Did you ever go back to full time education as an adult?

I went back to graduate school at thirty after being out of college for 8 years and it really wasn’t that hard to get back into the swing of things. And yes, as far as I know you would certainly qualify for student loans and they will probably be easier for you to get now, at 24 and completely independent financially of your parents. And you may also want to look into work-study opportunities at the college you attend. Talk to the advisor about what sorts of opportunities might be available to help support yourself during college. And don’t worry! You haven’t missed any kind of boat at all. You’re only 24!!! People do this all the time.

Absolutely. Education is always awesome. Of course, it always depends on your resources and responsibilities.

Also, I don’t know the official start of when someone is an “adult.” Terms like “adult” and “grown up” always seem way to objective to be anything but pejorative. I don’t believe in them. ;-)

I tried to, but as I couldn’t get any sort of financial aid I had to keep working as well. I had to quit after about two months because there just weren’t enough hours in the day. I was down to three hours sleep a night and I still didn’t have enough time to do all the work.

Yes. I got my employer to pay me to go back to university, to pay my full salary while I was there and to pick up the course fees. Twice.

To answer your question – no you haven’t missed the boat with regards to student loans etc., however from what I can see from a brief google (I’m assuming you’re in the UK from you saying you did GCSE’s) you can do the training on the job ie get employed at a vetinary practice and then get them to pay you to do the NVQ’s required.

I’ve wanted to, but I never had help with living expenses, but the Navy didn’t give me any time (too much work, too many watches, and lucky to get 20 hours of sleep a week sometimes) and after I got out, my wife and I both had/have to work full-time to keep a roof over our heads.

There are programs that may be able to help you. I can’t get the same help since I am married and thus most such places add her income to mine and say I earn too much.

FWIW, my mother did the night course thing for a few years and got her masters degree that way.

@Lightlyseared Yes, but here in America, most employers won’t do anything that will deprive them of cheap labor, that may increase your value above what they are willing to pay, or that may be the least bit altruistic. Be thankful you are on the other side of the pond :P.

Yes, I’m going back right now. Actually, I had to wait because until I was 24, I didn’t qualify for loans. However, I don’t have any clue what the UK’s requirements are.

@jerv That’s messed up. We need better benefits for servicemen and woman and vets. It’s really a great investment in people that generally gets paid back in all sorts of ways. I guess there will never be another GI Bill like the one after WWII but that gave people like my dad such great opportunities. My dad enlisted in the navy in 1942 a poor 17 year old kid from a small town in West Virginia who never even thought about going to college and when he got out he was confident enough to give a try and between the GI Bill and money from The Office of Naval Research his entire education was completely paid for, B.S, M.S and Ph.D. in physical chemistry. Then he and my mom were able to buy their house with a GI Bill loan guarantee.

And the government, the taxpayers got their money’s worth from him and a lot of those guys. He became a responsible home owning family man making a good income and paying taxes back to the government on that good income. He was certainly grateful for the opportunity but he also felt that he and the government were more than even because of what he was able to put back into their coffers and contribute to society.

@lillycoyote I agree. I think, if you go and risk dying for our country, any degree you want to get at any institution should be paid for in full (including supplies and living expenses) by the government. We bitch about how no one joins the military anymore, but never consider that maybe it’s because we treat them so poorly.

@lillycoyote The GI Bill was not enough for the schools where I was; New England really can be pricey in some ways. Even with Uncle Sam’s help, I’d still need to earn a pretty penny on top of that to survive, and those benefits would’ve been exhausted by the time I finished my Sophomore year, leaving me no better off than a civilian. The total benefits were less than $30K while most of the schools run close to $20k/yr!

I went back at 25 and was able to get enough in student loans to cover tuition and a few thousand to put toward living expenses.

Yes, when you have been unemployed for a year you can ask your parents to please resume the payments they made for you when you were young and foolish and got married instead of getting your degree. If they are like me, they will do it.

@YARNLADY Why couldn’t I have a mother like you? The closest I’ve got to financial support from my folks is my stepfather saying, “We’re rich, you’re not!” and sticking his tongue out at me.

I went back to school at 24, starting from scratch for my undergrad. I’m not sure about the requirements for loans where you are, but I qualified immediately for a provincial loan because I’d been out of high school for 5 years and a “mature student”. If you choose to continue working part-time in university, you should still be able to get loans.