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Calvin Asks: Any tips for a mature student?

For a few years now I have been thinking about doing a degree in Biomedical Engineering. I already work in the field, but my lack of degree is making it harder to move onwards and upwards in my career. My employer is a small company and can’t (i.e. won't) help with financing so I would have to fund this myself, making it a huge investment.

Do you have any tips for a mature (ish) student about to take this big step?

No Degree - Dublin

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0 Andy Millar over 5 years ago

Brilliant post Roy. I'd like to add one thing following that: my very strong opinion is that going for a degree at any age in the belief that it "will" or "should" get you a good job can - and often does - lead to disappointment. Whereas approaching a degree with the attitude that it'll be interesting and chance of a different experience of Life rarely disappoints. And what often, in fact very often, happens after that is not that the degree on your CV gets you a better job, but that the attitude you've shown plus the commitment you've shown in getting a degree gets you a better job.

The end of my story above is that six months after persuading the company to pay for my two year management qualification they promoted me (completely out of the blue, and without me applying for a position) to a management role. Not because I was qualified, I'd only just started the course, but because I'd shown determination to get qualified.

I do of course agree that, due to the fact that so many people have degrees these days, having one does often become a necessity to get past the HR CV "checklist". But Roy's covered all sides of that very well already, including the fact that it definitely doesn't make having a degree a "magic bullet".

Cheers,

Andy
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0 Andy Millar over 5 years ago

Brilliant post Roy. I'd like to add one thing following that: my very strong opinion is that going for a degree at any age in the belief that it "will" or "should" get you a good job can - and often does - lead to disappointment. Whereas approaching a degree with the attitude that it'll be interesting and chance of a different experience of Life rarely disappoints. And what often, in fact very often, happens after that is not that the degree on your CV gets you a better job, but that the attitude you've shown plus the commitment you've shown in getting a degree gets you a better job.

The end of my story above is that six months after persuading the company to pay for my two year management qualification they promoted me (completely out of the blue, and without me applying for a position) to a management role. Not because I was qualified, I'd only just started the course, but because I'd shown determination to get qualified.

I do of course agree that, due to the fact that so many people have degrees these days, having one does often become a necessity to get past the HR CV "checklist". But Roy's covered all sides of that very well already, including the fact that it definitely doesn't make having a degree a "magic bullet".

Cheers,

Andy
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Calvin Asks: Any tips for a mature student?

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