To ditch real life and go to University

[quietmoon]

Quick backstory - I am in my late 30's with a 19 year old. I've been a single mother all of my adult life and had numerous convenient and necessary minimum wage jobs (that I have hated) and needless to say I am very unfulfilled and not content with my lot in life.
Going to University has always been a dream of mine but felt it just wasn't doable for one reason or another.
I cannot fathom spending the next 35 years in a job I hate with wages that barely get me from one month to the next. But at the same time it seems too far fetched to be able to quit my job and do something I love

Are there any mature students on here with success stories? Do you work on top of your full time degree? Will I still be entitled to student loans etc? I am so clueless on the ins and outs of the process but very much determined to make this dream a reality and carve out a better future for my family. Any advice appreciated :)

Thank you all for your input, taking it all on board. I don't have a particular career in mind and not drawn toward nursing/teaching/social work etc. It's more about having a wider choice of jobs to be confident in going for. Many of my younger family members with degrees are in better paid jobs and in some cases, really interesting jobs. I'm not after a high flying career, I just want to be happier in what I do. Not to wake up every day with dread.

I'm quite quiet and introverted and having worked in retail for many years, it's left me drained and frazzled. I'd love a job in a library for example, and with a degree I would feel more confident in aiming for something more suited to me rather than what I'm 'qualified' to do.

Basically I just really want a change in direction. I'm getting older and already feel that I've wasted so much time not doing anything to better myself. I feel a degree will be a big step in changing my life for the better.

I study with the open university round full time work. Tuition fees all covered by student loans and they provide the books when needed. It’s hard work but definatly worth it. They have face to face tutorials and online ones. I prefer attending face to face so i can put faces to names. Over half way through mine now and it was the best decision I ever made

I think you sound like you need to do what your heart desires. I struggled through a difficult Biomedical Sciences degree when young because I thought I should, not because I loved it. I did work in the industry for a decade or so, but it is now almost obsolete, research having moved on and me living at the wrong end of the M4 corridor.
When I retire, I hope to embark on a full time, attended (not OU) fine art degree. Just because I know I’ll emjoy it.
It was quoted that 60% of jobs requiring an undergraduate degree do not require it to be in a specific subject. That information may be out of date by now.
My Father in Law is doing an open university law degree, acing his classes and really loving it.
You only get one life, OP.

Ps I chose to study part time rather than full time but others do full time

If you don't have a set career in mind you may be very disappointed after. It's hard enough to get a graduate job but so much harder when you aren't as young as the other graduates.

Confidence comes from within, not a piece of paper. You can have a change in direction easily without a history degree if that's actually what you want.

You could end up in a lot of debt for nothing or even worse not even ending up paying back the loans.

Agree with others in that you should do a vocational degree. It’s quite common to do a degree later in life but only if it’s going to lead to a career. I wouldn’t even encourage my teens to do a completely non-vocational degree now, esp in the arts.

I hate to break it to you but with a history degree you would likely still be doing a low paid job you hate. University no longer offers much beyond access to jobs in general. Sadly a degree won’t guarantee a good job or even help you get a good job beyond ticking one box. I think you need to sit down and ask yourself what job you want and work backwards to see if it’s possible.

You could very much be in the same low-paying job with a history degree. Unless it's a skilled degree, then it's not at all a passport to a higher-paying job. Library job is very pie in the sky and even so, it's quite technical as everything is digital now.

I really wouldn't dream of embarking on a course at all until I had a very clear plan of where I wanted to go with it.

My DS will be doing a history degree and hopes to go into manageent consultancy after. ALL the Big4 have said they welcome graduate recruits with history degrees as they demonstrate the ability to analyse properly and the skills of critical thinking. History is a highly regarded degree and do not think getting a degree later in life limits tou to having to be a teacher.

I would only do a vocational degree if it's a job you can really see yourself doing. If there isn't one for you, I say go for your history degree!

And you might be disappointed at how few lectures you get but who knows what else you'll end up doing - so many clubs and societies to get involved with.

A history degree is great to get on a graduate programme yes - but you need to be the right sort of person already (confident) and you need to be able to travel nationally for most graduate programs so they generally don't work for mature graduates.

As someone else pointed out, a full time history degree in a good university will only be 5-8 hours a week contact time.

