The Student Room Group

worrying about age and studying a passion vs studying for a good degree/job...help!

is it pointless studying an art access course for e.g.? I am a fan of art, don't get me wrong, but with the amount of money spent to study an access course with the aim to go on to university, is art (or similar) access course useless?

i wanted to go back to university and study something in the art field, but as of right now i am unsure. i feel my strengths lie in the artistic and creative field, but if they don't lead anywhere is it pointless studying art or similar?

i do enjoy other subjects such as science, but i just don't think i am a strong enough at it. i was thinking about radiology, but then i would need strong maths skills and maths is for sure my weakest area.

anyway, because i am 27 now and would like to return to education, i feel like it's a big pressure/stress thinking about what to study that will help me to get onto a worthwhile degree course and make a good living after graduation. i wouldn't want to leave university and end up going into work that i could have done without the degree; that's usually not the point of a degree.

what do you think? are you studying your subject for interest purely, or are you studying it because you want to find a good job after graduation?

it is a tough decision to make isn't it?

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
I believe that a course of study derived from your strengths and interests is absolutely the best way to go. The only way to know if it will be a waste of time is to do some research into the career pathways stemming from the degree. Most universities have career suggestions alongside the course information on their websites and prospectus. Visit a college or university careers advisor and see what else they can tell you. Then establish whether there is a feasible career in the field that you want to pursue.

The alternative is to flip everything on its head. Try and break into employment within the field of art or utilising some artistic aspect that you enjoy (albeit at entry level so low pay). Then return to study in a few years time when you have a firm idea of what course leads you to progress through the specific sector that draws you.

Good luck either way.
Original post by Nature_junkie
is it pointless studying an art access course for e.g.? I am a fan of art, don't get me wrong, but with the amount of money spent to study an access course with the aim to go on to university, is art (or similar) access course useless?

i wanted to go back to university and study something in the art field, but as of right now i am unsure. i feel my strengths lie in the artistic and creative field, but if they don't lead anywhere is it pointless studying art or similar?

i do enjoy other subjects such as science, but i just don't think i am a strong enough at it. i was thinking about radiology, but then i would need strong maths skills and maths is for sure my weakest area.

anyway, because i am 27 now and would like to return to education, i feel like it's a big pressure/stress thinking about what to study that will help me to get onto a worthwhile degree course and make a good living after graduation. i wouldn't want to leave university and end up going into work that i could have done without the degree; that's usually not the point of a degree.

what do you think? are you studying your subject for interest purely, or are you studying it because you want to find a good job after graduation?

it is a tough decision to make isn't it?

if you had the money, you wouldn't be asking this. you obviously don't have the money.

do what you can afford to lose.
Reply 3
Original post by Nature_junkie

what do you think? are you studying your subject for interest purely, or are you studying it because you want to find a good job after graduation?


I am studying the subject that I am most interested and passionate about - psychology. It is also quite a broad subject and lends itself to a fair few careers directly and indirectly.

I do not have much background knowledge about the art degree but I would imagine that, like psychology, the range of careers which an art degree would give you access to is quite wide. Teaching, curating, self employment, etc.
Reply 4
You could approach unis and ask about an Art Foundation Degree or Foundation Year? That's a one year qualification with lower entry requirements than a full degree. If you pass, you might top it up to a full degree. If you complete a Foundation Year attached to a specific degree, it may be eligible for Student Finance.

If you go the Access route, you can get the 24+ Advanced Learning Loan which will cover the tuition fees. If you then go on to complete a degree, the 24+ debt is wiped out when you graduate and you won't have to repay it.

Ask each uni you're considering, whether you can actually get in with an Access qualification. Some - especially for art courses - prefer the Foundation approach.
(edited 8 years ago)
Don't know an awful lot about Art subjects, but...One of the tutors at the college where I did my Access course studied Art History as a mature student. What aspirations she had on starting it, I don't know, but it hasn't stopped her getting into teaching, so I'd say that's one for the "it's not a waste of time to study art" corner.
I was going to study AAT which leads to financial jobs and possibly accountancy which to me seems like a sensible option. Instead I've followed my heart and I'm starting a wildlife conservation degree. I'd rather be happy in a lower paid job than the other way round.

