in a total dilema here what would you do?

lisa_75

Tustastic wrote:

Studying through the OU is fine if you are disciplined enough to spend several hours a week studying (mostly alone) on top of work and family life. I passed 3 modules then gave up, but I was not very disciplined.:o

When you are at a traditional uni you still have to spend many hours a week alone studying! The difference is you don’t have your uni mates to phone up and moan to or the sessions in the pub to look forward too.

I would not have got through uni without the friends I met there. They have been my rock. I would have probably quit in the first year. I also could not have done it if I had a full time job (although some of my friends have).

elantan

i think it is the thought of doing the two (full time work and studying) that's killing me that and the thought of all the student debt..i'm working my butt off just now to try and get out of it without getting into more of it ..then to see no light at the end of the tunnel...and i know i shouldnt be doing it for the money...but lets face it...when you have a mortgage and bills etc you cant pretend money dont exist

eventer

elantan wrote:

the degree i am going for is human biology, psychology and sociology i have to admit i do love my current job so i'm not studying because i hate it, just because like many of you i wanted a degree and the enjoyment of going to uni and studying.....when i was younger degree's wernt as common as they are now ..in one of my jobs every body i work with has one and not one of them are working in the field that they qualified in.....i was hoping to go into tutoring or health advice rather than working in a lab....i seem to be more of a people person....and now i'm finding out that i will be lucky to earn £19,000 i'm back to thinking is it worth it or would i be better doing my degree part time through the o.u ( in scotland we dont pay for our fees if we are full time students)

Don't quote me on this, but I would imagine that the amount you get paid witha degree like that is less than what you've been told!

Put it this way - I am a consultant (no lab work here!), with several years post-MSc experience, working for a big multinational at 'senior' level (in our company that is the third rung up if 'graduate' is the first), and my salary has just reached what I call 'respectable' - i.e. I can do all the things I like doing and occasionally save a bit of cash too. It was only by moving to this job that I even broke the 20K barrier!

Personally, I wouldn't bother doing the degree if you will earn less money and have more debt at the end unless your heart is set on a career change. To do it just to have a degree when you like the job you are in etc etc means I think you'll probably end up resenting the studying. That's just my perspective though. Also, have you perhaps taken a couple of days of your annual leave to do some shadowing in the career you are thinking of changing to? I know a couple of people who did that...and quickly ditched the idea of a career change!

pboae

elantan wrote:

the degree i am going for is human biology, psychology and sociology

If you don't mind me asking, what career path are they suggesting for that degree? I did joint honours (Pyschology and Criminology, and had GBR for Psychology) but I still needed to do a Masters to bring me level with people who had done single honours. I'd have really struggled to get a PhD place otherwise. I would imagine it would be the same with Biology. Sociology doesn't really lead to a specific career path, so I'm not sure about that one.

elantan

hey everyone thanks very much for your advice ..sorry i havnt been able to reply but i left home on wed to go to my first job then went straight to my second then straight to college then straight to my first job then onto second job then back to college (without even getting a sniff of a sleep) i have came to a decision and today brought it all home to me .... i was meant to go to class this morning and had parked outside the college at 8 am then set my alarm for 8.30 thinking i need to get some shut eye as i was feeling incredibly sick ,tired sore..etc i started falling over but noticed i was going into a deep sleep so i woke myself up thinking no i cant do this just now i have class ....then i burst into uncontrollable tears...finally i listened to my body which had been screaming at me for the last couple of days that it needed sleep and rest ..so i about turned and drove home ..on the way home i realised that i can not do this to myself any more my health is far more important than money, jobs or the joy i am getting from studying....on the way home i realised that i might not really be in control of this situation at all...and that the decision to carry on may not be in my hands ..so i phoned the uni that i was dreaming of going to and asked what the class timetable is for the course that i desperately want to do ...the time table for this course is even more intense than the one i am currently doing so the decision has been made...... as much as i love the thought of going to uni and all the life that will go with it i am physically unable to work full time whilst studying at the pace that i currently am...if i carry on the way i am going i will kill myself either through exhaustion, lack of nutrition(havnt had a decent meal in days now) or simply by crashing my car ...so thanks again everyone and i just wanted to let you know the outcome

elantan

on the plus side i have proven that academically i can do it....in my maths test yesterday i got only one small part of a question wrong in chemistry the same and in biology i have got 100% for every test done..for my english i have got a higher pass so far ...so i am every reason to feel proud (i may be trying to kid myself on here lol)

cupid_s

I am glad you reached a decision and I'm sure it's the best one, for you and everyone around you.

Just make sure you get a decent dinner tonight!

lavenderblue_3

Am sorry that you have decided not to go to uni - there is so much more to be gained than just a qualification. I am gaining confidence in the bucketload, new skills that I dreamed of having and an experience that I won't be able to replicate else where. I am a mature student - 35 and 3/4's :-) and took the decison to leave work and return to study at the age of 32. I did a two year access course (easy!) and am now at leicester studying to be a speech therapist. There is financial support for mature students - I get a bursery, student loan and there is also help (non repayable!) from the access to learning fund. I have to work part time, but only 12 hours a week. It is possible to do, you don't need to work full time and I really don't think that money should be your primary concern. There are single mothers on the course who are managing a mortgage, childcare and study. Please please reconsider.

gingercordial

Oh elantan, I'm glad you've made a decision but sorry you had to get so upset and exhausted on the way.

I was going to post that I agree with others - lots of people I know, including my OH, work in the biological sciences and £19k is ambitious even for a graduate. I have friends with master's degrees earning around £18k, in central London. You would earn £10k-£14k doing a PhD, though that's tax free. Once you have a PhD, or several years' work experience, you could get a job earning £20-25k, again including London weighting.

Conversely many very highly paid jobs don't need a degree, just ambition and talent. Even those that do ask for a degree often don't care what you have it in, just that you've "jumped through the hoops" of doing further study. It's not a guaranteed wage packet by any means, and I think you should study for the love of your subject and the love of learning, not possible later earnings (especially in science where you're never going to earn that much).

If it's truly a subject you think you'll really enjoy, and will fulfil you, could you think about doing it through the Open University over a longer period of time, rather than exhausting yourself now?

And congratulations on your results, you clearly have the talent!

elantan

thanks cupid have to admit spent alot of today crying about not managong to do this so i didnt feel like eating but tomorrow i have planned a real honest to goodness home cooked meal ..cause ive not had one in ages it'll propbably run out of me lol ..but thanks for the support...lavender can i just say i have looked into the help i will get at uni ..i have looked into every possible option now ..and unless you know a bank that will allow a person not to pay their mortgage for 5 years but not add interest and also a council that allows a person not to pay their council tax for 5 years and an energy provider that gives free gas and electricity i can see no other way out of the situation...i am not happy about it ..i have dreamed since i was a kid to go to uni..due to family stuff that didnt happen for me i am now sitting in the best situation i have ever been in and believe me i have tried but a human body cannot go 72 hours without sleep and expect to remain healthy... i will not get a bursary ..i will not get any other financial help i have checked and double checked this out....i am afraid i cant reconsider ..but thanks for thinking of me and good luck with your studies