Ive just started a Masters with the OU and so far the support has been as good if not better than a 'real' university - in fact I didn't do my Masters at the uni I did my undergrad in as they didn't seem to understand what a mature student was.

Another point is if you want to be a librarian, the vast majority of library jobs now do not go to qualified librarians and do not pay much above min wage. If this is something you want to do you would be better off volunteering in a local library rather than doing a degree.

I am doing a part time masters and 2 days a week volunteering for a year, then going to replace the volunteering with paid work hopefully. If you want to build confidence then I would recommend volunteering rather than a degree until you know what you really want to do.

Well good for you. Do what you are passionate about. If you are not drawn into social work etc then you are totally right not to do it for the sake of it (I suppose I did because I didn't have much growing up and wanted a steady income)

I’m afraid a history degree is extremly unlikely to
Lead to a better job than what you already have :(

If u want to go because you want to experience it do it- if you want to go because you think it will help your career prospects a general degree most likely won’t - do something vocational

I agree with PPs that if you want to go straight from a degree into a high paid job, history is not the best option.

However, if it is something that you are genuinely interested in studying and you want the personal development/transferable writing and analysis skills/confidence then it is doable and plenty of mature students take history out of interest.

Do have a look around at the options as there are part-time/online but with social aspects courses out there too. For example : www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/undergraduate-diploma-in-english-local-history has residential weekends, online and is part-time. However, it is only a diploma not a full degree and may not be student finance eligible but just to show you there are a range of options out there as well as the local university.

With history there are also online short courses that you can take either as paid courses through university continuing education departments or free providers like FutureLearn so you could test the water to see if you will enjoy studying it further.

I was in my early twenties when I went to uni - but quit a full time (decent salaried) job I hated to go to uni.

I’m now in my third year and work full time (in another decent salaried job) whilst studying. Jobs flexible enough to fit around uni are rare but do exist.

It’s hard, fitting it all in- but I manage -just 😞

Good luck OP, go for it and live your dream. I’m an academic, did my first degree at 18 then PhD in my 30s as a mature student. Mature students tend to be some of our most successful and committed - have a great time and enjoy every minute

If you're in your late 30s now you probably have another 30 years of your working life left -retirement age is only going to change in one direction!

So do it, particularly if it's something you think you would always regret not doing.

I am late 30s and graduated my degree last year. I'm now in a job paying double what I brought in before. However I have been very lucky. Some people end up back where they started but in debt.

University admissions are usually kinder to mature students and the teaching staff are generally supportive and friendly.

On the other hand, it's sooo much money, and I think all universities are becoming money making entities over and above educational establishments. Go to an older, 'proper' uni if you can I think they are slightly less like this because of the pride in research etc.

I would echo what others have said.

Decide what your goal is and work backwards choosing your degree from there.

There are many graduates working in retail because they can't get a job in their field. It would be awful to be back where you were but with huge student loans.

I finished my degree in my mid-40s. I did mine with the OU as I was moving house every few years (DH military). I then had my DC late and it's what I've done during the pregnancy/maternity/prg/mat/SAHP/attempted work/SAHP phase. I'm on my MA with the OU now, though I did look at the UEAwhich is an hour away, but decided the school runs would be fraught.

Mine was a non-vocational qualification but in a subject I love (Literature with creative writing). I already have a vocational qualification and this time it was about my interests and passions and I don't regret the study even if some might think it not worthwhile.

I was halfway through a PGCE application when I decided on the MA. If you love history take the subject and enjoy it (except the assignment weeks, no one loves those). No one knows what opportunities you might find in the future with your degree but doing a vocational degree for a specific role, that you're not sure you want to do. is not going to do anyone any favours. I got trapped in my job because it was what I qualified in and it paid OK. I was good at it, but it wasn't my love.

I'm in my early 30's currently doing an access course and have applied for uni starting September 19. Can't wait to be honest. It's lovely being back in education, I didn't realise how stagnant my brain had become and it's reminded me I'm quite smart when I try hard. Really building up my confidence.

Shepherds not so with the OU. I know a ex-student who was applying for an MA at one of the big-2, and they would allow her on with a 2:2, rather than the 2:1 they usually asked for because they knew how much commitment and will-to-study she had. She got a 2:1 in the end, but the OU is respected.

Having said that I really wanted to go to UAE because insert student stuff

Instead you'll find me in the local library, avoiding housework.