For me doing the CELTA was a way to get out of the country as I hate the idea of being trapped in the UK like so many people seem content with, to explore the world and be free and to learn a good skill that I believe strongly in and enjoy (though I know the job can be a nightmare - but I am used to very hard jobs) and to live with the smell of tropical air. etc
But people described the limitations of what I was planning. It was not a reliable and not a long-term solution to fixing my life and creating a content lifestyle for myself. It was just another "fuck off and try this and maybe it'll work and be awesome and you'll finally find your niche but maybe you'll get fucked and end up miserable and crawling back home yet again with nothing in hand and nothing to show for it and nowhere to go afterward.
I had no alternatives. I couldn't find anything. No qualifications, no skills, no options. Work an apprenticeship for £100/37hr week for a qualification I already exceed (A-Levels) and no practical prospect (aimed at 16 yr olds). Learn a random trade and be stuck where I am the rest of my life. What the heck is the reason behind it all? Why do we go through these hoops, why is it all constructed this way? Seriously I am still 4% certain I will end up in a cave or forest just living off the land.
So in 2002 or something I went to university to fail Computer Animation for 3-4 years and then again in 2008 to fail Biomedical Science. I guess I learnt a lot - as much as I needed to be here where I am today. I am no longer alcoholic, having been drunk one single time in the last 12 months (or more). I have worked on learning - from complete scratch, without ever knowing the feeling - a little self discipline through way of going to the gym 70+ times this year (with not much to show for it physically, but that's beside the point).
And then I realised that the college where my mother lives does a 2-year course in Computer Software Dev. I found out that it was a proper course, and not something aimed at pre-A-Level (everyone does A-Levels if theyre in school at 17-18) people like most courses are. And I found out that you can transfer to a University directly into the 3rd year of a degree if you complete this 2-year course with merit. And then I found out that I'm still able to apply for some form of funding which will actually let me pay for the course. And my mother is OK with me staying with her - now that she understands I'm some distance from the alcohol and have been working full-time in torturous circumstances and hence have some degree of reliability now.
So at nearly 28 years old, having failed and fucked ~5 years of university funding, with literally no skills whatsoever, no value to my life up until this point and no clue what to do with myself or even why I should exist, I have found a path. I think I just got very very lucky, and I'm nervous as how it'll play out, but I have hope again and a direction not just to face but to walk.
tldr: Somehow, after fucking up my life and opportunities to the point of absolute extinction with a decade of disgusting negligence and alcohol addiction, i have at the ripe age of 28 come out the other end and am still able to work towards a degree in software engineering, a challenging and rewarding future with some flexibility and future.
I've learned that in your mid twenties you go through a phase where, because you've invested so much time and money into school, you ask yourself is this REALLY what I want? Then you gotta decide. Its not easy. I'm glad you worked it out and fixed your alcohol problems as well.
Personally, I've gone through similar issues of feeling inadequate (im in grad school and others seem much more intelligent if not more capable than me) and I had to learn to say fuck it.
Seriously, when you get to school worry about being happy, getting your stuff done and not worrying about others. The worst thing you can do is to compare yourself to others. If you are smarter you can feel better for a little while but when someone smarter than you comes along you feel so inadequate. So don't get involved in that trap at all. Just do your best, and focus on yourself and you will be better off in the long run.
On September 20 2012 00:09 FFGenerations wrote: a degree in software engineering, a challenging and rewarding future with some flexibility and future.
Sorry.
Going into third year straight off is awesome. I doubt you can actually do that with no experience though. It's probably because you already have some experience with computer software.
Went trough somewhat the same story. but addiction and depression was probably the most important reason i could never finnish things i started. But slowly getting somewhere now...guess events in life like that make you realise what you are truly living for, even if its not always easy. GO GO GO, NEVER GIVE UP.
gogo! at 37, I've seen a lot of my peers have a great start, but they just got complacent and just stopped doing anything, same boring lives over and over again. Guarantee, you get in now with what you've gone though, you'll crush the material and never stop. Just make sure you get epic marks, cause a reality check is, that this is your last opportunity as well. Just go in there and rock it! And congrats as well.
On September 20 2012 00:09 FFGenerations wrote: a degree in software engineering, a challenging and rewarding future with some flexibility and future.
Sorry.
Going into third year straight off is awesome. I doubt you can actually do that with no experience though. It's probably because you already have some experience with computer software.
its a 2yr course tailored to match up somewhat with 2 yrs in uni; if you pass with merit/distinction then they will allow you to jump to 3rd yr (but only at some unis o/c, probably)
On September 20 2012 00:09 FFGenerations wrote: a degree in software engineering, a challenging and rewarding future with some flexibility and future.
Sorry.
Going into third year straight off is awesome. I doubt you can actually do that with no experience though. It's probably because you already have some experience with computer software.
its a 2yr course tailored to match up somewhat with 2 yrs in uni; if you pass with merit/distinction then they will allow you to jump to 3rd yr (but only at some unis o/c, probably)
So then what's the difference between doing the 2 years at a university, and then another 2 years to finish off? Or just doing a 4 year major at a local college? Is it to transfer just for the last 2 years for whatever a university can offer that the place teaching the course can not?
- i dont have to pay rent at my family house - no uni where my family house is unless i commute 2 hours + costs - uni costs £9k/yr (plus commuting costs), this costs £6k/yr - altho uni involvement is awesome, this course is i believe compacted to just 2 weekdays so i can work a job too - in total i would be doing 2 yrs of this special college course then 1 year commuting to the uni to qualify for an honour degree - only if i complete the 2 yrs with merit - things are still going as planned so far, yay
On September 21 2012 04:48 FFGenerations wrote: - i dont have to pay rent at my family house - no uni where my family house is unless i commute 2 hours + costs - uni costs £9k/yr (plus commuting costs), this costs £6k/yr - altho uni involvement is awesome, this course is i believe compacted to just 2 weekdays so i can work a job too - in total i would be doing 2 yrs of this special college course then 1 year commuting to the uni to qualify for an honour degree - only if i complete the 2 yrs with merit - things are still going as planned so far, yay
Oh so it's a 3 year degree. That's really good. So is getting 2 years of credit from just 2 weekdays per week. GL
EPT
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/st32Z.gif)
