Looking for a fresh start/return to study - possibly abroad

Hi all,

I'm 23, and have a BSc in Computer Science.

Brief background:
I attended and completed the course because it was a safe bet; I had studied Comp Sci at college, it was something that I was good at, I stood a good chance of finding employment after graduation (I actually started work a week before graduation day) and I quite simply didn't know what I actually wanted to do with my life. The worry of being a failure culminated in me doing a course that I didn't enjoy, and I feel stuck.

Going to University to do a course I wasn't really interested in was a BIG mistake. I made some good friends, but I essentially spent 3 years waiting for it to end.

Where I am now:
I've now been working full-time for 2 years. I can do my job quite easily, and I have no worries about job security, but I am not happy. The job is un-fulfilling, the subject (software development) itself does not interest me in the slightest, nor has it done for a long time (I considered quitting the course mid-way through my second year, but persevered through fear of failure - looking back, the amount of stress I went through was not worth it).

I've finally reached a point where I have the self-confidence and the 'real life' experience to know what it is I want to do. I'm tired of being upset at my current situation - I hate it and want to do something I will actually enjoy for once.

What I want to do:
I would like to go back to University to study Geology. It's a subject that I've been interested in for as long as I can remember (ask my parents, the rock/geode/fossil collection I gathered as a child, and the amount of books on volcanoes/earthquakes I had is laughable).

My problem is that I've already completed a degree, and so I'm now exempt from a traditional student loan. Damn! I'm also earning nowhere near enough to consider self-funding a degree, and I doubt I would be able to save up enough within the next 10 years.

I would be very happy to live abroad in order to study, but I have absolutely no idea where to look. I've spent hours searching for courses, but I feel like I'm getting nowhere fast.

Can anybody provide some insight as to how I might start moving towards my goal? Are there organisations set up specifically to cater towards 'mature' students returning to university?

Any help at all would be very much appreciated. At 23, this can't be it - there's got to be a way in which I can change my career path and rectify my past-mistakes.

Cheers,
Sam

Reply 1

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

The Open University does a Natural Sciences degree where you can specialise in Earth Sciences. As you know, you can't get a tuition fee loan but you can spread the cost using OUSBA. If you do a 60-credit module ever year, you will pay roughly £220 per month and finish the degree in 6 years. Is that financially possible for you? Birkbeck also offers a distance learning Geology degree, their fees are higher than the OU but again, I believe you can spread the cost.

Stockholm University has a distance learning Earth Sciences degree, as far as I can tell most of the modules can be studied online and they're taught in English. I don't know if you can do the whole degree in English (phone them and ask?) but you could certainly do a large chunk of it in English, then you could theoretically transfer the credits you have attained to the OU/another British university and finish the degree there. If you do want to study abroad then check out the International Study forum for more information on living abroad, finances etc.

Other options:

The Netherlands:

University College Roosevelt - Liberal Arts (major Earth and Environmental Science)
University College Utrecht - Liberal Arts (major Earth and Environmental Science)
Amsterdam University College - Liberal Arts (major Earth and Environmental Science)
Delft University of Technology - BSc Applied Earth Sciences

Germany:

Jacobs University Bremen - BSc Earth and Environmental Sciences
University of Potsdam - BSc Earth Sciences

Sweden:

Lund University - BSc Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science
Stockholm University - BSc Earth Sciences

Reply 2

Nisja

Firstly, wow, what a wealth of useful information you are! Thanks for taking the time.

I'd considered the Open University, and had no idea the OUSBA existed, that would definitely make things much more manageable if I were to take on their Earth Sciences course.

The course at Stockholm University looks absolutely fantastic, VERY interested in that! From the looks of things, the entire course is taught in English, with 75% distance and 25% on-site intensive excursions; I'm excited just thinking about it.

Of the other courses you mentioned (great find by the way), Roosevelt, Delft, and Lund each look absolutely spot on, and from what I can gather there are no/very low tuition fees which is going to greatly assist my situation. I also believe they are all taught in English, although I'm more than keen to learn the local dialect of wherever I might find myself.

So it looks like I've gone from zero to five possible routes from just your help alone, so thanks again for pointing me in the right direction, I guess the next step is to set myself up with some good beer and scrutinise each one, and hopefully come up with a list of pros/cons before I start to make steps towards contacting the right people.

If this were Reddit I'd gift you gold. :smile:

Reply 3

Seiza

Original post by Nisja

Hello,

I understand that you feel you have perhaps out grown you desire to study software development. However, it is a great skill. Have you thought about combining it with your passion for geology? you could design and app around this subject and if it begins to pay well this will assist future study and give a great personal statement.

Reply 4

Schadenfreude65

You might find this website useful: http://www.studyinholland.co.uk/loans_and_grants.html

Reply 5

magnetite

Geology and computer science is a very useful combination now days. Given the large amounts of data that geologists handle, there is a need for people with coding skills to analyse this data.

Source: me - 4 yrs at a large resources company using my computational skills at every opportunity.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 6

jimmy_looks_2ice

Original post by Seiza

I understand that you feel you have perhaps out grown you desire to study software development. However, it is a great skill. Have you thought about combining it with your passion for geology? you could design and app around this subject and if it begins to pay well this will assist future study and give a great personal statement.

