Reply With QuoteVery pleased for you. Hope you get funding.
A while ago i posted somewhere about having issues with the amount of holiday i was getting/entitled to. This snowballed slightly and got me thinking about other things, other issues, the future.. a mini meltdown really!
So i handed in my two month notice with a plan, find a job closer to home, save the petrol money and.... apply for uni. Something i was not ready for after college because i knew i would have wasted my time there.
I did it, got a job i hate which in turn gave me the motivation to apply to uni, no ''i'll do it next year''. I expected a letter telling me to sod off but i actually got invited to have an interview, it went well and i have been offered a place. Panic. Accept place. Panic more.
Apply for funding (first degree so hopefully ok) and wait.... still waiting.... phoning them this week about things.. probably more waiting..
I've also managed to plan my wedding around going to uni.. before i'd even got an interview!
The next step is to find somewhere to stay during the week, between me in Oxfordshire and Birmingham. So if you have a spare room and need another man around the house, let me know. Or if you have a camper/tent/box.. let me know!
I need more flexibility than halls and being a mature student, i can't be doing with halls.
I'd also like to thank anybody that has posted about changing careers, changing life and of course my pal Gary for getting a job at Bremont, Luke for his great blog about his time up in Manchester and others that have given advice. Its all appreciated, it all helps.
A big thanks to anybody that has bought some glass, that's why it was for sale.. it needs to go.
I might be useless, i might be kicked off, i might end up doing something else but i'm going to at least give it a go, i'll only regret it if i don't.
I can't string a sentence together like some on here but it is good to type something, a couple of people have asked what i'm doing now and it might just spur somebody else into doing something different.
Oh yes, the course? Horology degree
Last edited by minkle; 8th April 2014 at 21:47.
Very pleased for you. Hope you get funding.
"Bite my shiny metal ass."
- Bender Bending Rodríguez
Wow I honestly didn't know such a course existed.
Fair play making the move though and I hope you get funding.
How mature is mature if you don't mind me asking ?
I'm 24 and I'm most likely about to give up a decently paid (but not very satisfying) job in favour of going to uni in September.
28 when i start!
Go for it, i'm certainly not the oldest to have done it. Even the tutor came to it later in life.
Absolutely fantastic news Mike, massive congratulations. I can't help at all on the accommodation front but all the very best with your course.
Cheers,
Gary
P.S. Last time we spoke I thought you were trying to get into automotive design.
Fair play to you, sounds a great thing to do. Good luck. :)
Originally Posted by Omegary
Cheers!
I was torn between the two.. but after the Birmingham open day i knew.
Congratulations and best of luck. I have always believed it is better to regret something you have done than not, though in honesty I do not follow the mantra as closely as I would perhaps like to admit. One day maybe, but always nice to see people taking their chances.
As if!
If you're half as good with watches as you were with glass, i'll be putting my name down for an original "Minkle" right away. I probably won't be able to afford one though.
I know i've wished you luck already but seriously, All the best with this Mike.
I hope it goes really well so that you can do all of my watch servicing for half price
A story well told and congratulations! An horology course just sounds so good.
It's never too late to learn! And at 28, you're a spring chicken compared to most on TZ who might also be considering studying.
My advice - go for it!
YOLO.
Well done Mike, that's a big step to take mate - fantastic! Good luck getting sorted with accommodation and what not. A horology degree, I didn't know there was such a thing!
Congratulations.....I`m 56 and I look back on a career spent doing something I never enjoyed and wasn`t really suited to (chemical industry for 35 years). I wouldn`t have had the balls to do this, I spent my working life caught up in the career trap.The job security had a lot of pluses but it ended up like an invisible prison in some respects.
Aged 52, I decided I was too mature to move away and do a full-blown horology course.....it wasn`t a realistic option, but I might just've considered it if I`d lived within travelling range of Birmingham.
28 isn`t old by any means; I think learning's easier at that age than 18-21. The maturity will help.
Good luck
Paul
Good luck and well done for taking the leap.
I am also 28 and last September went back to Uni part-time to diversify my career.
Its been a tough year but well worth it. I would also agree with Paul's comments, studying now has been far easier than when I went to Uni at 19!
Good on ya Mike, all the best!
Congratulations, Mike, and well done for having the courage to take the leap of faith.
Life is not a dress rehearsal.
All the best for the future, and please let us have some regular updates.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
Hi Mike, well done and although I can't help you with permanent accommodation (my employer owns the house), if you need somewhere to stay for the night whilst looking for digs you can stay at my place. You know where I am, you collected the MM300 from here.
Why don't you adopt me?
Thanks for the offer mate
Congratulations! I am thinking of doing something similar in the next year or two, just need to work out the best route, be it the BSoW, Bhi or the Birmingham course. I'm hoping some of my skills as a goldsmith should be somewhat transferable!
Do you start in September? I would be very interested to see how you find it.
Good luck!
Good luck if you try and go for the BSoW route!
The Birmingham course has just changed to a degree, previously it followed the Bhi course. I imagine it still does but i think they have developed new aspects too.
Its supported by various brands too so its not really lacking anything now.
It was a goldsmith i know that reminded me about the course, its in the same building as the jewellery makers.
It looks like a great course. Ideally I would like to get a sponsored for the BSoW course, but I understand that places aren't exactly easy to come by and one usually has to work for the sponsor company already, so the Birmingham course could definitely be an option.
Mike
I can't help you with anything practical, unfortunately. But congratulations on thinking about it...and doing something about it! I look forward to reading how you get on mate.
Ant
Good to know you got in Mike. Great news!
I'm sure you will do well. I'm not too far away so if you need any help or want to meet up, just let me know :)
Last year, at 33, I jacked in my commercial career and started a FT degree in music technology. It has so far proven to be the best decision I ever made. Somehow managing to survive on student loans and a very small self employed income.
You won't regret it.
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