to start a degree at 28?

[PenguinBollard]

At 16 years old I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and my school did not provide career advice nor guidance when choosing A-Level subjects. As a result I chose 2 "traditional" subjects (English, Biology) and 1 subject I thought "sounded interesting".

I didn't have a genuine interest in any of my subjects and that, combined with some moderate health issues at the time, meant that I didn't do particularly well. My attendance was low and I came out with an A, B and C grades. (There were no A*s back then).

I left school and volunteered abroad for a year and then went straight into employment, mid level administration work initially and then nannying, as the money was exceptionally good considering my lack of qualifications.

For the past 4 years I have run two small businesses on the side which provide a tidy supplement income (all above board tax wise!) but I can't dedicate too much time to them as my day job is 60 hours a week.
I also have spent the last 4 years studying with the OU, but again time constraints mean that I'm averaging at about 2:1 level and it isn't in a specific subject.

It's taken me a really long time to realise that I have a real passion for business, something that hadn't really occured to me before. I live and breathe it really, its what I do with my spare time.
I would adore to go to University and study it properly, and would likely do much better than my OU degree as it would be full time and taught, rather than reading a textbook juggling ten other things!

The problem is that I would be starting at age 27/28 and not completing until I was 30/31 - a cursory look online suggests I'd really really struggle to find a graduate job as a mature graduate.
Plus there is also the additional £5 billion in debt I'd be in with the SLC.

AIBU to consider it? I know people do it (I used to work at a University and there were plenty of mature students) but my A-Levels aren't great and I'm not sure the good universities consider students who have retaken A-Levels as adults? And then I'd have a very expensive degree, 4 years used up (which I could have been earning £35k+ as a Nanny) and no job prospects?

I started my evening class HNC at 24, I'm now 26 and gained direct entry into third year of a degree, which I started in September alongside full time work. I will (hopefully!) graduate at 28 and then I'm looking at a part time masters after that, finishing when I'm 30ish.

It'll be a long road but I keep telling myself that it will be worth it in the end.

Great! Just remember it's not called to have a "degree in complete randomness" but, rather, to be a generalist...

languagelearner exactly it displays diversity and...ERM... An aptitude for change

Definitely not fickleness and a short attention span

Can I ask those of you who stated later, did you have standard entry requirements to get in? I would love to go and do a degree part time (evenings) but don't have the required entry requirements, but lots of work related experience.

As everyone else has said, do it.

The only exception to this is if you are doing it purely for jobs prospects. Other than a few essential jobs (lawyers, doctors, nurses, military officers, etc) there aren't many jobs that mature graduates get more money than mature non-graduates. As a graduate of 2 batchelors, a postgrad, a masters and currently studying for a second masters, I can assure you this is not the case. I have also assessed on my employer's graduate scheme and one thing that looses the mature graduates the role time and time again is the attitude that they were 'hard done by' for not having a degree earlier in life and that their recently aquired qualification plus life experience automatically means they have a entitlement to a place on the scheme. A positive attitude, modesty and willingness to learn are what wins every participant their place in the end.

I finished my degree at 39. I had no A levels so planned to do an Access course. When I was on the planning stage I was offered the chance to do an HND. I took this and was then offered a place to do a degree. I had two teenagers at home at the time and it was tough. I did it though and it changed my life! I didn't have the chance to do it when I was younger but I'm so glad I did - it changed my life. I went on to work in my field as a local government officer for over 20 years.

gandolf The OU have no entry requirements!

I started my science degree at 41 and after doing a PGCE was 45 when I finished. Fortunately this was before you had to pay exorbitant tuition fees.

Re entry requirements several mature students on my course had done a year's full time access course. It sounded very intensive and thorough and as I struggled the first term or two I wished I'd know about it.

Admissions officers will be nice in the phone and also, mostly unis look at mature students slightly differently. That said, you'll find they at 28, 29 you'll not be the maturest on most pg courses.

I do think, though, that you need a clearer idea of what you want at the end of whichever degree you do - for one thing, a lot of prestigious graduate schemes close almost as soon as you start your pg course so you need to have a place and have applied for a lot of them within a few weeks of starting, so if you want to focus on those best to have a plan in advance.