English literature degree at 52. Absolutely ridiculous?

[MaliceInWanderland]

I've been thinking about it for a while now and am almost decided on taking the plunge via the OU.

Part time so it'll take approximately 6 years which just makes the whole thing even more ludicrous

I have no qualifications really - a handful of GCSE's and that's it. I've always loved literature though and I'm at a point in my life where I'm looking for a new challenge

I work part time, my children are adults / almost adult and I can certainly spare the 12 or so hours of study a week

But is it just a really big self indulgent ego trip? A waste of time? Not like I could then use the degree (if I even manage to get it!) for anything as I'll be even more ancient than I am already!

Any thoughts would be appreciated

I don't feel 52, I don't act 52 (whatever a 52 year old is supposed to act like!)

How are we meant to act? I'm only a month into being 52, and my copy of the rulebook hasn't arrived yet.

Do it. I've a friend who started at a similar age. She not long ago finished her masters and is now thinking about a PhD...

I know someone who did a degree in their 50s. They really enjoyed it and it launched their second career.

I've not seen anyone on here of our ancient ages say they want to do one/ have done one in order to get a 'flourishing career' (what is that anyway??) from it. As I said earlier, I'm over 60 and doing one because I have had a career (flourishing or not....) and want to do something else for me.
Weird to post on a positive thread about encouraging us old dears to use our shrinking doddery brains with such unnecessary negativity really

This, OP! I did my degree in my 40s with the OU. I enjoyed it so much. Go for it! It doesn't have to be for a reason, just personal interest and fulfilment 🙂

I did an open degree, so I was more free to do things I fancied. I didn't bother with any kind of access course ,just straight in at Level 1 with An Introduction to Social Sciences. My children were primary age at the time

I used to teach for the OU and I think you should go for it. You can go straight in to the degree as they do not have any admission requirements and they build in the study skills you need to the modules. We had a few students who had no qualifications not even GCSEs when they started and they did well.

Nobody is too old ( and you are not old at all). Even if you don’t do a full degree you can get a Cert HE and a lot of my students planned to do just that so they could have a level 4 qualification in working with children. Lecturers got discounted or free courses and I did the creative writing modules which I enjoyed.

I did a creative writing degree at 48. Was a really great thing to do.

I've know women and one or two men launch new careers on the back of a degree taken in their fifties.

I've also known a couple of post retirement degree takers use it to take on senior voluntary roles in the charity sector (also applying skills build in their work experience).

Others do it just for the joy of learning. Good for you - I hope you enjoy every moment of it!

I just finished a law degree at 50. I probably could have moved into law as I have a good background in finance too and being on the client side in deals.

So sone career moves are very possible at mature age. But only if you bring something else to the table (so law plus medical background etc) and generally sucessuful career already.

And there is always the salary expectations. And issue of going from senior person to a junior trainee -that would be the hardest thing.

And there is always the salary expectations. And issue of going from senior person to a junior trainee -that would be the hardest thing.

It depends on your starting point, though. Not everyone is on a high salary in their 50s. And if you've been out of work for a while, a lower salary is better than no salary (says person who is one week into a new job after 16 months of no job.) Having said that, salary aside, it's going to depend how much I'm allowed to do - I can see lots of things which I can help improve with my experience, but I may be too junior in the new role to be allowed to have much free reign. Obviously it is way too soon to see.

I would loooooove to do this. I have a degree and would love to do it again and actually attend without a hangover and really learn. You have inspired me. I never would have thought of doing a degree later in life.

To add, I will almost certainly do more courses once I'm retired, probably creative writing, perhaps music 🤔 I really believe in lifelong learning, just for the absolute joy of it.

I suppose though does open university teacher you stuff for the joy of learning?

Or to pass an exam?

I enjoyed the law degree but I want to learn other law modules (ie family law or medical). But one can't do that really now I have a degree. I do have a good family law textbook but without the weekly lectures and reading lists it just isn't the sane.

And of course writing long essays on things you have no interest in (say eu law) seems daft when you are doing it "for fun"

Overall it's a lot less fun when you are up 24 hours doing a 24 hour exam. I wouldn't have been happy with anything less than a 2.1 and obviously once done you need to include it on a cv so getting a third wouldn't be ideal.

Even my dad, doing open university at 77 is focused on grades and marks. It moves very quickly out of "doing it for fun" at times.

(My masters courses allow you to audit modules but charge £3k. Which is ridiculous for just a few PowerPoints and reading list which is same as year before, for a 10 week module, 2 hours a week.

