Few questions about starting uni at 26 and above

Why was it a mistake to move in the halls? And how did you come to the decision to join Glasgow? How did you get the subject of your choice?

Personally I think you're making a HUGE mistake. You've been in the Royal Navy for God's sake, 99% of employers are going to look upon that much more favourably upon that than some McHistory degree from a 2nd rate university. You've already said yourself that your grades weren't very good at school so it's clear you're no academic, this doesn't mean you lack intelligence of course it just means you're more practially minded, hence your C&G qualifications etc. If you're dead set on becoming a teacher and a degree is the only way to achieve this then I suppose you have no alternative, but I'd attempt to avoid uni at all costs. It's going to lumber you with huge debts, take 3 years out of your career, prevent you earning for 3 years (opportunity cost) and by the end of it you may be no better off in terms of employment prospects because every Tom, Dick and Harry holds a degwee this days. The cost/benefit analysis of uni no longer stacks up unless you've been to Eton and are planning to go to Oxbridge, i.e you're in the 1%.


In terms of value for money you can't beat the good old GCSE or A level. I took a GCSE as a private candidate a couple of years back to bolster my CV and it only cost me ~£100! It's such good value that I'm thinking of taking a couple more this year and possibly an A level (I only got 2 A levels at college which really bugs me) A private candidate is self taught you just use a local college in June as an exam centre, so you save loads in terms of time and money (some places offer maths and english for free i believe). If you click on the link and then click the top link you'll find the institutions nearest you who'll accept private candidates:

http://web.aqa.org.uk/search.php?q=private+candidates&btnG=&proxyreload=1&site=default_collection&client=default_frontend&proxystylesheet=default_frontend&output=xml_no_dtd

Hey there, thanks for the negativity, it's a breath of fresh air to get a different opinion. Yes, employers do look at life experience and such but I am stuch in menial jobs such as "security" or "cleaner" etc because I lack qualifications to get certain jobs. Sure I can get a job easily but I'd rather it be a job I like. A school won't hire a guy whose had no experience or training in teaching for example.

I haven't got the academic grades, no, but that was more through effort than my general skills. I dossed about in school and as a result, my grades suffered. I like to think, I am more intelligent than my grades and qualifcations give credit for... Maybe I am being over-confident, who knows?

Yes, I want a decent job and I am worried about joining university. If I was to join, it would set me back 3-5 years in life and make me skint. Rather than being 23, I'll be in my 30s... But I'll also have decent qualifcations to hopefully get a decent job.

I've spoken to my father today and he's equally as concerned as me. He doesn't wish me to do the medicine approach as he thinks I'll be in my mid-30's by the time I start work and I need very good grades to get a job. Part of me wants the "dr" title to my name. But I suppose I need to be more realistic and such. :/

As you can probably tell I'm very anti-university because I don't feel that it offers value for money anymore. If you have a specific path in mind i.e a uni course that directly leads to a career (with uni being essential) then by all means go for it, but if there's any uncertainty about what you're going to be doing after uni then you should drop the idea imo. Keep applying to loads of jobs (lie on your CV if you must), get a trade or start your own business, do anything to increase your financial capital because it'll be very difficult to play catch-up in terms of housing, a family and savings when you hit 30 with bugger all to show for it. Uni is a big financial gamble now, it's not a ticket to easy riches so should be treated with extreme caution. Put it this way, if I had kids I'd only advise them to go if they were the cream of the crop academically. Average or slightly above average just doesn't cut it. I wouldn't go because I'm not smart enough to make it work for me, and because there are other more lucrative paths out there that don't cost £ten of thousands in fees and lost earnings.

I am stuch in menial jobs such as "security" or "cleaner" etc because I lack qualifications to get certain jobs.

I haven't got the academic grades, no, but that was more through effort than my general skills. I dossed about in school and as a result, my grades suffered.

And you took the mick out of me for not going to Oxford? Double-standards, much?

Hey there, I recently posted this on the mature forum but nobody answered. I persume because nobody frequents them forums.

I am currently 26 years old, so I suppose if I was to start university, I'd be either 27 or 28.

I did really bad in school, like REALLY bad. I didn't try whatsoever and just joked about. In the end I got C for english, D maths, C history, D art (and I think that was because the teacher liked me), 4 c's ICT, D science. I dropped out of A-levels after the first year because I found the freedom was making me lazy and I was doing awful.

10 years later and I've served the Royal Navy and I've just left. I got 3 BTECs in Fibre optics and city of guilds. Some other qualifications in various things (like other city of guilds, RTITB etc)... I find I'm a very hard learner now but I doubt that'd prove much me saying it.

I want to go to university to study some courses would my grades hinder me? I'd like to learn stuff but to go back and learn GCSE's and another 2 years of A-levels? Would it be possible to go to university at all? With a chance at a decent subject? (I know medicine and law are out of the question here... But anything decent? Like nurse?) Would it be possible to give references to start uni?

My main problem however is funding. How can I afford rent whilst studying at uni? I want a decent chance at a career here. Literally I wish I tried harder and school and I feel the navy has ruined my youth. I don't want to party with the other students. I just want to study and work hard. I suppose I'll have to move into student accomadation or share a house? I've been kinda happy with my independancy tbh.

I've got my heart set on either psychology or perhaps get a history degree and become a teacher? Psychology interests me and I love history as a hobby.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.