Am I Too Old to Go Back to Uni and Funding!!

benjamynkaye

I am 27 Years Old and went to university in 2004 and gained a degree in Sports Management in 2007 - whilst at uni I realised I didn't want this as a profession and since have stayed in a couple of jobs a little bit too long and gotten too comfortable.
I now want to go back to university and study something that really interests me, Im looking into accounting / financial planning.
I've looked into open university which is a real possibility as it fits in terms of me working full time 9-5 but I'd like to go to an institution and attend seminars, lectures etc to make the learning a little easier and structured.
What I was wanting to know is :

a: am i too old for funding now / does anyone know if i can get any?
b: is it plausable now I have rent to pay / a job etc..
c: is there any advice anyone can give me at all

Any help would be greatly appreciated as always, its always nice to hear other peoples experiences / views, I'm just wanting to progress in life and willing to do anything it takes to get somewhere and do something I enjoy!

Many Thanks.

chunkychocky

If you are interested in becoming an accountant you don't need a relevant degree. You could get a trainee job either with a firm of Chartered Accountants or in the finance department of another company (where you would probably want to become CIMA qualified). You then have a series of exams, and therefore college courses etc, as well as 3-years (from memory!) practical experience to become qualified. Might not be what you have in mind but a good way to earn and learn at the same time.

dazza.mk

benjamynkaye wrote: »

I am 27 Years Old and went to university in 2004 and gained a degree in Sports Management in 2007 - whilst at uni I realised I didn't want this as a profession and since have stayed in a couple of jobs a little bit too long and gotten too comfortable.
I now want to go back to university and study something that really interests me, Im looking into accounting / financial planning.
I've looked into open university which is a real possibility as it fits in terms of me working full time 9-5 but I'd like to go to an institution and attend seminars, lectures etc to make the learning a little easier and structured.
What I was wanting to know is :

a: am i too old for funding now
b: is it plausable now I have rent to pay / a job etc..
c: is there any advice anyone can give me at all

Any help would be greatly appreciated as always, its always nice to hear other peoples experiences / views, I'm just wanting to progress in life and willing to do anything it takes to get somewhere and do something I enjoy!

Many Thanks.

Question is, what is it you want to do?, purely on the accountancy side of things, studying an accountancy degree would be somewhat as a waste as for a career you'd be looking at then taking a professional qualification as well.

You could study the professional qualification by home study or evening & weekend courses and just skip the degree.

One of the bigger specialist providers is:

http://www.bpp.com/professional-qualifications-course-listing/-/listing/professional-qualifications/57

Although you'd be looking at funding it privately rather than student loans for other courses.

dazza.mk

chunkychocky wrote: »

If you are interested in becoming an accountant you don't need a relevant degree. You could get a trainee job either with a firm of Chartered Accountants or in the finance department of another company (where you would probably want to become CIMA qualified). You then have a series of exams, and therefore college courses etc, as well as 3-years (from memory!) practical experience to become qualified. Might not be what you have in mind but a good way to earn and learn at the same time.

Although with a non-relevant degree you'll probably struggle to get a 'training position' in the current climate, you may need to think about financing the first stage yourself.

This would include: Institute registration fee/Annual Membership fee, Exam fees, course fees. Registration Fees/Membership Fees and Exam Fees will be fixed, course fees will vary depending on how you want to study.

ohreally

Your not too old. A couple of guys on my sons course are in their 50's.

benjamynkaye

chunkychocky wrote: »

If you are interested in becoming an accountant you don't need a relevant degree. You could get a trainee job either with a firm of Chartered Accountants or in the finance department of another company (where you would probably want to become CIMA qualified). You then have a series of exams, and therefore college courses etc, as well as 3-years (from memory!) practical experience to become qualified. Might not be what you have in mind but a good way to earn and learn at the same time.

Yeah thanks for that, I did think about that but I was thinking the chances of someone showing faith in me at my age would surely be limited in this climate.

I worked for a company straight out of university doing their books and financial planning for 2 years - I spent a day per week with the accountant getting trained but the company never put me through any formal qualifications and I never pushed for it whihc i obviously now regret!

benjamynkaye

dazza.mk wrote: »

Question is, what is it you want to do?, purely on the accountancy side of things, studying an accountancy degree would be somewhat as a waste as for a career you'd be looking at then taking a professional qualification as well.

You could study the professional qualification by home study or evening & weekend courses and just skip the degree.

One of the bigger specialist providers is:

http://www.bpp.com/professional-qualifications-course-listing/-/listing/professional-qualifications/57

Although you'd be looking at funding it privately rather than student loans for other courses.

Well my two dilemmas are that I worked for a company doing the books and financial planning for 2 years and never pushed for any formal qualifications (young and stupid!) so have experience in accoutning and genuinely found it interesting and satisfying balancing the books and having spreadsheets for everything!!

But on the other hand i work for Santander now in the mortgage dept and enjoy the finance side and my father is an IFA and he keeps askign me to step up and join him so I'm in 2 minds - I'd love to be an IFA but scared of starting from scratch although working for Santander has given me a bit of ground knowledge!

t0rt0ise

If you already have a degree, you will have to pay higher fees for taking another.. look at the overseas fees rather than the home fees. There are also special rules about loans and things for a second degree. Look into that before you decide.

Gwyndster

In terms of funding, I can see a few possibilities that may stand in your way - I can only comment based on mine and my friends experiences within the Welsh system. 1 You may be slightly too young to qualify as a mature student 2 You already have a degree and therefore may not be able to obtain funding for a 2nd one. 3 You are already in employment. I suggest that you contact a couple of local universities and the professional bodies and see what advice they can provide, I would suspect that undergoing training whilst being employed in an accountacy setting is your best option, it is what I was advised to do. Have you asked Santander whether they have any form of staff training/improvement schemes that you can undertake?

drwho2011

You can't get a loan from the government student loan company as you already hold an undergraduate degree.

saintjammyswine

Gwyndster wrote: »

In terms of funding, I can see a few possibilities that may stand in your way - I can only comment based on mine and my friends experiences within the Welsh system. 1 You may be slightly too young to qualify as a mature student 2 You already have a degree and therefore may not be able to obtain funding for a 2nd one. 3 You are already in employment. I suggest that you contact a couple of local universities and the professional bodies and see what advice they can provide, I would suspect that undergoing training whilst being employed in an accountacy setting is your best option, it is what I was advised to do.

Agree for England as well although it wont be in the form of an apprenticeship as you already have a Level 4 qualification (degree).