I'm hoping to find a job related to my interests, but understand that there isn't much money in it.
purely for interest. i'm dojng a combined liberal arts degree, which is basically a fast track to the dole queue (when compared to stem), but i'm seemingly incapable of studying a subject i'm not interested in.

as for choosing between different subjects, it's tricky (as run dmc would say). like you i'm interested in science, but you can't really combine biology with history and phil. in an ideal world i'd have figured out beforehand which subjects i could live with simply reading about and which subjects i wanted to actively study and made my choices accordingly, but i'm fairly happy with the choices i have made and i'm sure i'll cope with never finding out if i could have studied biology, as robert frost knew all too well
Reply 8
Hi there :smile:

I'm hoping to read English at Uni after my Access, and while it's not art, I'm aware it's not the most employable degree and I do get a funny look when I say I'm *not* actually hoping to become a teacher :P. At the end of the day, it's 4 years of your life you'll be sacrificing, it has to be something that you enjoy. That's just my 2p anyway. Good luck!
Original post by LurkQueen
Hi there :smile:

I'm hoping to read English at Uni after my Access, and while it's not art, I'm aware it's not the most employable degree and I do get a funny look when I say I'm *not* actually hoping to become a teacher :P. At the end of the day, it's 4 years of your life you'll be sacrificing, it has to be something that you enjoy. That's just my 2p anyway. Good luck!

Not my first choice either, but teaching's a decent option if other things don't work out. I'd much rather teach than do what I was doing before, put it that way!

I agree you might as well study something you enjoy. I studied programming (not at degree level) during the early 2000s, not because I loved it but because there was (particularly at that time; Y2K had just happened) excellent job prospects. I got a job a couple of years down the line and had a pretty good income when I quit last year. My 12yr career taught me about (working) life, which is all good, I suppose, and I guess it's pointless regretting what you can't change. But I can't help feeling in retrospect I should have done back then what I'm doing now. There was no point me going to uni at 18, but it might've been better had I gone at 24 or 25, instead of leaving it over a decade :frown:
Reply 10
Original post by thisistheend
if you had the money, you wouldn't be asking this. you obviously don't have the money.

do what you can afford to lose.


I have to agree

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by jimmy_looks_2ice
Not my first choice either, but teaching's a decent option if other things don't work out. I'd much rather teach than do what I was doing before, put it that way!

I agree you might as well study something you enjoy. I studied programming (not at degree level) during the early 2000s, not because I loved it but because there was (particularly at that time; Y2K had just happened) excellent job prospects. I got a job a couple of years down the line and had a pretty good income when I quit last year. My 12yr career taught me about (working) life, which is all good, I suppose, and I guess it's pointless regretting what you can't change. But I can't help feeling in retrospect I should have done back then what I'm doing now. There was no point me going to uni at 18, but it might've been better had I gone at 24 or 25, instead of leaving it over a decade :frown:


I know the feeling. I feel like I've had so many false starts (and even more non-starts). Like you, I know that going to college and mindlessly going through the motions when I was 17 just for the sake of a degree would have been a waste. I appreciate that yeah, working and time away from education has allowed me to develop my interests and now I know what I really want to pursue. I ummed and ahhed about it for ages, weighing up science routes (namely biomedical science) for the sake of a good payscale and getting the "most" out of it, but honestly I think anything to do with English, even if that *does* mean teaching, is going to make me hell of a lot happier than I am now. I'm excited to learn. It's not purely a means to an end and ultimately it's not something I'm going to begrudge myself for years down the line.
I do regret the years I've wasted in "limbo" and I so wish I didn't fritter away years trying to chase a future I didn't want but eh. Nothing we can do now except make the most of it :smile:. You start Uni this year right?
Original post by LurkQueen
You start Uni this year right?

Yes. Just been in to a welcome talk today, which was my first day.

I think I may have finally found my niche, but it's just a shame I couldn't have found it a bit earlier! As you say, though, the mistakes of the past are in the past and there's nowt can be done about it now.
Reply 13
Original post by jimmy_looks_2ice

I think I may have finally found my niche, but it's just a shame I couldn't have found it a bit earlier! As you say, though, the mistakes of the past are in the past and there's nowt can be done about it now.


