible and you have to compromise a bit....

[baglady5]

Hello, thanks for tht ladies. I went into a blind panic when i wrote that the other day, but ive calmed down now and been thinking some more. I looked at some places close to me, and most were full time and i dont think i could cope with that, plus what i was really interested in mental health nursing i couldnt get up on the website . Anyway, i looked at the open university as i have done a short course before and they are good. In my panic i was just thinking about degree courses but there are diplomas and certificates im sure i could and with the ou you can top up to a degree(hopefully thye still do that).
I also join the national careers website and using that to help decide what to do and there is a OU open in april so ill go and get the books, maybe have a chat. Thanks for taking the time and replying its made me feel even better.
I just want to do something that counts and i can be proud of.

[EmptyInside]

I know this isn't a new post but hoped my reply might still help

I felt like I was going nowhere with my life... I'm only 25 but all my classmates have long since been to uni and got their degrees and (not) got jobs. I did my two years at collage at 16/17 and got my National Diploma in Animal Care (wasnt ready mentally to do A levels). And was in Part Time work throughout and and Full Time work ever since!

Wasn't exactly going anywhere in the world working in retail, thats for sure, and now I am far better off mentally... I wanted to do something more but the thought of going to Uni terrified me and I couldnt justify it seeing as I still need to work to live?! I knew I wanted to work in the Psychology field, after all... what other area of work will always be in quite so much demand!?

I had wanted to do Psychology at A level but I didnt want to do anything else and I would have had to chose 3 other subjects as well, was so sick of school!

So I settled on Open University!! I had a chat with them and careers advisers and realised that I want to work as a counsellor, tbh I would love to go back to my old school and work as a counsellor because when I was there, the counsellor was an absolute disgrace and bad me, didnt report it when a friend locked her in the office (she had been warned that she'd left the key in the outside of her door!) after she phoned her parents about something knowing full well my friends parents would beat her senseless for that call. Deserved in in my opinion lol. She was let out at the end of the day a couple of hours later :p

I was told that whilst you dont actually need a degree to become a counsellor (just lots of other qualifications), a degree would give a far better understanding and make me far more employable in the future. So I have embarked on the B07 (now obsolete as they have changed the name and rules slightly) BSc Hons Psychology. Have so far completed 'Y183 - Starting with psychology' Openings Course, nearly completed DD131 - Social Sciences module and have since started DSE141 - Introducing Psychology module.

Overlapping modules was epic bad idea but was only for couple of months but I am also working full time and at this time of year in retail is absolutely exhausting!

I would say I am loving it... I generally do love it except when I have to actually do the work and definately not with looming deadlines.

Its all actually pretty.... organised! Each module is like its own course, one of my modules as 3 tutor marked essays and 1 essay that is externally marked and a LOT of reading. The other course has 2 tutor marked essays, 1 online quiz and 1 externally marked essay. All very... linear.... essay every month and reading and online tasks inbetween.

I was most scared about dealing with tutor over the phone!! I spoke to my tutor 4 times on the openings course and on my other two courses, i got an initial email and since then, have been in brief email contact with both whenever i had a query! Nothing scarey at all!

Overall, I am proud to be doing the course!! Much easier to do around work! I ought to be doing an hour or two every day but am seriously slacking atm and am working 4-5 hours twice a week on my days off and doing reading on and off during the week when i have time in the evening.

I am also getting financial help through the OU because I earn so little so... may as well keep my job to pay my way and do the work for OU until I can retrain in a new career!

[baglady5]

Hi thanks for your replies ladies. I havent been on here for a while. Im still thinking about goin back to education. I was interested in counselling also but it is far for me to travel and i dont drive. Dietitian would be great too but again too far awy. Lately i have been thinking about social work, i remember writing this in those purple folder things that you did as kids at school. I would have to do an access course first before anything anyway. And im not too hot on 9 grand a year debt, but im feeling more confident about things. need to find some books for adult learners.