Leaving a full time job for University at 31

To cut a long story short (ish) i left college at 18 after studying I.T. and have worked ever since but for the last 4 or 5 years every time September rolls around i've had this overwhelming urge to go to University but annoyingly i always end up talking myself out of it (you're too old, you can't just quit your job at your age bla bla bla) and then end up regretting it for the rest of the year.

Now this year the exact same thing is happening except this time i've actually applied and been offered a place to study Geology with a foundation year but once again i find that i'm trying to talk myself out of it (i haven't accepted yet) the prospect of leaving a full time job and then graduating at 35 is actually terrifying, on the plus side i don't have any kids or debts so i'm abit of a free spirit in that regard.Anyone on here in a similar situation?

The decision would be so much easier if could carry on in my current job and maybe reduce my hours to 20 a week but it's simply not possible because it involves alot of travelling so i'll have to search for part time work elsewhere and i really have no idea what sort of hours i'll be able to do without seeing my University timetable.

It's such a stressful and petrifying decision to have to make :grumble:

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 1

jackien1

19

Do you have enough money to see yourself through uni somewhat comfortably? If you do, 100% go for it!

Reply 2

saltwoundroutine

OP

Original post by jackien1

Do you have enough money to see yourself through uni somewhat comfortably? If you do, 100% go for it!

I have some savings which should allow me to keep my current accommodation while i study but beyond that i'd be relying on the student loans + part time work to see me through.

The financial thing isn't the biggest concern really, it's more leaving a secure job for the next 4 years with no real guarantees at the end of it.

It's without question the hardest decision i've ever had to make.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 3

flyingsophie

If you have enough financial cushion, then go for it. Otherwise you'd always wonder "what if". And this is the time to do it - you haven't got any debts, obligations, or family so you're at the peak of your risk tolerance level. Uncertainties are part of life - but to me regrets are much worse.
Good luck (ps you better hurry to catch this term)!

Reply 4

jimmy_looks_2ice

11

Original post by saltwoundroutine

It's such a stressful and petrifying decision to have to make :grumble:

Yes, it is. The bad news is that there's no way you can predict with 100% certainty how things will work out :frown:

The good news, though, is that it can be a tremendously liberating experience :woo:

the prospect of leaving a full time job and then graduating at 35 is actually terrifying, on the plus side i don't have any kids or debts so i'm abit of a free spirit in that regard. Anyone on here in a similar situation?

I was 12 months ago. I was actually a bit older than you at that point (38), but otherwise in similar circumstances. I'd had a similar experience of wanting to change direction over a number of years, but chickened out for various reasons (admittedly, some of them practical). In autumn 2012, I ended up making a move from software dev in the civil service to doing the same in the private sector. Enjoyed 2013, but hated it in 2014. The level of misery I was in was what pushed me into taking the leap out of IT altogether and onto being a ft student. Had I just been a bit "meh" about my job, I probably wouldn't have taken such a risk. But I'm immensely glad now that I did.

So, I've now completed a 1yr Access course, which I was able to focus on without having to work this year. It's hard to describe how much happier I was in the second half of last year being an FE student than I was in the first half of the year working in a job I hated. I can't guarantee it'll be the same for you, but squaring up what you've said about your situation with mine, my suspicion is that if you stay put, you'll probably find in four years' time you'll be 35 and even more unsatisfied with your lot. Therefore, your age is pretty much irrelevant to your decision. What's important is deciding if you can realistically afford to support yourself. More good news :smile:

- you probably can, as long as you're prepared to a live a more modest lifestyle as a student than you did as a working professional.

All that you said about seeing how your uni timetable will affect your working options applies to me too, now I'm starting uni in the next few weeks. I'm just going to see how things pan out. You mentioned savings, so that's a great help. Can you sell a car to raise some more funds? I'm selling mine soon - will give me a decent (though not huge) pot of money, frees me from all the worries of maintaining a car, and will force me into using more environmentally-friendly modes of transport. Yes, it'll be strange not having a car for the first time in 18 years :o:

, but it's one of a number of sacrifices I'm making to allow me to spend the next few years immersed in things I'm interested in - better that, imv, than slogging away at a job I hate just to keep myself in fancy clothes and flashy cars.