I had a large choice in modules on my degree and complete choice for my master's, within the degree modules of course.

Undergrad had one mandatory. This was at a Russel group brick and I did it at 30. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Didn't do any modules I didn't enjoy as I had a great choice!

Also, 24 hour exams are not meant to be done for 24 hours... You have 24 hours in which to do the exam, you're not writing for the whole 24. Or shouldn't be, anyway.

You don't have to decide right away, because if you choose to do English Lit (without creative writing) your first module should be A111 Discovering the Arts and Humanities. You will do this module whatever humanities course you choose (English Language, English Lit, History, Music, English Lit with Creative Writing etc etc). It's the module I did last year, in my first year.
This module has units (and essays required) on History, Religious Studies, Art History, Philosophy, Music, English Lit, Creative Writing, Classical Studies, Architecture and you will study all of it. I really enjoyed studying such a wide variety of subjects and wondered whether to switch to Art History after studying Van Gogh and I've never been interested in art before!
The point is, if you enrol on English Lit and then find you want to add creative writing after you've done A111 or you want to switch to History or another humanity that really lights your fire to your surprise, you can switch to another degree.

I suppose though does open university teacher you stuff for the joy of learning?

there isn’t really any teaching, as such. It’s self-directed online learning.

I had my OU graduation last weekend, there were people of all ages some very young who I assume decided not to go to a brick uni during COVID and opted for the OU instead. Others like me in their 30s and 40s with children in tow perhaps as career changers and several that were 60+, one that was 90 who learnt for the sake of learning.

Investing in yourself, particularly if you are someone that has spent years putting others before yourself is a very good reason for doing an OU degree. The quest for knowledge is never wasted even if there is no career at the end of it.

There are plenty of recorded OU graduation ceremony s online and chats with graduates on how and why they did their degree and what it means to them.

Is there a way I can do just this module 🤣 That sounds incredible and right up my alley!

If / when you do go for it they teach you everything you need to know. Below is how I found the levels and I'd previously studied up to level 5

Level 1- Years 1 and 2
Module 1 - GCSE level Content
Module 2 - higher GCSE / A level
This year the overall grades do not count towards your final degree, you just have to pass (40% I think)

Level 2 -years 3 and 4
Module 1 - 1st year at brick uni
Module 2 - 2nd year at brick uni

Level 3
Module 1 and Module 2 - 3rd year at a brick uni.

I got a 2:2 and wasn't happy with that as was 1% from a 2:1. However, during my 6 years I was a single parent to an autistic child, used to take my study stuff and sit poolside at swimming lessons and in the back of the car during rugby training, I ended up working as an unqualified teacher with all normal teacher responsibilities and all the juggling that required between my degree and marking and planning as my school couldn't recruit to the dept, contended with COVID that had impacts on every part of my life etc so overall I did alright I could have done better if not contending with the rest.I don't regret it although it was hard at times, not so much the content just juggling everything and I was ready to throw the towel in at the end, although it seems like a distant memory now and I only finished it 18 months ago. I did find myself looking at Masters on the OU website when I got home from my graduation ceremony though.

I think you’ve misunderstood the point of a 24 hour exam!!!

I haven't misunderstood

I know you are supposed to just do 3 hours and then submit.

But at the time you do it, having spent £000's on this course, it's very rare student who after 3 hours would say "yep that's good enough"

Maybe people do but I don't think any student I did law with did that.

(I spent probably 12 hours and slept then final read through in morning before submitting 1 hour early)

But would be interesting if other mature students would just say "yes that's good enough" and submit after 3 hours?

I started doing English lit and then did creative writing.
You get to write your own stuff and also look at other people's stuff.
I did two years of creative writing. Was great.

I like writing essays, and I got a first. The creative writing sounds fab!

Thanks again - so much good information which is really helping me make a decision

I have enrolled and all is in place to start in October. I have a cooling off period now so time for me to really consider this properly

My main concern is sustaining it all for 6 years. That's a bloody long time so I really need to consider that

The ou degree is moduar though, so you can take your time, leave it and go back to it etc. As other have said, the 6 years will pass anyway. I find when you are an adult one year just goes into another. You may as well just do it and take it as it comes.

If you really want to do English, then go for it. But please remember it won't be quite the experience you would have had at 20! I did my first degree (at a very top level university too!) after school, and enjoyed it.
I decided to go back in my 60s for a similar course, but to another uni - and lasted about a term. The lecturers seemed uninspiring - if anything, rather second rate. I felt I'd, well, grown out of it? I could see the criticism more than the positivity.