Retraining at 32

MRC181991

1

As the title says, I am 32 years old and have a 2:1 in English Language that I don't use in my career. I chose to do English Language as I was initially enrolled on a teacher training course, but decided that it wasn't for me. All of these decisions were made as a 20 year old who had no idea what she wanted to do in life and long story short, I ended up switching courses from teaching to English Language and having to repeat a year, meaning that I have used four years worth of student finance.I am now 32, and as previously mentioned, I do not use my degree in the career path that I accidentally fell into, but I now know that my main passion is related to Criminology and Psychology and I would like to retrain in this field.I have looked into courses on the Open University as I am a single person with a mortgage, so giving up my job whilst studying and having to move to study is unrealistic. Whilst the courses on the Open University are more geared to people returning to education and there are different payment options, they are still out of my budget and I was wondering whether anyone could offer some advise as to what my options would be regarding financing a second degree.Thank you in advance.

Reply 1

Antique1

11

Original post by MRC181991

As the title says, I am 32 years old and have a 2:1 in English Language that I don't use in my career. I chose to do English Language as I was initially enrolled on a teacher training course, but decided that it wasn't for me. All of these decisions were made as a 20 year old who had no idea what she wanted to do in life and long story short, I ended up switching courses from teaching to English Language and having to repeat a year, meaning that I have used four years worth of student finance.I am now 32, and as previously mentioned, I do not use my degree in the career path that I accidentally fell into, but I now know that my main passion is related to Criminology and Psychology and I would like to retrain in this field.I have looked into courses on the Open University as I am a single person with a mortgage, so giving up my job whilst studying and having to move to study is unrealistic. Whilst the courses on the Open University are more geared to people returning to education and there are different payment options, they are still out of my budget and I was wondering whether anyone could offer some advise as to what my options would be regarding financing a second degree.Thank you in advance.

A few random thoughts.
You may already have considered this, but are there any level 3, 4, 6 or 7 apprenticeships in that field? Some part-time options might be available, which would allow you to work to cover the mortgage.
Or could you get an entry-level job in that area with development prospects, so your employer takes some of the financial burden?
Could you combine any of this with some OU qualifications?

My friends’ son is retraining completely after completing a degree and has found an apprenticeship route, although not in your chosen field.
There are, of course, disadvantages to doing this, namely the duration (he had to start again at level 3 and climb the ladder again), and the low pay. However, he has no concerns about student finance.

Best of luck.

Reply 2

ajj2000

20

What sort of job do you do now? Neither psychology nor criminology are hugely employable fields - what jobs do you aspire to?

Also - do you have a significant SFE loan balance at present?

Retraining at 32

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Articles for you