Well, I'm glad you asked!
I took a gap year at 18, intending to go to Liverpool Uni for Japanese. Went to Japan and studied Japanese , went to Thailand and travelled and experienced the culture. Halfway through my gap year, whilst I was in Thailand, I got a call from the uni saying they had cancelled Japanese, so I couldn't do it now, although I was on a gap year targeted at helping my Japanese.
So, they gave me an alternative (Tourism and leisure), and not wanting to disappoint my family who have never been to Uni, I took it. I went to the uni and started, then got sick with severe anxiety and endomitriosis; both undiagnosed until later. Couldn't focus on my work, so left.
Decided to take a year to go back to college and improve my terrible A Levels, spent the next year in jobs (seasonal town, jobs come and go quickly) and then started college. First week of college, collapsed on bus to college, taken to hospital, immediate surgery on my ovaries , endomitriosis discovered. Am out of action for 8 weeks, college says not worth trying to catch up, try again next year. Sigh. Between then and the next phase, I lived with a boyfriend in Surrey, and then travelled around the UK a lot.
I go back to having jobs and decide to try applying to do something totally different and enrol at another college offering a degree; they let me in with some persuasion, and after 2 months, BOOM, the endomitriosis strikes and I am stuck in bed, unable to leave to do basic life for 4 weeks. Have more extreme hormone treatment. Boyfriend of time says move in with him in London, get better job and money and find a career, education clearly not for me. I do this.
Unsuccesful with uni, I move to London, after 3 months get a job as a trainee hairdresser. Train to be a hairdresser whilst in a horrible dangerous abusive relationship with this guy, can't leave because fear. I finish my training as a hairdresser, do a bunch of extra hairdressing courses and win British Junior hairdresser of the year award, finally leave abusive boyfriend to live on own.
After 18 months of barely surviving on London wages, I am invited with friends in Sweden to stay with them for a while. I agree I need change - go to Sweden, volunteer in school teaching English, attend local community education facility and learn Swedish. Spend a year there, then return here, ready to try and go back to university. Again. Get a nutrition qualification and also do Tarot/Oracle readings to help supplement income.
Move in with current partner, partner has Aspergers and can't work. He does access course at local college. I Can't get funding for Access course, so decide to do Open Uni for credits to gain entry to a uni that way. Try applying for universities whilst having 2 jobs and many homely responsibilities. Get rejected, told to reapply next year because more credits make me more viable.
And here I am. Now living at Brunel Uni with my partner, working 3 jobs and studying like a maniac.
I've had jobs and been working since I was 13 years old, and since 14 had depression and anxiety which was not always treated properly, and virtually ruined my GCSEs and A Levels. But I never stopped wanting to go to University and study my favourite specialisms. I never will. Tooth and nail, to the grave