One other thing I noted is that you mentioned you do a lot of traveling for your current job. Do you frequently stay away from home at a hotel for work?

Reply 5

saltwoundroutine

OP

Hi, thanks for the replies everyone, Jimmy i currently work away Mon-Fri most weeks staying in hotels, i also have a company van which is one of the main reasons i also sold my car last year (blew a large chunk of that money exploring the delights of Canada though :K:

), also living in the centre of town i found that i hardly ever used it, whenever i'm heading out for the day i'd much rather use public transport anyway so i can have a drink!

Financially i'm sure i could 'get by' and every part of me wants to just say 'to hell with it' and just go for it but i keep having these terrifying visions of an aged version of myself leaving University in 4 years time clutching my degree and heading straight to the unemployment line. :eek:

Having said that i could easily find myself in that situation in 4 years anyway minus the degree i guess.

I really don't enjoy my job at all which is the driving factor behind wanting to go in a different direction but isn't that just the reality of life for the vast majority of people? :facepalm:

Having said that I'm not someone who tends to have too many regrets but i know i'll probably regret this if i don't do it now but it's still unbearably hard to just tear your life up and start again from scratch.

PS FlyingSophie i know i'm really pushing it now! The course starts on the 28th but they've given me a deadline of this Friday to continue to agonize over it :stomp:

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 6

Zebadee321

3

Not in this situation myself however I think you should go for it. My Aunt did her degree at like 40-45. She made some good friends through it although she studied part time.
You'll never know unless you do it. Good luck with whatever you decide. :smile:

Reply 7

jimmy_looks_2ice

11

Original post by saltwoundroutine

i currently work away Mon-Fri most weeks staying in hotels

I really don't enjoy my job at all which is the driving factor behind wanting to go in a different direction but isn't that just the reality of life for the vast majority of people? :facepalm:

Having said that I'm not someone who tends to have too many regrets but i know i'll probably regret this if i don't do it now but it's still unbearably hard to just tear your life up and start again from scratch.

Practical advice

I was staying away from home and in hotels for work midweek for most of the 2 year period before I quit the job to do Access last summer. I thought, if I'm going to be away all week, what's the point in renting my own place when I'm not going to be there most of the time? So I lived with family, just coming home for the weekends. The money I saved in that time has helped me fund my studies. I don't want to pry into your life, but I just mention this as a possible idea for you - it may be completely inappropriate or impractical for you. But sticking out your job for another year might just allow you to boost your funds for your academic pursuits. You'd need to defer or reject your current uni offer, but you're a mature student, so unis will understand that your life circumstances are different to teenagers going to uni. Just a thought.

Philosophical advice

I decided I wasn't prepared to settle for a job for the rest of my life that I didn't enjoy - or, at least, I won't settle for one without fighting as hard as I can to do better. I've no guarantees that getting a degree (or a masters degree, or even a PhD, for that matter) will result in me getting a job that I enjoy anymore than I did the ones I had before, but (a) it dramatically increases the chances that I will, (b) it's a risk I'm prepared to take, and (c) at least I can then say I've done everything I could do to make it happen - far better, imv, than if I just plod on passively and hoping that some external occurrence will make the changes in my life I'm looking for.

There's a scene from one of my favourite TV shows that's helped me fight through the doubts I've had when facing up to fears about making a difficult choice. Please take this in the spirit it's intended - to help you overcome your fears - and not that I'm trying to slap you down for having doubts in the first place (I think we all do in these situations).

It comes in the final episode of season two of The West Wing; it's an episode called Two Cathedrals.
***SPOILER ALERT***

The incumbent US President, Josiah "Jed" Bartlett (Martin Sheen), is up to his ears in trouble, having concealed the fact that he had MS during his election campaign and into his first term in the Oval Office - a fact that he's now finally, under pressure, revealed to the public. His political rivals are, naturally, trying to make as much out of it as they can - he faces threats of impeachment and legal action for covering up his illness. He's also grappling with all the usual stack of problems the President has to deal with each day, plus the fact that he promised his wife he'd only run for one term in office due to his MS, and as if all that wasn't enough, his lifelong friend and Personal Secretary, Mrs. Landingham (Kathryn Joosten), has just died in a car accident.

