Open University

Done a few free courses that they made available during the initial lockdown. Get a wee badge to add to your account but not an official qualification.

I was paid off in November from one of my jobs and on furlough with the other. Considering doing one of the courses.

 

Good luck with your course mate, hope you achieve what you're looking for

 

Good luck with it all.

I was nearly going to start something a few years back but then my personal life fell to bits and I had to put it on hold. Never stopped thinking about doing it though. I'm now on furlough and really thinking about throwing myself into learning something new.
I'm never really sure about what level to go into though (diploma or higher than that??). Most of the course I like are completely alien to me compared to previous qualifications.

There's so many courses and i'm really undecisive

 

I don't know this fella personally but know of hom. My mates second cousin(or I think it's his das cousin) used to be a taxi driver after he got out of long kesh. Used to struggle in life as we all do at times. Told everyone he was going to do an OU course and become a solicitor. Every * laughed at him. When he was a taxi man, was very difficult to get loans from the banks from the banks etc..

He done the course, stuck at it for how many years needed. Ended up with his own solicitors firm and ended up stinking with money. Houses all over the place, in europe and beyond and think he's a millionaire now. All in the space of a decade!

OP, you put your mind to it, anything is achievable! Good luck with it all and remember, never give up because you never know what road you'll end up down with the right attitude! I'll be something similar as soon as I got 50. I'll be digging a hole and burying my tools because by * will I be dealing with clients, employees and working like a horse once I turn half a century. I'll be doing a course for a year or two, change career and take it easy for another 20 years before I retire.

Is there a fee for the OU or do you get it free?

 

https://www.reed.co.uk/courses/

Not uni but Reed doing a lot of free courses and some others discounted, worth doing if furloughed etc free time

 

CSCS free there too, cheap anyway but handy, quite a few good ones worth checking.

 

How in the name of * could you become a solicitor with a criminal record?

 

Is that right! There's been people who have studied law inside and has became a solicitor. I even remember reading a story online about a convicted criminal studying law inside then went and represented a client before a judge that put him.sway years previous.

Even my second cousin who was in longkesh during the hunger strike is now a school teacher working with kids. A convicted terrorist (not my words but in the eyes of the law) who tried to kill Brits with bombs and guns and many other charges. I'm near sure he got 25 years or there abouts( I think he did 16) and now is a contributing member of society teaching kids in school in Ardoyne!

Asking me that question, I don't know how it's possible but trust me, these two are working in jobs where you think with there convictions they'd never get a sniff of these jobs. Just because it's ailen to where you live doesn't mean it aint happening.elsewhere

 

Went trawling through old threads in an idle moment, and found this...

How are you doing greengrocer? Still studying? I hope so, but these things can be easy to start... very hard to finish (unless you totally love what you're studying).

I started a geology degree straight out of school but wasn't ready for that level of work when I'd just become an * - so dropped out quickly (still 18) and did a range of things, mainly focused on becoming a rock star.

I gave it a decent shot but by the age of 24 decided I wasn't good enough - especially after a mate dragged me along to see Educating Rita - which I found quite inspiring (love Michael Caine).

I repeated the HSC (equivalent of A levels - does Scotland have A levels?) and intended to enrol in an Arts degree because (a) I wanted to learn how to write; and (b) I just wanted to complete something (anything!) for the first time in my * life. But after doing the HSC trials (at the age of 25 and taking study seriously for the first time) I realised I was going to get a pretty good score, so just for the * of it put down Law as my first choice (with Arts also).

Despite getting pished out of my brain at a mate's wedding the night before my final exam, I scraped into a Law degree by two marks, and entered an Arts Law degree intending to drop out of Law if I didn't like it. In fact, I loved it, and everything good that's happened in my life since has pretty much come back to that moment of deciding to go back to formal study.

These days I work in a postgraduate higher education provider as an internal lawyer and a good part of my time is spent giving career and study advice to all sorts of students - which I really love doing. (Have quite an ironic story about that.)

I still do music, but am reconciled with how crap I am. I do have other artistic pursuits at which I am somewhat better.

As for Mr Slippyfist's comment re becoming a solicitor with a criminal record? No problem - at least in Australia - unless it's a crime of fraud/dishonesty. Those get looked at very closely by the admitting authorities but almost any crime (even murder) can be forgiven in appropriate circumstances. (You had to be a * criminal to get in here in the first place!)

So yeah, if you're contemplating a return to study, it's never too late. I'd advocate study for its own sake but if you want a career, make sure you study something in which you have a genuine interest. Retirement isn't all that far away for me, and when I do... I might just finish that geology degree.