I think if I've interpreted the OP's post correctly, at this point it's the professional practice of rather than the study of software development that they've had enough of. But I think you're absolutely right in pointing out to the OP the value of their existing skillset.

Original post by Nisja

I attended and completed the course because it was a safe bet /
I am not happy. The job is un-fulfilling, the subject (software development) itself does not interest me in the slightest /
I'm tired of being upset at my current situation - I hate it and want to do something I will actually enjoy for once. /
I'm also earning nowhere near enough to consider self-funding a degree, and I doubt I would be able to save up enough within the next 10 years.

My circumstances weren't the same as yours, but in my mid-twenties I followed a similar path. Chose software development to study (distance learning City & Guilds, not uni degree) and work in because I was confident I'd find secure work. I did actually (more or less) enjoy it for the first few years, but as the years went on I became tired of it. I ended up sticking it out for 12 years before quitting last summer to do an Access to HE course. So you're not alone!

What about contracting or consulting as a way of boosting the amount you can save towards going back to studying? (I've assumed you're in a permie role at the moment.) It may not be practical for you, but it's worth thinking about. I ended up inadvertently funding my year on the Access course, and giving myself a buffer of savings to put towards the living expenses for my next 3 years at uni, by joining a consultancy via my IT skills. I say "inadvertent" because, when I joined, I was intending to continue in IT and use it as a career booster - it wasn't my plan at the start to quit later to study.

I saved up a fair bit of money during almost 2 years at a consultancy. (It wasn't my plan to use the money for uni either! My motivation at the time was to save for a deposit for a house.) How effective a strategy it is depends on your circumstances, I suppose. It's just that if you're getting sent away from home on jobs (as is often the nature of contracting or consulting), you might be able to wangle an arrangement where you reduce your outgoings, plus then rake in a higher salary/daily allowances etc. That's basically how it worked for me. Admittedly it's an income booster for me rather than the main source (I'm eligible for student finance as this will be my first degree), but it could all help.

I thought I'd mention this, since someone looking to quit a professional job to study perhaps has a little more opportunity to "make hay before the sun goes down" than someone quitting a dead-end job.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 7

Nisja

For starters, well done on making the move towards something you'll enjoy! Sounds like you managed to stick it out for much longer than I intend to.

I've actually considered consulting as a means to buffer my savings over the next few months, but am quite unsure of how I would go about starting the process. I'm trained in SAP which I understand is quite a difficult field of consulting to get into, simply due to the sheer amount of experience you're expected to have. Also, I'm not sure I can be classified as a 'SAP Consultant' without spending tens of thousands on certain courses in order to secure a certification.

I could look at going into C#/C++, but worry that I'd only embarrass myself as I'm quite out of practice and would need to spend a month or two building my knowledge up.

Actually looking to take myself off for a few days by myself so I can try and get a firm grip on what it is I actually want to do and how I should go about it. This whole thing has caused a bit of a strain on my relationship with my partner, as I'm currently supporting her financially as she works through her PhD, and any positive changes for me would cause negative changes for her no doubt.

You're right though, I think that my existing skillset would greatly compliment a degree in Geology, so I'd be looking to embrace both aspects in any future career. 100% software development just isn't right for me at all.

Appreciate everybody's input, it helps a lot! :smile:

Reply 8

Nisja

Original post by Schadenfreude65

You might find this website useful: http://www.studyinholland.co.uk/loans_and_grants.html

Hey, not sure how I missed this before, but it's a great bit of info! I've actually been considering a couple of courses in the Netherlands, so this is spot on, thank you.

Reply 9

jimmy_looks_2ice

Original post by Nisja

For starters, well done on making the move towards something you'll enjoy! Sounds like you managed to stick it out for much longer than I intend to.

Thanks. I'll spare you details of all the anguish I've been through over the years as a result of doing that! Hopefully you can spare yourself that too. Nonetheless, there does seem to be a general rule in life that the most convenient option is usually not a very satisfying one. You could: (a) stay in your current field and earn good money, and keep your life ticking along as it is now, or (b) pursue another profession, which will involve disruption and sacrifices. It's never going to be easy making that decision, but I'd advise (eventually) making a positive choice one way or the other. Imo, the worst outcome is becoming one of these people who really wants to do (b) but doesn't have the guts to do it, but doesn't concretely choose (a) either, so they just drift along in (a) by default, and they're never really happy with it.

I suppose you'd want to check out other funding options first, but if you still fell short after that, other IT options could still be a way of keeping your hopes alive. I got into a consultancy off the back of Java skills. I never felt like I was properly qualified to be a "consultant", so I never described myself as such. In any case, any consultancy who might consider employing you will square you up pretty well. They'll only offer you a salary and responsibility level in line with what they think you're capable of. I think people have this vision that once you're a "consultant", you're going to be sitting there alone in a room with clients giving them holistic advice on a proposed business solution. That might be true for the £60K+/£500+ per day folks, but not for someone with 2 years experience.

Anyway, I think this is getting a bit specific about getting into consultancy, which is not your goal. It was really just that I picked up on your comment in your original post about not being able to afford to save for uni, and I'm not sure that's 100% true. I hope you can work something out.