Back at the Oval Office after Mrs. Landingham's funeral, Bartlett confronts his fears about whether he should run for re-election. If he does, the pressure on him will only intensify. He has a vision of Mrs. Landingham talking to him. During their 'conversation', they run through a number of national issues (children in poverty etc.) that, were he to run for a second term, he could use his abilities to help find solutions for. Before she 'disappears', Mrs Landingham says this:

"You know, if you don't want to run again, I respect that. But if you don't run 'cause you think it's gonna be too hard or you think you're gonna lose - well, God, Jed, I don't even want to know you."

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 8

Klix88

17

I jacked in a 20+ year IT career to go to uni, aged 44 (I'm also single and childless). Uni was unfinished business from my younger days and I just decided that if I didn't do it now, then I never would. I had the additional advantage of having paid off my mortgage early.

I loved uni. I completed my undergrad, then found I had enough savings left to do a Masters. I was into the third year of a PhD before stuff went expensively wrong and I had to stop.

There's no way to be sure how things will go for you. All I can tell you is that seven years on, I've never regretted leaving my job and going to uni. I'd do my undergrad degree again in a heartbeat.

Reply 9

Ftmshk

12

Just do it! After 3 years you will have an internationally recognised qualification, as well as all your work and life experience.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 10

seraphelle

2

I too gave up a career to go back to Uni, and it was the best decision I ever made. Granted I had started to dislike my field, and no job is 100% secure, but with 2 young kids it was a very daunting decision.

I firmly believe it is better to regret the things you have done, than the things you haven't.

You'll be wondering 'what if' forever otherwise.

Reply 11

username853479

14

I'd say go for it as long as you have money to get you by.

Reply 12

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

21

If you want to change jobs then going to university is a good idea, I wouldn't worry about not getting a job after you graduate, with your work experience and a good solid degree that is unlikely. If you're happy with your current job then consider doing a part-time degree or studying online. Birkbeck, University of London does a distance learning online Geology degree, so does the Open University and Stockholm University (the latter is also free).

Reply 13

jimmy_looks_2ice

11

Bearing in mind the no-guarantees caveat mentioned earlier, the way I see it, if the non-degree-qualified me was able to get into a decent job (albeit one I didn't particularly enjoy a lot of the time), why would the degree-qualified me not be able to get a job? I think the issue upon graduating is more likely to be, "can I get into the line of work I'd most like to?" rather than "will I be able to get a job at all?"

Reply 14

RFTS123

Original post by saltwoundroutine

To cut a long story short (ish) i left college at 18 after studying I.T. and have worked ever since but for the last 4 or 5 years every time September rolls around i've had this overwhelming urge to go to University but annoyingly i always end up talking myself out of it (you're too old, you can't just quit your job at your age bla bla bla) and then end up regretting it for the rest of the year.

Now this year the exact same thing is happening except this time i've actually applied and been offered a place to study Geology with a foundation year but once again i find that i'm trying to talk myself out of it (i haven't accepted yet) the prospect of leaving a full time job and then graduating at 35 is actually terrifying, on the plus side i don't have any kids or debts so i'm abit of a free spirit in that regard.Anyone on here in a similar situation?

The decision would be so much easier if could carry on in my current job and maybe reduce my hours to 20 a week but it's simply not possible because it involves alot of travelling so i'll have to search for part time work elsewhere and i really have no idea what sort of hours i'll be able to do without seeing my University timetable.

