-Charlotte Juggins
I didn't think I
would ever go to university. At the age of eighteen, I was struggling with my mental
health and began seeking help. I had the pressure of my college, asking what I
was going to do when I left and I had applied for university in case I had a
change of heart over the summer, despite not really knowing what exactly I
wanted to do. I still felt like I was too young to know what was next. I had
been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder when I was in my last year of college.
This really clouded my thought process when thinking about my life
post-college.
What I came to
realise in the years after this is that I had to take time in finding where my
passions were. I was twenty-one when I worked in a management position which
exposed me to Human Resources. After a few months, I realised it was the
direction I wanted my career to go in. That is what led me to go to university
last year, at the age of twenty-three. I felt proud of myself for pushing
forward and finally taking this step to study a subject that really interests
me. However, I was also nervous about my age. I had thought of it as a good
thing as I had the prior experience to give myself that confidence within my
work. The only thing was that I was concerned I'd be seen as 'too old' to be
there. I had heard this from a lot of people, including friends of mine, who
were mature students.
The way I started to see
it, as first semester began, was an opportunity for me to get back into an
academic environment where I could learn new skills. Although I think about
this in a positive way, I do have moments where I feel a sense of shame. Other
people my age have full-time jobs, or an actual career that they are
progressing in or they have their own flat or have
bought a house. They seem many steps ahead of me, despite being the same age. I
have spent a lot of time second guessing my decision in going to university as
an older student and wonder if it is too late. Despite these feelings, I have
realised that it is never too late. If you are chasing your passion and are
driven towards a career goal, then you should do it. It is true when they say
'life is too short' and that we should be doing things that make us happy. I
never want to be stuck in a job that makes me unhappy and I want to make real
changes with my degree and knowledge once I graduate. University will come with
some low points where my mental health will suffer and I will feel stressed.
But I need to push through it.
Visit Student Space for further support. Explore online resources, access direct support via text, phone, web chat or email and find the support available at your place of study.
My name is Charlotte, I study BA
Business and Human Resource Management and I am a mature student.
No comments:
Post a Comment