I am in the strange position of having to face up to a few life changing decisions at the moment, in some way these decisions are a reflection of a bigger question, how do I want to live the rest of my live. What sort of a live do I want to live. I suppose some of this is the realisation of quite a bog birthday looming later this year, when I was forty I had just become a parent, when I was fifty I decided that it was high time I started to work out exactly what my gender miss match was all about. Now I am approaching sixty I have questions about my body, my profession and my education.
Amongst other things I revisiting a question I thought I had settled over forty years ago. At that point I could think of no subject I wanted to study for three years, and what I saw of the student life as modeled for me by both my brothers simply did not appeal. Instead I decided to join the workforce at that point my plan had been to work my way up, getting professional qualifications on the way, and enjoy a nice suburban lifestyle, with a nice suburban wife and family, paid for through my nice suburban job. In short I was expecting to have a life in a world that was rapidly disappearing. The jobs I anticipated doing no longer exist, the qualifications I achieved (AIB part 2) are irrelevant and equally extinct. It took me about 3 years to work out that retail banking was boring, repetitive, and was never going to satisfy me. The next job was also accounts based (in those days before PCs my dyslexia prevented me doing anything word based) I enjoyed working for that Company and expected it to be a job for life ~ alas the 80 were the time when such things just disappeared. The office I worked in is now a restaurant I can't afford to eat in, and the Company no longer manufactures in Britain, and at least has had the decency to drop the tag line "The Great British Radial"
Maybe that should have been the point to look at this but I thought I couldn't afford to take three years out of earning. Now I am thinking if I don't do it now it will be too late, and I will have missed what could be my last opportunity. A few years I ago I did Theology course through the C of E and thoroughly enjoyed it, at that time I had planned to continue the studies, but other matters, like earning a living, supporting a family and then transition all got in the way. Now I am considering the implications of dropping my business and going to university to study for a degree in theology. This would mean that after leaving I would still have three years before state pension age in which to try and earn a living. ~ There is a lot to weigh up, not least how would I cope in a learning environment? and would I be able to manage exams?
What I need to find is a source of information and advise, if I were still at school I would be able to go to a member of staff, but a s a potential (very) mature student who can I go to?
Amongst other things I revisiting a question I thought I had settled over forty years ago. At that point I could think of no subject I wanted to study for three years, and what I saw of the student life as modeled for me by both my brothers simply did not appeal. Instead I decided to join the workforce at that point my plan had been to work my way up, getting professional qualifications on the way, and enjoy a nice suburban lifestyle, with a nice suburban wife and family, paid for through my nice suburban job. In short I was expecting to have a life in a world that was rapidly disappearing. The jobs I anticipated doing no longer exist, the qualifications I achieved (AIB part 2) are irrelevant and equally extinct. It took me about 3 years to work out that retail banking was boring, repetitive, and was never going to satisfy me. The next job was also accounts based (in those days before PCs my dyslexia prevented me doing anything word based) I enjoyed working for that Company and expected it to be a job for life ~ alas the 80 were the time when such things just disappeared. The office I worked in is now a restaurant I can't afford to eat in, and the Company no longer manufactures in Britain, and at least has had the decency to drop the tag line "The Great British Radial"
Maybe that should have been the point to look at this but I thought I couldn't afford to take three years out of earning. Now I am thinking if I don't do it now it will be too late, and I will have missed what could be my last opportunity. A few years I ago I did Theology course through the C of E and thoroughly enjoyed it, at that time I had planned to continue the studies, but other matters, like earning a living, supporting a family and then transition all got in the way. Now I am considering the implications of dropping my business and going to university to study for a degree in theology. This would mean that after leaving I would still have three years before state pension age in which to try and earn a living. ~ There is a lot to weigh up, not least how would I cope in a learning environment? and would I be able to manage exams?
What I need to find is a source of information and advise, if I were still at school I would be able to go to a member of staff, but a s a potential (very) mature student who can I go to?
No comments:
Post a Comment