To consider college/uni at 30?

[Wolfie11]

I am a 29 year old single mum with a 10 year old DS. He will go to secondary school next year and I am debating going to college then to do an access course with the view of going on to university (possibly to do teaching/psychology/social work). I work 30 hours a week at the moment in a job that I enjoy and is really flexible etc but I don’t make a lot of money at all. I make just under £18,000 and if I’m being honest, it’s a massive struggle. I live month to month and never have any spare cash. I have zero savings, I’m not in a pension and my job has no career progression. It’s extremely unlikely I will ever get a decent pay rise.

Am I crazy for thinking about doing this at my age? I would probably be 35 before I would have a degree/finish the course which puts me off massively but then I think by the time I’m 40 I will hopefully be on a decent salary, whereas if I continue the way I am at the moment I’ll be unlikely to be on much more than I am just now at 40. I imagine it would be a struggle trying to study and probably work part time but it’s a struggle just now regardless.

If anyone has any advice that would be really helpful. Also, if anyone has any suggestions on possible career options I am more than open to them all!

I started my access course September 2020 aged 43, started my degree September 2021. Best thing I have done!!

Go for it, OP. You are still young. There were people far older than you on my degree course.

Also, I like your logic about the financial benefits.

I really think you should go for it. Going to university and getting my nursing degree was the best thing I have ever done.

Plenty of people do social work who are older than you; financially it is a good investment as it is a relatively short training period for a reliable and pretty decent wage (I don't mean it is good in proportion to hours/responsibility, but in most parts of the country you're starting 27k+ which is better than many)
If you are interested in social work, definitely check if any nearby councils are doing social work apprenticeships as that would be a much more affordable route into training. They're new and not everyone is offering them yet.

Go for it, you have years of working life a head of you.

I’m doing my midwifery degree as a single parent and I’m 39

Why not! You'll turn 35 either way, with or without a degree. And you'll still have 30+ years to work most likely. Can't you get bursaries for teacher training too?

I'm 42 and halfway through an Occupational Therapy degree after spending a decade in a related untrained role. Youngest DC is 7 but DH is supportive. I'd say if you can get it to work logistically, financially etc then go for it

I’m 40 now and really wish I’d retrained at 30. I was miserable at work and wanted to retrain as a nurse but decided I was too old. Only just realising now that I wasn’t!

Go for it, 30 is no age at all. I went back to uni when I was 34 and a single parent and I was nowhere near the oldest there

go for it! I work in an FE college and our access students are usually between about 21 and 61! There’s no right age just go for it! There’s a lot of support out there too financially if you need it, you can get help with child care etc. just ask to be put in touch with your student support office.

I say go for it! I done an access course at 26, lots of different age groups in class.

Universities have discretionary funds available to help with finances.

Definitely do it, it will change your lives, but choose the degree really really carefully.

Go for it!

Go for it!

35 when I went back to uni. Best thing I've done. Go for it and good luck

You are young. Lots of courses are often done by people with some life experience so social work, occupational therapy etc. You still have 30 years or more to work even if you are 35 when you qualify.

I'm 29 with a one year old and will finish my access course over the next few months and start university in September 2023.

My degree will be in primary education with QTS so will only have to do three years to qualify as a teacher.

Also, if you need any gcse marks revisiting it may be worth looking at the equivalency option your university accepts.

I got a D in maths but needed a C so completed a 12 week course and exam which was so much quicker than resitting.

You can definitely do an online access course whilst working. All of mine has been done between 8pm -12am with a few all-nighters if I've fell behind 😂😂 shattered but I know it will be worth it in the end.

Good luck and absolutely go for it. It's helped me find myself again.

Xx

Open University sounds right up your street. I'm halfway through a degree with with the OU, and you fit it around your working/everyday life.
I'm doing Forensic Psychology.
In regards to access courses, I wouldn't bother. As they take around 8 months do, and 1st year (Level 1) degree courses don't go towards your final classification, you just need to pass level 1, the threshold is 40% to pass.
So, by the time you've wasted 8 months or whatever on an access course, you could already be on your way to the degree by just doing the Level 1 right away, (which everyone starts at for degrees).
I had been out of education for a long time & I didn't do an access course and successfully passed level 1 with 80%.
Level 1 is a certificate of higher education, which is equivalent to above A level,
Level 2 is diploma, Level 3 is Degree.
Take a look at the Open University's free open learn courses on their website. This will put you in good stead for what to expect. You will see free mini psychology courses which you can do now.

I started my access course at 36 and graduated from university just before I turned 40. It is not too late and will open up careers for you. Your son will lead his own life within 8 years and you will have at least 25 years ahead of you until retirement age.

Go for it, your son will be so proud of you.

Most professional training has moved to a continued training model.
So you are never too old to start down a new career path.

If you already know the area you would like to aim for check out the distance learning options as well as local options.

Some institutions run prep courses for people who want to go back to formal education and/or have a mature student section to guide you through what you would need to select a cource and be admitted.

You are never too old so please don't think that. My sister started her degree in her late thirties . She then did a masters and now just bought her own house. She had been in basically minimal wage jobs before university so the house wouldn't have happened.

Go for it. Look into the logistics. I am finishing my degree now. Somewhere past 40.

On the one hand I would say yes, go for it! I did similar at the same age, but that was when fees were £3,000 per year.

On the other hand, if your sole motivation is to get a better/higher-paid job, I would investigate other ways to achieve it, that wouldn't involve racking up tens of thousands of pounds of student loans and a 3+ year delay in starting a new career.

The education sector likes to sell the dream that a degree will put you on a pathway to a better job, but there's no certainty that will happen. The biggest change for me was that I ended up working in the university sector, and doing the same type of work as before I'd gone to university. I don't regret it though, as I wanted the experience of studying subjects I was interested in and I was happy to end with a student loan debt of £13k, but I wouldn't do it for a £30k debt.

Thank you so much for all the replies! So good to hear other people have gone down similar routes at my age or older. I just don’t want to wake up in 10 years and not have moved any further forward with my life and still be struggling to make ends meet.

I’m not sure how it would work financially but I honestly don’t see how I could be any worse off than I am right now. I would aim to work part time around studying and I think I would get some help with tax credits etc. I live in Scotland, I’m not sure if there are fees for studying here?