Dh going to uni aged 58 - worried about money!

If he's thinking about being a coach/being self employed (which I actually think is feasible) he would be FAR better just starting marketing himself and learning on the job.

Build a website, look up how others are marketing themselves, if he's got good manners and customer service skills and rapport that counts for a lot more than the degree.

He needs to reply quickly to enquiries, be good at scheduling, etc. Learn to make people feel comfortable in Zoom calls, have a payment system set up.

There's free online learning from reputable providers (including top universities) which will give him more in-depth knowledge.

So if he wants to put Module X in Psychology from X University on his profile he can do that.

I got a fitness trainer style qualification some years ago. It was a total waste of money and time.

Absolutely no-one cared about the credentials, the course was essentially a Ponzi scheme....all the income I subsequently gained from classes was from my personality and free effort and sales skills, not the certificate. No-one cared.

I would have done a lot better just starting myself and learning from experience and building up a client base. The course sort of felt like a "safer" option but was just a marketing con.

It doesn't sound feasible for him to do the course. Do you feel able to have an honest discussion with him about it all?

Your children should be the priority with regards to providing financial support for uni. At his age, a degree is unlikely to be turned into a career unfortunately.

It's very unlikely his degree will convert into a job in business coaching. Usually with psychology degree you need a further post graduate qualification. I did a psychology degree with the OU then went on to do a further two year study to become a social worker. Surely your DH could set up a coaching business based on his current skill set and experience if he has done professional exams?

He needs to really think his degree route through.Psychology degrees require a lot of specialisation and he needs to get some educational advice.
My son studied psychology from 18 and now aged 26, he has worked in a relevant field for 2 years while competing 4 pg certs so he didn't have to pay for a masters.
He's in the 3rd year of a PhD course now and hopes to lecture but it's been a long haul and I doubt if he could have done it in his late 50's.

FND can be a very individual diagnosis.

i have FND. In my case it is because I was in an accident that quite severely damaged my foot and the nerves were damaged as well as several bones being broken.

i have the FND diagnosis because sometimes I have motor control of the foot (ie I can move it) and sometimes I can’t.

op, this sounds like a tricky situation. It took me a long time and a lot of trial and error to work out what I could do and what wasn’t possible.

if he finds it hard to use his hands then a university degree is going to be tricky. He could use speech to text software to write essays and make notes but it will be a time consuming process.

has he done any other studying or work recently? Can you have a conversation about how realistic this is?

I don't blame you. It must feel like you are carrying the weight of all the financial responsibility here.

I'd sit down with DH and run through an income and expenditure list and ask him how he plans to help support the household.

Or is he expecting to turn into a FT student like his kids and turn to mum for support?

Is it realistic for him to finish the course and set up a business at 62?

Does he get any income or can he draw on any personal pensions?

I'm not sure if I'd be able to support this flight of fancy. Maybe someone more noble will come along. I personally would struggle to support someone who's not worked for 3 years and now wants to do a degree. I'd worry his ego at a step down in role would mean he'd never work again.

That sounds hard.

Do you earn enough to sustain a household on your own? I fear that’s the way you’re going :(

Anyone who can do a degree involving physical attendance at a HE institution can do a paying job of some sort.

A degree sounds like a luxury your household can’t afford right now. If he’s mad keen on education he can easily squash an OU degree into evening times especially with older kids on the cusp of leaving home, surely?? Unless he is sleeping for 18 hours a day or similar.

This leaves days free to either do a fair share running the house, do IT contract remote work, or some combination of those.

I still do not understand FND. Is it an accepted medical diagnosis? What practical and psychological barriers stand in the way of remunarative work?