to be jealous of people with a degree?

[aconfession0]

I didn't go to uni I left school as soon as I could and started working and for the first while I was just happy to be earning money but in recent years I have felt more and more envious of people with degrees and post grad qualifications especially people who have studied things like philosophy, art, literature etc. It just makes me feel stupid not to have a degree sometimes I am actually quite resentful and envious of those better educated than me.

I have looked into going back but its impossible at this point in my life, I could do one later as sort of proof to myself I could do it but its not the same as starting out with one and building a life long career and I hardly has the focus to read a book so worry I'd struggle anyway.

I didn't mean it to be. I have only just rejoined the Library after 25 years of never being in one. And as mine is threatened with closure I just think if we all don't use them generally we won't have them in the future. I'm a convert and don't buy books anymore. It's a good way for someone to narrow down what they want to study without spending any money/time in a course. I'm not saying don't do a degree. But whatever. I'm knackered and not coming over very well. And the online forum comment was about what the OP said about having no one to discuss things with.

You certainly don't sound stupid, and I would bet if us anonymous posters met you and talked to you IRL we wouldn't pick up any differences between you and someone who has a degree. I don't have one, but work in an industry where most do. However, most employers aren't particularly interested in the degree but the practical work experience, I can't speak for other industries but it's like this in mine. If you want to better your career you don't necessarily need a degree to do that - just transferable skills, a good CV and the ability to network and big yourself up in interviews. The guy I'm seeing has a masters, and I do understand the feeling inferior when he talks about his research topic, however, I earn considerably more than him in a managerial what would be considered a job for someone with a degree.

But if you're doing it for the love of learning, I agree with others a part time, distance learning or night course would be the best option. You clearly have an aptitude and interest to learn and there are ways you can do it.

P.s I’m not that clever either very average on a good day

Please don't feel stupid compared to people who have a degree; it's most definitely not the case. I think it's quite an insulting thing to say, tbh.

I don't have a degree, just O'Levels, and throughout the time I was working, I was surrounded by people with degrees in all subjects, doing exactly the same job I did. So, unless you have a job in mind which necessitates a degree, then it's not always value for your (or the taxpayer's) money.

These are brilliant, very similar to the kind of discursive process you get in uni seminars. If you enjoy them (don’t worry if lots goes over your head, part of the academic experience is being ok with knowing what you don’t know) you’ll probably like studying philosophy/literature/art history etc
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qy05/episodes/downloads

Another vote for FutureLearn. I did Beyond the Ballot (history of the UK women's movement) earlier this year. Stretched my brain and really made me think. They are free short courses. Range of subjects and absolutely nothing to lose.

You don't have to have a degree to be educated. My partner does not have one and is far more knowledgeable than me in terms of general knowledge, I have a Masters but my knowledge is very specialised (and incredibly boring to most people).

I know it's frowned upon on MN, but as you're looking for ways to improve yourself, do look at the way you write. You're clearly intelligent enough to improve this without formal assistance, just look at the way sentences are formed in the books you read, and read back what you write before posting/ sending etc. As well as giving yourself a boost, it will greatly improve how people in the workplace view your abilities.

I left school at 16 and loved it at first, I was earning money whilst all of my friends were poor students.

As the years went by, I started to feel jealous and inferior that I didn't have a degree. Plus, I really did want to go and have the uni experience.

So I did my A levels and went to uni in my mid 20's. Then did my Masters.

I wouldn't be doing the job I do now without it. So in my case, well worth doing.

If you really want to do it, then go for it! I would recommend OU if you need to continue working whilst you study.

Don’t be, I have a first class degree in literature and have done NOTHING with it and feel lousy about myself.
I wish I’d done something else that led to me having an actual skilled profession.

I got no encouragement from my parents and there was not a book in the house when I was growing up. I went to university in my 20s and got a first, did a PhD in my 30s and I'm a lecturer (also OU arts tutor) now.
There is not much stopping you if you really want to do it. OU students are in all sorts of situations and they manage to study. The modules build up skills gradually, you just need enthusiasm and determination to start with.
For the subjects you are interested in you would start with AA100 'The Arts Past and Present' so have a look at that if you are interested. It's a fairly gentle start, it includes philosophy, literature and art history.
Education changes people, so it pays to be aware of that. I have seen quite a few divorces but also quite spectacular career changes among my students over the years.

