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 :)

Would you consider a joint hons course? My friend is trying to do what you are describing for similar reasons, and he is hoping to do his 'passion' subject combined with a vocational subject (computer science, for him). When I was at uni we could tilt the percentages of how many modules we did in what so that you are doing much more of one subject than the other and still come out with a piece of paper in both subjects (history and whatever became history with whatever past a certain point).
Don't do teaching just because people tell you it's a good idea, teachers are leaving in droves and the profession seems to be getting worse. (I know you said you weren't interested already, just stressing the point!).
Are you interested in any STEM subjects? I am hoping to change career and really regret closing doors there because I wasn't interested at school because I am really interested in maths and science now! Also there are often better job prospects depending on what you do.

Do it. Went at 32 and it was the best thing I ever did. Love my job now and loved doing the course

I did my first degree with the OU in my 30's. I worked 30 hours a week and had 2 young dc's.

I'm now in my third year at uni doing a midwifery degree in my early 40's.

I agree that it really would be helpful to have an end goal in sight rather than just a hope of a better quality of life with a degree. Good luck

Shepherds no disagreement on the lot of money, as I've just paid for the module. And I feel I've never been a student, though DH was also taking a BEng with the OU at the same time. We both feel it would have been lovely to take time out to study, but needs must.

In the OP's position I'd be going off to a bricks&mortar uni. And taking a subject I have a passion for.

I wouldn't waste fees on an OU degree.

I walked straight onto a place at a Masters programme at a top university on the strength of an OU degree - unusually they told me I'd got a place at the interview.

Historian here. Go for it. History is a very good subject to study as a mature student, because you bring all your own life experience to the subject. IME mature students get more out of the subject, because they have that greater understanding. And as a pp said, it gives you transferable skills in organising information, constructing an argument, etc.

There's absolutely no point in doing a vocational degree if you're not suited to that profession.

You'd be finishing your degree around five years from now. By that time your ds would I suppose be settled in a career and living independently; you'd be free to move anywhere if the right opportunity came up.

Good luck!

Better to do something you enjoy and get a good mark than a 2:2 in something you never honestly liked. And if there is a choice of universities near you, and you do well in the Access course, make sure you apply to the highest ranked uni that's in a manageable travelling distance. With a subject like history that could make more of a difference on your CV than with a vocational degree.

I know someone who did an access course and then a humanities degree at a post-92 and has a satisfying job you couldn't get without a degree, so it's not everything. There is plenty of work around which isn't in top London law firms and so on. And a fortysomething graduate will look like management material much sooner in smaller workplaces (the sort of places that don't do the big national milkround graduate schemes) than a 22 year old will - there are lots of workplaces that value life experience.

Totally disagree about the OU. I did an OU degree part time and then a masters in a well respected RG uni. The support, text materials and quality of teaching and pastoral care in OU was much better. I actually found the 'real' uni experience quite isolating; there were a few cliques but other than that no one really said more than hello to each other. This was especially the case for mature students. I was hardly ever able to attend the lectures/tutorials but we had online fora, FB and WhatsApp groups so always had company. I didn't realise how good the OU was until I actually went to a university.

I really appreciate everybody's input and response. Thank you SO MUCH it has given me many different angles to look at. I am definitely going to do History and as @MartaHallard said, in 5 years time I will have finished my degree and free to move or go anywhere if the opportunity arose.

As stated I'm not looking for a high paying career or anything I just want to get out of the rut I'm in and encourage the next 35 years to be more interesting and less predictable ...Maybe I'm naive but I don't have anything major to lose at this point!

Go for it!!!! Education is always a plus! X

Shepherd you don’t sound a wanker, just realistic.

To the Op go for it, a history degree may not lead to many opportunities but if you enjoy it it’s a great subject. Do you own your home?, or plan on upsizing etc as these are things to consider. Your student loan can be taken into account for your mortgage (not an issue if plenty of equity). Good luck in your course.

@JustABetterPlayer I will be looking to downsize to a 1 bed (currently in a 3 bed) and I have always lived below my means so managed to gather a good amount of savings. I am very budget minded and so not worried about struggling for 4 years or so. I'd be struggling whether I do the degree or not so I may as well take a leap of faith I guess

I did a physics degree when I was 41 then a PGCE. I never used it and went back to the job I loved. But I had waited so long to get to Uni (had kids early so had to wait till they were all at uni or work) and 25 years on I still love the fact that I got my degree.

Mum first went to uni when she was 30 and then again when she was a son her 40s. So anyone can do it!

25 years on I still love the fact that I got my degree.

Yes, even if the op does nothing else with the degree, the pleasure of learning, the personal development, and the sense of achievement at the end of it is enough to make it worth doing.

