No college experience - Will I survive? (Web Technologies)

Hey all,

I've received an unconditional offer onto the Web Technologies course for 2012, I applied super late, after being told by a local college that I most likely couldn't receive funding to go back and do A levels (I've been out of school for 2 years and have done various qualifications since then such as Microsoft certifications, but never a full A level equivalent course. I've had full time jobs for most of the last few years).

There are a couple of things that are putting me off though - Most others who will be attending uni will have come from college or 6th form. I haven't been in full time education since July 2010 and I'm worried I'm going to struggle to adapt to the academic life style. I know a basic amount of computing in most areas, but I'm worried I might get overwhelmed.

What do you guys think? Has anyone else come from a non-educational background? I need an outsider opinion, with the little information I've given :smile:

Should I take this opportunity, or spend another 2 years, 3 days a week in college?

Reply 1

nmr1991

Im going a similar route as I have almost done my 2 year course at college and I might be in the same state of mind as you since when I went to the university for preview day, I could feel 2 things, excitement and being really sure that I might actually struggle in the academic lifestyle you just mentioned. I didn't do well in the academic route, I haven't actually got any experience like you have so I don't know how my BTEC level 3 course balances against your 'various qualifications'. So in a sense I probably left the academic path at the same time as you did but instead you took different things like Microsoft Certificates.

Nevertheless I am going to take my university course seriously and do the best that I can, i've not really been one for doing well in the academic pathway but I am going to dedicate my time to achieving top grades, sure there will be times where I can't deal with the stress of so much work I have to do but these times are when I will just deal with it no matter how hard it is - that's how I jumped from being a lazy guy with crap qualifications to working hard and dealing with large amounts of work.

As some advice (This is if you are set on the web technology pathway) if you were to take a college course for 2 years, well I don't know any course centered on web technologies but IT i think is closely related, there are a few units that involve web development and its a really good course and i've learnt alot. You don't have to follow my advice

University of Portsmouth

Portsmouth

Reply 2

Geneticgeek

Original post by nmr1991

My other option was to go to college for 2 years and study the Level 3 National Diploma in Interactive Media and Game Design, which has quite a bit of programming in it and a lot of skills that I assume would be applicable to the web technologies course. I would feel a lot safer going to Uni if I had your BTEC level 3 course under my belt! That's still what I'd class as an academic route, and congratulations for finishing :smile:

From what I've read, the first year of any computing course tends to bring everyone up to speed with everything.. Some of them even say that you don't need previous computing experience! (although beneficial.).

My jobs have been in IT support so my computing skills aren't really at all applicable to any of the Uni courses. Web Technology is just an area I kind of spotted and thought, "I like the sound of that more than computer forensics and game design, let's pick that!"

I don't have my heart set on it and I still have doubts, which is what is making me so hesitant :frown:

Reply 3

nmr1991

Stuff that i'd class as academic would be courses that you would need to revise in order to pass exams, revising hasn't been my strong point unless it involves Maths which I used to enjoy. The BTEC level 3 I am doing, which is classed as vocational, is just coursework, not much of it is related to the course at university i'm applying for except for the programming elements, except I have used computers for a long time and become quite proficient in many software packages.

As you said with first year being the introductory year, it has been given in the course details on the website that I am going to be trained in different pathways and identify which one that you will choose for 2nd year that you have performed better in and/or have enjoyed the most.

In truth, all of this (from the very first BTEC I done) was just a backup plan from my first goal which now I think is unachievable since I have gone a completely different direction. There were 2 other targets I was aiming for apart from IT, astrophysics and geology. Science as you probably know I have failed in really bad so that was one goal down the drain. I was determined to go further in Geography when really I kept getting below D grades at GCSE and eventually realized that my dream of being a geologist has shattered.

In a way, every time I set myself a near impossible target (for my intelligence), I am possibly jinxing myself of not getting the grades I need. Now in vocational qualifications started off in business, I didn't like the subject and I couldn't handle the amount of work involved and barely but managed to scrape past an overall grade of Merit - I was underestimating the subject, I learnt that last year (year 1 of level 3). *By underestimating I mean I went in there thinking I knew everything there is to know about computers and I encountered so many things that were just alien to me which therefore put me at a disadvantage.

Web Technology is just an area I kind of spotted and thought, "I like the sound of that more than computer forensics and game design, let's pick that!"

I thought this when I started thinking about what degree I wanted to do, therefore I might have said "Computer Games Technology may be a good specific degree course that I would enjoy, so I checked the requirements and considered other degrees aswell (software engineering, comp sci) but this was my final choice in the end because I spend most of my time playing games or other stuff that are related, and as you might wonder, I will not underestimate this degree as it could cost me and quite literally. The reasons for turning down software engineering is because it's more centered to business applications in general but also I heard bad reviews of it.

Sorry for making such a long winded conversation, I can't help but convey so much information at once because I have so much to talk about and ironically not many qualifications to speak of.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 4

Geneticgeek

Original post by nmr1991

Sorry for making such a long winded conversation, I can't help but convey so much information at once because I have so much to talk about and ironically not many qualifications to speak of.

Don't be silly, I'm exactly the same, I write my posts out then delete a lot of the paragraphs because I try to convey so much information :smile:

I appreciate you having a conversation with me, makes me feel a little better that someone will talk about it with me!

All though the BTEC is vocational, it's still academic in my eyes, done in an educational establishment. I've been completely away from school for two years. It's not my abilities I'm doubting, because I think nearly anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it and work hard enough, it's more whether I'm prepared in the right mind set to go back to a learning environment with lots of people my own age. I'm used to managing people and doing my own thing at work, opposed to having somebody tell me what to do and have to take in a lot of information.

You shouldn't class what you think you're able to do by whether you think you're intelligent or not, thats just going to dishearten you! You can achieve anything you want to do in life, it just takes some people a little longer than others. I know I could get into uni in two years after doing a college course and feel a lot more comfortable going now, but that's an extra 2 years I don't want to spend thinking "Hmm, if I'd just gone to Uni I might be a lot further on than I am now." But in the same respect, if I go to uni and struggle I'm going to be thinking "if I'd only gone to college..."! Swings and roundabouts I guess