To think it's not too late to make something of myself?

[Ponderingbetter]

I'm 28 with three young children, one of which is disabled but will be starting school full time this September. I dropped out of school before doing any GCSE's and didn't pursue any further education in the following years as to be honest my life was chaos, DV etc.. so I have no qualifications whatsoever.

I've had several jobs over the years but all are minimum wage or close to it. Retail, cleaning etc.

Recently I can't shake this urge I have to want to do better for my children, I want more from life than to be living from payday to payday and scraping by.

My dream, for as long as I can remember, has been to get into forensic psychology.

I've been looking into the open university today and talking to my friend who has just graduated in her mid 30's, I'm feeling really inspired.

AIBU to think maybe it's not too late, or is it a pipe dream at this stage?

That sounds amazing. The only thing is that everyone I’ve known who has done forensic psychology has ended up in admin or retail as there aren’t many jobs in forensic psychology. However, you’ll be able to get much better jobs with a degree.

I certainly don’t think it’s too late to go to university and I think it could be really fun and make you feel like you’ve had a ‘do-over’. That could be very healing after all you’ve been through xxx

Not too late at all. I did a degree at your age and I’ve never regretted it. I say go for it!

Thank you for the encouraging comments! 🥰

Of course it’s not too late. There’s still time to sign up to start this October!

Go for it

Does anybody know where I stand in regards to having not done my GCSE's?

Would I need to do some form of equivalent before the open university would accept me onto a course?

I've always (hopefully wrongly!) thought that my lack of GCSE's and education would hold me back from doing any meaningful degree.

Any and all advice and info welcome.

I think I'm going to go for it!

I think you'd need an access to HE course, but maybe not for the OU, you could phone them and ask?

It’s never too late. Go for it! Having the drive and motivation shows just that!

Regarding not having your GCSE’s don’t panic! Speak to the uni you wish to go to and their entry requirements. They will be able to advise you best.

Cheesy, but listen to 'If today was your last day' by Nickelback. I started listening to it when my cousin was diagnosed with cancer as it resonated with me. There is a line in there - 'Don't take the free ride in your own life.'

I think it's easier to start afresh with a trade/skills based career as once you've got a few dozen gold reviews up that's good enough to convince most people. Don't need a CV spanning 5-10 years.

I did my degree in my 30s with the OU and loved it and I'm v proud of myself. It's not linked to my current job but I just love that I have my degree and no one can take that away from me. I'm now in my 40s and considering doing an MA or something - again just for enjoyment really and the love of learning itself.
You'll meet new people, you'll gain in confidence, just go for it OP one way or another it will open doors for you. 😊

Regarding GCSEs, you usually either need a C at English and Maths or you need an access to HE course. Most colleges do access courses I’m pretty sure. They tend to be full time during the week from what I can remember. I didn’t do an access course but I went to a university college where I studied alongside people who were doing access courses.

So I think you need one and I think they’re full time if you have space in your life to do that. As others have said, definitely talk to OU first as maybe I’m wrong! They would be the ones who can really tell you. Good luck! Xxx

You don't need any qualifications to start an open university degree - the levels start off really easy but then increase really quickly so eg for maths, a level one course starts off pre GCSE level but then quickly speeds up and by the end you are at A level standard (or above).
The only thing I would say is, you are still very young so depending on your circumstances, make sure you don't waste your funding as you would still be plenty young enough to start an in person degree. I'm thinking of doing this in my mid 40s but it gets harder as you get older. What I mean is, you get one false start allowed for so if you find that the subject may not be for you, make sure you don't sign up for more than one full time year's equivalent, so you can have the chance to do a degree elsewhere at a later date.

I would start with an access course from a FE college.
But I would do a fair amount of careful research into future careers. What can you actually do with the degree, how much more studying do you need to do after the initial degree ? How much can you earn, what does career progression look like. How many jobs are there compared to graduates. Are jobs short term contracts or long term. What does a working week look like.

You have dc so you need the practical information before you start studying.

Definitely go for it!! You sound very motivated so I'm sure you will make a success of it. You are 28 and in 10 years your life could be looking very different and you would still be young enough even then to enjoy your hard work. Best of luck.

It’s definitely not too late for you. The OU have some great support in place. Before they accept you on a course, they ask some questions about your previous educational experience and make sure that you are at the right level for that course. They also help with brushing up skills before you sign up. Well worth exploring your options.
An access course is another option, but check out reviews of local colleges offering these courses, as some are better than others.
Good luck OP

I started my degree at 34 best thing I've ever done. It's never to late.
Good luck. wishing you all the very best for your future 🙂

I'm so encouraged by these comments thank you so much, I had practically written myself off and accepted that I'll always be a low earner with entry level jobs so this second wind is really inspiring.

I'm looking on the O.U website at the moment, I went through the FAQ's looking for entry requirements and it seems that there are none for most courses however an access module is recommended for students who haven't studied before and that module takes 30 weeks.

I have an income of less than 25k so may be entitled to do that module for free.

I'm going to call them tomorrow 😃

I echo this. I wholeheartedly think you should go for it with getting a degree but with forensic psychology, I think there’s something like you need medical qualifications to actually be a forensic psychologist. It’s like when people study veterinary science and then can’t get a job working with animals because those all go to the people with an actual full vet degree. I’d look into the career of forensic psychologist more first before you sign up to that specific degree.

OP you may find it helpful (and inspiring!) to browse some of the threads on the Mature Study and Retraining board:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/mature_students

Between them all you’ll find answers to most of your questions.

You don’t need any qualifications to start an OU degree - that’s the beauty of them. Stage one courses assume no prior knowledge and there’s loads of study support type modules on the website. Generally doing the degree part time will take 6 years but you don’t have to do a module each year- i think it’s 16 years you have to complete it by.
please ring their student services for advice - they are very used to scenarios like yours.
as you might of guessed I’m an OU student -
just about to start my last module

You may qualify for free courses through your local adult education classes to start you off with a basic qualification. Have a look at your local council site or Google Adult Community Learning.

I’m starting at new career at 42! Go for it.

Forensic psychology is a long way down the road for you as it requires relevant work experience and a masters, and like pp said, there are not many jobs. Why not set your sights on a more attainable career in the short term, with a view to working towards forensic psychology in the longer term? Youth work, youth justice, youth offending, would all be good places to start. A psychology degree would be good for all of these.
I’m sure a careers service could offer you some pointers re the quickest and cheapest way to get into uni. Best of luck!

Go for it!
I’ve started studying in my 30’s and it’s given been a huge confidence boost. I left school with a few GCSE’s, got married, had a few NMW jobs, had kids and then got divorced. Now I finally feel like I’m working towards something and a better future for my kids.