by Joanna Chambers

Created on: December 13, 2010

 A word of advice? Do it! Go back and study. Do you remember being told that your school days are the best days of your life? Well, unfortunately they were not for me. I failed to launch myself with any great passion into the world of academia. In fact, on finishing my education at the local grammar school, I could not wait to roll up my sleeves and get embroiled in the exciting world of “working”. How grown up and successful it would feel to be able to tell people that I had a job. No university for me. I considered that to be for my classmates who were somewhat lagging behind on the maturity front. I was ready for the world and I could not wait.

 So... when the very brief honeymoon period was over and I had discovered the truth about the “real world” I felt ready for a little further education. This time, however, it was not an unwillingness to learn that scuppered me, rather the patter of tiny feet. By the time I was ready and able to give some time and thought to the subject, I was indeed a “mature student”. I returned to college, full time, to study for a diploma.

 One of the main problems in going back to school many years after the last bell has rung, is that it can be quite a costly experience and you will probably have to split your time between studying and working to earn the money to pay for your course. This can be a very demanding period. My course was only for one year, but I did find that little else existed for that year. If you are embarking on a course which will be for longer than that, then you may suffer even more as it is harder to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 Balance your life.

 Many long nights will be spent studying and catching up on assignments, particularly if you have not been able to resist the temptation and have decided to catch up with your old social life. You must remember, however, that it is very important to get this balance right and not to spend absolutely all of your time with your head in books or sitting in front of the computer. Support from friends and family will be very important to you and sometimes it will do you more good to go out and spend some time socialising than staring blankly at an uninspiring Word document. Friends are great for giving a pat on the back when they see you, but, you have to keep in touch so that they know the situation and do not think that you have just neglected them. But on the other hand, neither should you

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