It's such a stressful and petrifying decision to have to make :grumble:

I'm in the exact same position only at 38 I'm giving up 20 years of working to start over. Am I scared?...totally petrified!! Do I have savings?...not a penny! I enjoyed the last 20 years too much!! But I have toyed with this idea for the last 15 years. I was made redundant last year for the second time in 3 years and I decided that was it. You say you are giving up a permanent job? Since the dawn of our marvelous recession nothing is permanent or guaranteed, especially jobs and I learned that the hard way. But instead of the usual panic "how would I survive financially?" I decided this was the kick in the backside I needed. I enrolled in an access course which I totally loved, passed with distinctions and I'm starting my four year degree next week.

I will be totally penniless for four years, I'll be the granny of the class and I will have student debt at the end of it that I will probably still be paying off in my retirement home. But none of that compares to the heart stopping fear that if I don't do this now, some day; hopefully a long way off; I'll be nearing my end and I will be completely consumed with regret and feel I wasted my life.

Do it! Accept your place on the course and embrace every opportunity it brings you. If you don't then in four years you will be saying...what if!!?! You've come this far and taken the leap to apply....GO FOR IT!!! And good luck!!!

Reply 15

jimmy_looks_2ice

11

Original post by RFTS123

Since the dawn of our marvelous recession nothing is permanent or guaranteed

I'd agree, although I'd add that nothing has ever been permanent or guaranteed. As Helen Keller once said: "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing."

People tend to think that the lack of security in life is a really bad thing, but if you really think about it deeply enough, it's very liberating. Why cling on to values that aren't really your own and, in a more physical sense, stuff that you don't really need, if it keeps you stuck in a lifestyle that's not really fulfilling? It takes guts to break away from the crowd and forge your own path, but it's invariably more satisfying. Much like you've intimated about your life, assuming I even make it to old age (even that's not guaranteed), I'd much rather end up in a modest retirement home but be able to look back on a life of pursuing what I really wanted to do than be in a perfect house with the cupboards groaning with gadgets and what-not, staring wistfully out of the window each day wishing I'd followed my heart instead of taking the "sensible" option.

Reply 16

RFTS123

Original post by jimmy_looks_2ice

I'd agree, although I'd add that nothing has ever been permanent or guaranteed. As Helen Keller once said: "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing."

People tend to think that the lack of security in life is a really bad thing, but if you really think about it deeply enough, it's very liberating. Why cling on to values that aren't really your own and, in a more physical sense, stuff that you don't really need, if it keeps you stuck in a lifestyle that's not really fulfilling? It takes guts to break away from the crowd and forge your own path, but it's invariably more satisfying. Much like you've intimated about your life, assuming I even make it to old age (even that's not guaranteed), I'd much rather end up in a modest retirement home but be able to look back on a life of pursuing what I really wanted to do than be in a perfect house with the cupboards groaning with gadgets and what-not, staring wistfully out of the window each day wishing I'd followed my heart instead of taking the "sensible" option.

Totally liberating!! Although to be honest I do tend to feel quite stiffled if I have toe the line in anything for too long, still never out-grown my Peter pan syndrome. So this new chapter is breathing new wind in my sails. The fact that Some people think I have officially lost the plot by giving everything up, if I'm honest, is an added bonus. We only get one life so I want to make sure I try it from every angle possible!

Reply 17

CompSciEssex

1

Look at it this way mate; in three years time you're still gonna be three years older. You can either be three years older with a degree or without one. :wink:

Reply 18

saltwoundroutine

OP

Thanks for taking the time to reply everyone, i'm probably the most indecisive person in the world and this thread has helped me a lot, it's reassuring to know other people are going on a similar 'journey'

I accepted the offer this morning (talk about last minute) and handed my notice in at work which was frankly the most bizarre feeling knowing i don't have another job to go to!

I still have the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other bickering about whether i've made the right decision but i'm tired of trying to over complicate things and thinking too far ahead, i certainly aren't willing to die wondering what might have been.

One day at a time is my approach from now on and i can't wait to get started.

Once again many thanks everyone.

Reply 19

skeptical_john

13

Original post by CompSciEssex

Look at it this way mate; in three years time you're still gonna be three years older. You can either be three years older with a degree or without one. :wink:

I will def use this in the future.

Leaving a full time job for University at 31

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