Threads like this make me love mn- so many people helping.

Another thing I started to do OP was to cut down on time spent on social media and using that time to do a quick 10 or 20 minute read of something that interested me. I got a subscription to a history magazine. Downloaded the Duolingo app to learn Spanish for free (they do other languages too) and also read Wuthering heights and Jane Eyre this way (classics are free to download on a kindle app)

Now all I need to do is substitute the time I spend on mn with something more productive

When I worked in a shop in my early 20s I used breaks and quiet times to read my way through the classics. I also read psychology text books and I still use that knowledge now.

I don't know about you, OP but I have clicked on all of the links people have posted for you and now I am spoiled for choice. There is too much to learn!

I have two degrees and I'm jealous of in the firm that I work for the younger than me with a much better job, because they worked their way up instead of wasting time at uni then never using the degree. I tried but was too inexperienced to really know what I wanted to do or how to do it. It's never too late though, and no life choices are without some compromise.

Do a degree in business management and get your company to pay for it, become a team manager, then a call centre manager, then a function head, and then the CEO of the company. That is how a lot of call centre agents progress.

Thanks to the OP for starting the thread. I might look into doing some short courses too if they're free.

I’m half way through my open uni degrees in Computing and IT. I work full time. I’m 44. I left school with one higher and a couple of o grades. If I can do it you can too. I done a couple of the free Future Learn courses and then threw myself into it. It does help that I get a grant to pay for my modules from the Scottish Government and it will take me 6 years in total but I’ll fee
More accomplished doing it now than if I had done one when I was younger

Have a look at Future Learn. It's a good starting point to get you into the way of studying. Mainly free and run by the Open University.

University education is a great privilege and yanbu to envy that. But-Universities don't have the monopoly on intellectualism-far from it-just they have been very good at selling the idea that they control knowledge. It makes me so angry, the idea that you have to spend tens of thousands to access a life of the mind-and it's just not true. if you read, say, The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes, you'll see how much has been lost. By all means do a degree at some point if you can, but don't write yourself off in the meantime-there's so much you can do with your own curiosity

Am happy to recommend books btw-you might like John Berger's on artists to begin with

I agree Elinor.

FutureLearn also has discussion boards and in many sessions you would read a short document on-line, then watch a 20 minute lecture, then go off and apply that learning/structure to say a book or a problem. Then you come back and discuss in the on-line learning forum they set up. You can also share work and ideas and other people critique, or just discuss. It's good fun and means you would get the intellectual conversations you want.

Sounds like you’re quite hard on yourself. Your post was really eloquent and you want to learn. Perfect combination.
I went to music college and had to leave a year early as my teacher was a sexual menace so didn’t graduate. Even though not having the piece of paper hasn’t held me back professionally it still niggles me.
I read loads and love philosophy, poetry, science and think that with costs as insane as they are right now, autodidactism is the way forward. Just enjoy what you read, there’s loads of online resources free from places like MIT, the British Museum and when we come to our senses and get a government in that doesn’t charge the earth for the human right as education, we will be ahead of the game. Good luck and stop beating yourself up!

OP, there's some great online courses here including philosophy (and lots else)::
www.conted.ox.ac.uk/search#/?s=&sort=availability

You can do a foundation certificate and work up to a degree.

Ways of Seeing is another good John Berger book. I bought a copy from the Tate Modern giftshop and ended up referencing some of the content for an OU Sociology essay. There is also the accompanying TV series, available on Youtube:

If you do decide to study with the OU, each module has a cluster forum for discussion of the content. I have found it incredibly supportive, especially since I started off feeling quite overwhelmed by it all.

My real-life job has nothing to do with my subject (Arts), so I found the online discussions a sort of escapism, where I could be 'me.' I can't recommend it enough.