As your doing history then a Russel group uni is a good aim but make sure to check league tables and course content to make sure the degree you apply for fits your education needs.

As for vocational degrees not being worth it- it depends on what uni you go to and whether you have the ability to work hard and make connections. Mine was art based and I’m doing really well now and a lot of other students on my course are too. There’s a lot of
Money in the creative industries you just have to keep knocking at the door til someone lets you in.

I am back at university now doing a masters degree in my late 40s. Mine is a business related subject. I also wouldn't recommend doing a history degree if you are doing this for career reasons, it isn't going to help you. I also would not go to university for the social side of things, you will be twenty years older than most others. Everybody is nice to me and I have no trouble being included in a group for coursework but I do not socialise with anyone.

I Started my degree in 2012 at the age of 33, through the Open Uni and managed to work my way up to a series of promotions into my chosen field before graduation. I’m now in a v senior position, haven’t yet graduated (aiming to do that next year) and have been accepted into Oxbridge for my masters. Definitely do it.

Sounds like this route won't work for the OP but can I strongly suggest/beg that anybody looking at this thread thinking of a more vocational degree looks at degree-level apprenticeships first? Your employer pays ALL the uni fees and you're pretty much guaranteed a job at the end. I work in health and social care so I know more about the nursing, social work, occupational therapist etc apprenticeships coming up this year but the same applies to lots of other sectors. Worth checking out before you commit to 000s of student debt.

Whether a History degree helps with career prospects or not depends on HOW YOU USE IT. On the whole our History students (RG uni) tend to do very well, but the ones who do best are the ones who use all the opportunities possible: visit careers fairs, talk to careers officers, talk with students in years above to see what they are doing, attend lectures that might be useful.

And it's unlikely to be 4 hours during which you have to keep quiet. Most universities have seminars where you are absolutely expected to talk, tutors have contact hours that you are supposed to take advantage of, as an adult you have to take some responsibility for meeting up with fellow students and discussing your work, there will almost certainly be a history society etc.

What do you want to do with your degree. History for the sake of it?

If you are looking for good support for mature students and you can travel uwtsd is good! Speaking as former student the town the campus that does history is in is quite nice and rent is v affordable (because it is in the middle of nowhereish) and they have loads of gateway courses foundation year courses and mature students- off the top of my head there were three or four of them in a class of 15 and two were over 50. We treated them as if they were one of us, would meet up at cafés and stuff - its not a russel group nor will it ever be but as long as you work hard there are opportunities to be had!

Go for it OP! Don't do a vocational subject unless you would like to do that job. It's fine saying at least you'll get a job after but no good if you don't want to do that job!

I would do the history degree and work part time to keep some extra cash coming in. Is there the option of a placement year at your local uni? Placements years tend to give you better employment prospects after.

I agree that it won't necessarily get you a better paid job after but having a degree is essentially a tick in the box for a lot of graduate schemes these days so will open up new opportunities for you. If a job as a librarian is of interest to you then you can do a postgraduate degree in information management after your history degree (as long as it's accredited). And masters degrees are funded by student loans as well now.

Agree with Cory and disagree with all the posters advising random vocational courses simply because they're vocational.

History opens doors to civil service, gov/local council jobs, media, publishing, museums, heritage etc. Not just teaching! Though of course that's an option. (I don't know any historians who've gone into social work, seems a rather odd vocation to link to a history degree, though obviously it's possible). None of these professions are massively well-paid, but you can still make a decent living.

Plenty go into law and earn good salaries via the conversion route. If your history degree's from a good uni a firm will sponsor you to do the conversion course and give you a training contract. Not sure how mature students fare in this context, but I imagine your life experience/mature gravitas would not be unhelpful in dealing with clients etc.

History's also great for transferable skills (writing/argumentation) and encourages you to think out of the box and consider problems from multiple angles (not just your personal opinion).

I do know one historian who went into financial/business consulting (problem solving skills) and makes an eye-watering amount, so that's possible too. Then, if you're really academic, there's academia (but that is a fairly badly paid/high pressure work environment with few jobs. But I do know a successful mature student turned academic with a FT position, so again possible but difficult).

Also note that Library/Archive studies itself is a degree option too (can be quite a hard course to get into I think -- only a few unis do it (one is UCL, maybe?) and you need prior experience. But I met a couple of people doing it and they seemed very happy with the course. There were a few mature students in their group too, if I remember rightly).

I'm sure universities have meets/socials for mature students. I've got to say, when I was an undergrad we didn't really socialise all that often with the mature students (we felt like kids, they felt like adults, so we kind of expected them to take the lead if they wanted to be friends (which, in hindsight, probably isolated them)). But often they had more rapport with staff, and as I say I'm sure there is a central hub for mature students at most universities.

Good luck OP. Enjoy it!