Leaving my job and going into education?

Hi, I'm a 27 year old guy, I have a 13 month old son and his mother and I aren't together. I work 50< hours a week, in a 4 star hotel, over 5 days, 4 of which are splits. I always work evenings and on my days off I look after my son. My job has destroyed my social life, and my motivation. I need a change, something that suits my life as a parent and allows me to see human beings in a non work environment. Is there a way I can leave my job, go back into education and study for something I'm passionate about, and still afford to live? I'm not a part of any Union, I've just been working non stop since I left school with few decent grades. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I've no idea where to start! Thank you all in advance.
Gavin

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 1

KungPooPanda

10

i definitely would NOT leave my job at 27 to start full time university...

UNLESS, you can be near certain that while you are in education, you will be able to get some work experience as-well, one, because you obviously need to live, and two, because at the end of those 3 years, that gap on your CV will make it very difficult for you, 30 is quite young to you and me and most people, but in the job world, a 30 year old with a three year gap is setting himself up for a relatively hard time finding a job

you can apply for extra grants at uni since you have a kid and stuff, but those are dependant on whether the kid lives with you and if you are on the birth certificate (as-well as other stuff) i think that uni courses starting in 2015 also have changed a few grants to loans, i was given a total of £9900 in grants since i have a kid over the 3 years i was there, but if i started a course now i'd have to pay it back along with my student loan

getting a degree will increase your job prospects yes, but not MAJORLY, a lot of (if not most) employers value practical work experience over a degree that shows you are capable of getting an education - anyone with half a brain can get a degree nowadays, i got a 1st with minimal effort, i dont even understand how people can be happy with 2:2's and 3rds

there is no job that truly suits a parent in my opinion, my ideal situation would be to own a business, be getting paid a ton a month, and be able to spend all the time with my kid, but for most parents that arent in this situation, there isn't a job out there that makes it any easier. Im about to start a full time job, my other half works a shift job, and even though we have sorted out childcare to a tee, on paper it looks perfect, but the reality im sure it will be far from. you just do what you can with what you have and hope for the best

best of luck, but whatever you do, dont go into university with the idea that you can just do your 3 years and come out with employer's clutching at you

Reply 2

jelly1000

21

Original post by GavinAllenUK

Hi, I'm a 27 year old guy, I have a 13 month old son and his mother and I aren't together. I work 50< hours a week, in a 4 star hotel, over 5 days, 4 of which are splits. I always work evenings and on my days off I look after my son. My job has destroyed my social life, and my motivation. I need a change, something that suits my life as a parent and allows me to see human beings in a non work environment. Is there a way I can leave my job, go back into education and study for something I'm passionate about, and still afford to live? I'm not a part of any Union, I've just been working non stop since I left school with few decent grades. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I've no idea where to start! Thank you all in advance.
Gavin

Firstly, finance wise, even though you'd get the maximum finance, its only a loan of £8000ish a year outside London plus a university bursary- enough to rent a room in a house share or a room in halls, but it would not be in enough on its own for you to have your own place- you'd need to be able to top it up. I would imagine you would struggle to get anything for your son if he does not officially live with you.

Secondly as KungPooPanda says university on its own will not necessarily put you in a better situation. Vocational courses such as primary education, nursing e.c.t have good employment rates but are very intense, with placements that would not leave you much if any time to look after your child. Non vocational courses, particularly in the humanities, would leave you a lot more free time, however you can't just stumble into one, wander blindly through it and come out the other end into a better job. You have to have an idea of what you want to do after and be proactive in getting work experience and developing your soft skills for this option to lead to a better job.

Reply 3

SlowlorisIncognito

16

Original post by GavinAllenUK

Hi, I'm a 27 year old guy, I have a 13 month old son and his mother and I aren't together. I work 50< hours a week, in a 4 star hotel, over 5 days, 4 of which are splits. I always work evenings and on my days off I look after my son. My job has destroyed my social life, and my motivation. I need a change, something that suits my life as a parent and allows me to see human beings in a non work environment. Is there a way I can leave my job, go back into education and study for something I'm passionate about, and still afford to live? I'm not a part of any Union, I've just been working non stop since I left school with few decent grades. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I've no idea where to start! Thank you all in advance.
Gavin

What level of education do you have currently?

There are routes back into education- most likely taking an access course, then moving on to a degree. The problem is, as others have said, your student finance wouldn't be that generous, and if you're not the resident parent you wouldn't be entitled to additional support due to your child. You'd also need to put in lots of time outside of your contact hours to study, which might clash with childcare.

However, you might also be able to work part time alongside studying to supplement your income, depending how this would work with childcare- for example bar work often mixes quite well with studying, and you already have hospitality experience.

That said, it is doable, and there are certainly degree that would lead to greater employability, or lead to a more interesting career. Do you know what you'd like to do in the future?

The other alternative might be vocational education of some kind- essentially learning a trade. Would this be something that would interest you?

Reply 4

KungPooPanda

10

OP, are you not able to drop your hours to part time at work and then do a part time uni course? will take longer but you can essentially get the best of both worlds, some money into your bank account through work/student finance, and you wont have a work experience gap on your CV (although, this can to an extent be compensated by having that time at university).

If your work doesn't allow that, then uni courses start in September, which leaves you 'plenty' of time to save as much as you can, get yourself enrolled onto a part time (or full time) uni course, and to find yourself a part time job that you can start later on in the year when your course starts, depending on where you live/what uni you go to, you may even be able to find work inside the uni or the neighbouring community, the university i went to had about 150-200 shops within a 3-5 mile radius, and im sure that at least 40% of the workforce was all students, and there would always be 'hiring students' sign's EVERYWHERE you looked

when i think about it, alot of 'full time' courses are only full time because they consider that you need alot of extra time studying to get the best grades, but if your organised, a full time course doesnt have to be 'full time', i had uni 3 times a week, spent a total of 21 hours a week at uni, i wasnt working while i was at uni because i didnt want to, but i definitely could have held a decent part time job if i had chosen to, it wouldv'e just left me with 'less time' to perfect my coursework

Leaving my job and going into education?

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