Mature Student - is it worth it?

supermouse

Heya,

Thinking of going back to college in the evenings and doing an evening arts course in UL. Im in travel the past 6 years since leaving school and its all i know, yet the industry is dying and i dont want to be left at 30 with nothing!! Is an arts degree worth it?? I would be very interested in teaching but, is 5 years(4 in college 1 hdip!) a long time to throw away if teaching doesnt suit me at the end of it!?

Stressed thinking about it - need a new career definatly, just which one is the problem!!

Thanks for all responses in advance,

Supermouse!

toomevara

Think there's alot going on here...first of all let me put my sensible cap on here, education is never a waste. I've got an arts degree from Galway, a MA from UL and at 33 I chucked it all in, changed course completely and am now into my second year of a nursing degree...I'd done loads of different jobs in between (including TEFL teaching) but nothing seemed quite to hit the spot, also had an urgent sense that I was going nowhere fast and not really doing anything worthwhile with my life beyond the accumulation of cash, (which is fine if that's what you're into by the way).I'd always fancied nursing, and it's categorically the best thing I've ever done, even if at the time it seemed like a massive gamble...Its given me a completely different perspective on my life and a totally different focus...best decision I've ever made.

It's never, ever too late to make a change and do something new. I'd reckon from what you've written you're about 25/26, which in the grand scheme of things is very young indeed. Think about it, You'll be into your new career with 30-35 years ahead of you at least if you start now..If you think teaching's really for you and you feel you're in a rut where you are now I'd say its a complete no-brainer.

Make sure teaching is for you though, get into a classroom, get a feel for it (you could do worse than do a TEFL course and give it a lash, get a feel for it) Don't know if you've got a degree, but if you have you could give supply teaching with your local VEC a go...

Don't go into teaching because its economically secure...thats a recipe for disaster for you and your students, there are too many timeservers and burn-outs in the profession. Do it because you love it, or else you'll implode...

Re: the arts degree, we all know the steroeptypes, but its actually a brilliantly wide-ranging education and, like most things, its what you make of it.. Mine was in Archaeology and English, loved both those subjects, and although its difficult to make an immediate case for a traditional arts degee in terms of obvious career development it opens a whole lot of doors and massively broadens the mind. On the strength of my English degree i've worked in teaching and publishing, even though I never had any intention of doing either..It just enhances your overall employability and worth in the job market....Go for the arts degree and check out your options re: teaching, I doubt very much you'll regret it, whereas you may very well regret not taking your courage in your hands and taking a gamble....Good luck, whatever you decide....

supermouse

Toomevara thank you so much for your detailed reply!! Im actually only 23 so im awful young and can give the majority of my life to my new career!

The subjects I will hopefully be studing will be literature, women in history and sociology! I feel the subjects will really interest me, i have done a goo dbit of research over the weekend and feel that its something i would like to persue!

Even if i do the 4 years, and don't teach at the end of it, at least i will have tried something new and will have a degree beside my name!! And as mentioned, it coudl open some career opportunities i didnt even think of!!

Between the two of us i think i managed to be pursuaded! Again thank you so much for your advise, it was really reassuring and helpful!!

Enjoy nursing and all it brings x

Doctor DooM

supermouse wrote: »

Toomevara thank you so much for your detailed reply!! Im actually only 23 so im awful young and can give the majority of my life to my new career!

The subjects I will hopefully be studing will be literature, women in history and sociology! I feel the subjects will really interest me, i have done a goo dbit of research over the weekend and feel that its something i would like to persue!

Even if i do the 4 years, and don't teach at the end of it, at least i will have tried something new and will have a degree beside my name!! And as mentioned, it coudl open some career opportunities i didnt even think of!!

Between the two of us i think i managed to be pursuaded! Again thank you so much for your advise, it was really reassuring and helpful!!

Enjoy nursing and all it brings x

At 24 I decided to retrain from Retail management to Computer Science, so I am not too far from you. I now work in a job I love in IT. It was well worth it, although it's hard sometimes.

Go for it.

purplehaze1

U dont have to teach just cos u have an arts degree u can specialise in one of ur majors there are loads of jobs u can get and lots more education opportunities afterwards. arts is good cos u are not limiting urself to one area.

tdp-carol

It definitely is worth it. I am a mature student doing an MPhys, and I'm loving it.

You can always get better jobs if you have a degree - regardless of what the degree is in even. It seems that having a degree just takes you up to a whole new level, which probably isn't fair, because there are a lot of people that don't have degrees that are talented, capable and knowledgeable.

In case you are wondering how I already know what it's like to have a degree, and the doors it opens, this degree I am doing now is a second UG degree.

Every job I have had since graduating, and every course I have done, required the degree.