I left a 20+ year career in IT to do an archaeology-related degree at 44. Seven years later, I'm being paid (poorly and occasionally!) to do archaeological work and am building up a really nice patchwork working life. I don't resent my IT past - it matured me into the person who was able to really study well at uni. I had a disastrous first attempt at uni when I was 18 - I wasn't ready and failed spectacularly. I'm very grateful that I had the gumption to give it another try, even in my mid-40s. It's been the best decision I ever made. Nothing beats the feeling of finally having found where you belong in life.
Original post by LurkQueen
Hi there :smile:

I'm hoping to read English at Uni after my Access, and while it's not art, I'm aware it's not the most employable degree and I do get a funny look when I say I'm *not* actually hoping to become a teacher :P. At the end of the day, it's 4 years of your life you'll be sacrificing, it has to be something that you enjoy. That's just my 2p anyway. Good luck!


Hey, thanks for the reply LurkQueen. I am seriously considering studying Graphic Design as it genuinely interests me. I still have this niggling doubt in my head festering, telling me "you're too old etc" but it's something i believe i'll really enjoy and art is a strong point of mine. I couldn't go into something if it isn't my strong point because i wouldn't be able to motivate myself as much.
By the way, thanks to everyone who has answered so far. It is definitely making me feel a lot more confident and reassured about going back to education. One problem, i don't have the relevant GCSEs, so would there be a chance i could still get into a college to study maths and english? I have my level 2 key stills in maths and english, but no grade C in GCSE.
To add another perspective on this, I originally studied computer science at university when I was 18 as I knew it would lead to good job. I love coding but dealing with people is a massive downfall of the job. I have come to realise, after 11 years in the industry, that I should have gone with my love of Earth Sciences instead. Therefore, 3 years ago I started a part time natural sciences degree with a focus on earth sciences. I'm 32 now and I have 3 more years left in my undergrad. I then hope to go one to masters and PhD in volcanology..

I'm under no illusions that I will earn as much as a volcanologist as I do in my current role as an IT Manager, but I love volcanoes so I am willing to give it a go.
Original post by Klix88
Nothing beats the feeling of finally having found where you belong in life.

The reactions I got at work once word had spread that I was jacking it in to go to uni were interesting. I had some genuine good sentiment, some people who had that "you're off your rocker" attitude, some who were annoyed with me due to the financial implications (my department were earning a hefty sum each month "pimping me out" to their prize client), and some people who had that forlorn "I wish I could do that" look in their eyes. But with regard to that latter group, I never felt guilty, or that I was particularly lucky; I'm prepared to take the risks and make the sacrifices necessary to find a more fulfilling path - and they aren't.

Original post by kukulaka
I love coding but dealing with people is a massive downfall of the job.

Do you mean that the lack of dealing with people as a developer is something that puts you off? That's part of the reason why I felt compelled to leave. I found that it's so abstract so much of the time and the feeling that it didn't really make any difference if I did something well or not was becoming too pervasive.
I went back into education and graduated at 26 in English (which I always felt was my strongest subject), intending to teach. After graduating, I changed my mind about teaching. However, having a degree made me substantially more employable. I fell into a graduate purchasing job, started a professional qualification with the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply, and I'm now a Procurement manager at a great company with a huge level of autonomy and responsibility. I am 29 now, and earning far more than I would have been had I not gone back to studying.

Go for it!
Original post by jimmy_looks_2ice
The reactions I got at work once word had spread that I was jacking it in to go to uni were interesting. I had some genuine good sentiment, some people who had that "you're off your rocker" attitude, some who were annoyed with me due to the financial implications (my department were earning a hefty sum each month "pimping me out" to their prize client), and some people who had that forlorn "I wish I could do that" look in their eyes. But with regard to that latter group, I never felt guilty, or that I was particularly lucky; I'm prepared to take the risks and make the sacrifices necessary to find a more fulfilling path - and they aren't.


Do you mean that the lack of dealing with people as a developer is something that puts you off? That's part of the reason why I felt compelled to leave. I found that it's so abstract so much of the time and the feeling that it didn't really make any difference if I did something well or not was becoming too pervasive.


More that I HAVE to deal with people in other departments. Our company is small, so although I am IT Manager, I do much of the development work too. I try to hammer home the need for decent spec to these people in other departments, but inevitably, at the end of the project, there is the usual refrain on "it does x, so I thought it would do Y, even though I didn't tell you". Non programmers fail to realise that a program will only ever do what you tell it to. There is never thanks for the hard work you have put in. (apart from my boss, who is awesome)

Quick Reply