To really regret not doing a degree?

[evilharpy]

I left school at 16 and arsed around in dead end jobs for a few years before getting something admin based and working my way up a bit. I now have a level 6 professional qualification that I worked my arse off to get, but I have always massively regretted not going to university and getting a degree.

I'm in my late 30s now with a toddler, a job and a part time business and really don't have the cash to spend on doing an OU degree, and I don't live in a city where there's easy access to somewhere like Birkbeck. I don't need a degree for my job. It's silly really but for some reason it bothers me terribly.

AIBU to be still beating myself up over my lack of a degree?

What would you want to study?

Is it the "getting a degree" bit that seems important or is there a subject you want to study further and uni seems the only way to do it?

First try some of the free onlinecourses..many run by unis. Future learn is a good one and the variety of courses is huge. degrees are way over rated imo..but perhaps i have a jaded view having worked in a uni for 15 years

Well, yes you are.
It sounds like you're really successful, you should be proud of yourself.
If you want to do a degree it's something you can plan for the future. What would it be in anyway ?

Do you not qualify for student finance as you haven't done a degree before? Would include maintenance loan as well depending on circumstances.

Just finished my last year at 31 - don't bother. Your level 6 is the equivalent to a degree level qualification anyway. Barriers I've found to getting work? I have NO experience. They want a few GCSEs and a ton of experience even for the really well paid jobs my degree seems not to matter.

Is it just an inferiority complex or an actual desire to study something that will change your work?

I've been turned away from loads of interesting jobs because I was overqualified! It's no magic piece of paper.

IME unless you really need the degree to enter a specific field, experience is worth so much more.

I did a degree but I've still managed to end up in dead end jobs all my life. I'm usually managed and bullied by people who arsed around at school, left when they were 16 and now have a massive chip of their shoulder about people who have a degree. They all seem to need to prove they are more intelligent than the graduate.

Hope that makes you feel better.

PeaFaceMagee an inferiority complex is exactly what it is. I know AIBU really but I've regretted it ever since leaving school.

Brenda no I wouldn't qualify for student finance I don't think because I already have a level 6 qualification albeit not a degree. I could be wrong about this but when I googled it this is the impression I got.

The field I work in is not by any means my ideal job (or anyone's dream job) but it's easy enough, flexible and pays the bills.

I wish I had done a language degree, just because that's what I enjoyed at school. I did do a couple of part time A levels in two languages and got an A and a B, this was about 5 or 6 years ago. A degree is neither here nor there in the field I work in though, it's the professional qualification that matters, which I already have. An undergraduate degree would not improve my employment opportunities although a masters might be attractive to employers.

If you have a level 6 qualification how about a Masters, or a PGDip? Loans are available for the fees. Shorter course too, and something relevant to your field of work might make you stand out if you wanted to apply for other jobs.

You might not need it for work, but studying a subject in depth for its own sake can be rewarding, and there's the sense of achievement at the end of it.

It's never too late - there was a woman in the news the other day who was studying for her sixth degree at the age of ninety. I once met a nun who was working for her first degree in her eighties.

Why not plan to do it some time in the future when your DC is older? You can begin to work towards it by thinking about what you might want to study, doing a bit of reading when you have the time - a lot of universities have their reading lists online.

If you get a BA in your fifties, you'll still have time to go on and do a masters and a doctorate!

Give the OU a call and ask about student finance.

You would most likely be eligible for a student loan.

I've gotten a degree (in business) and went straight into administration once I graduated, five years ago. It was a job I was told did not factor in my degree (my boss actually said she didn't care if I had a degree - not in a nasty way!) and I have gained tonnes of experience that means I can now move into a more intricate position.

I'm currently doing a level 3 NVQ in administration while I work and that has proven to be more valuable than my actual degree and it was free.

I honestly think some people wear rose tinted glasses when it comes to what a degree actually opens up to you. Unless you're studying for something like law or the medical field, I think starting out in a company and working your way up is 100 times more effective.

Some universities will offer flexible pathways which tends to be how they describe part time now. So you potentially do a degree over a longer period for example

www.southampton.ac.uk/ml/undergraduate/study/flexible.page

Do you live in a city with a university?

If you didn't take finance out to get your current qualification, you could still qualify for student finance.

If you are really interested in the subject, go for it. Plenty of people spend thousands on hobbies over the years.

Meanwhile , you could try and keep your language skills current with some online courses, try Coursera, EdX.

And just an aside on the point of getting a degree - at work, we don't even consider people who don't have a degree. It may be that someone could be just as good without one but their CV would be discarded immediately so we would never know.

Just to offset the "no point in getting a degree" crowd.

Have a look at distance courses from Sweden. They are taught in English and while we are still in the EU are free.

Funding is problematic OP. I think the OU works out at around 16k+ now for the whole thing, which, even if you did it over 6 years is still nearly 3k a year to find. Is it possible to top up your current level 6 qualification to an honours degree (and is that what you would want to study?). Or do a Masters straight off instead of a Bachelors? I think you should get loans for either of those.

If you want to do languages, would that be something your employer could use? Might they fund you?

There are a lot of experiments with online learning right now that make higher learning for free accessible if you're the right kind of person. If the qualification isn't so important, you could check some of these out.

Don't feel badly about not having done one before. If you were disenchanted with school you probably wouldn't have fared well at uni at that stage of your life anyway. Sometimes you just have to accept that the common paths society sets up don't suit you well and celebrate the great things you've done following your path (without getting saddled with debt so far!).

In my field , you'll only get to a certain level without a degree. There's a non-degree glass ceiling almost. That said, as a pp said it's not just about its saleability as a certificate it's about the experience, what it does for you psychologically etcthat makes a degree worth more than what you pay for. I went to university as a mature student and it was life changing. I deeply regretted not going. It was worth more than money and was some of the best years I've spent- even as a mother working a part-time job. Do it! You'll not regret it! You'll be amazed at what funding you can get etc. Good luck!

I got my law degree as an external student with the University of London and sat the exams at my local FE college. Have a look at their website - it is never too late to learn and you sound motivated.

I couldn't do anything with my degree till I got a masters. I don't think degrees are worth as much as they used to be.