Forget the midlife crisis – rising like a Phoenix from the ashes of forty-plus birthday candles, is our desire to return to study.  It seems that more and more of us are now taking the opportunity to either study for pleasure, or to increase our earning power in the job market.

Latest technology allows students to study at home and to schedule this around fulltime jobs and family commitments.  But what is it like, returning to a ‘virtual’ classroom after decades away?

Sharon Holman, 48 and from the Midlands, had already studied for accountancy qualifications.  When she reached her early 40’s she decided to study for a degree in Psychology and after six years became a Bsc (Hons).  She studied at home and it seemed that the majority of students she was in touch with on the course were of a similar age.

She opted for Psychology because she had considered a change of career, but quickly decided that she preferred the theoretical side of the topic and appreciated the life tools it gave her in general terms.  Because the subject was far removed from her day job, she found it much easier to study, she feels. 

But returning to study later in life was not always easy for her.  She needed to work for almost 20 hours a week, and this was on top of her full-time job as an accountant and looking after her family.  Once the initial buzz of enthusiasm was over, her routine became a little mundane, but this was broken up by meeting fellow students on tutorials.

Already a success in her professional life, she found that having the initials after her name gave a renewed boost to her self-confidence.  But how did her employers feel about her return to study?  “Employers generally seem to view mature students favourably as it demonstrates a willingness to learn. For me, although my subject was outside of my working role, the mere fact that I was applying myself went in my favour.”

Studying later perhaps allows you the chance to study something you are actually interested in.  Can anyone really be certain at 18 what they want to spend their working life doing?  Jobs aren’t for life any more and access to further education has never been easier.  Some students may opt for a subject that compliments existing qualifications.  For instance, a degree in hotel management could work very well with a financial qualification.

Fiona Brady now lives in Dorset and already had a law degree, but after a career break to bring up her family, she decided to study a completely different subject.  Working around her family commitments wasn’t easy.  But somehow she found time to focus on her Open University degree in Psychology.  Fiona isn’t necessarily looking for employment in this area.  She just felt the time was right to get her brain working again, and the subject had always interested her.

Of course, not everyone studying later in life has the comfort of previous success.  Emma Angier knows she never fulfilled her potential at school, so once the children were in secondary education she set about changing that.  She had experience of working in retail, but knew she wanted something more for the future.  Studying the second time has suited her.  This time it’s personal!

What opportunities are there for mature students to get on a degree course?  ‘Access Courses’ are designed to allow students to break into a degree course without the proven track record of good exam results from school to fall back on.  They also allow a student to assess their own capabilities before committing to several years of hard work.  For some, this course is enough, but most see it as a stage to pass through on the way to achieving their ultimate goal.

Perhaps one downside to being a more mature student is that some potential employers might feel you are unable to start again at that bottom rung.  You have accepted that you need to begin at the bottom, but often they don’t believe you!  Surely if a student is looking for a change of career, their ability to continue improving themselves, to learn, has to be in their favour. 

Maturity does come with benefits and this was spotted by Peter Sludden’s current employer.  Peter joined the RAF in his twenties and when he left the service, he set up his own business, supplying workshop consumables to mechanics in the area.  Although he enjoyed this work, ill-health eventually prevented him from driving a commercial vehicle and he was forced to close the business.

His accountant remembered Peter telling him that he had worked in an accounts office in the RAF and offered him a junior role in his practice in South Yorkshire.  This developed into a supported training position and now in his fifties, Peter will soon become a qualified accountant.  You could view Peter’s career path as setback after setback, but he doesn’t agree.  The RAF, diabetes and even a heart attack hasn’t finished him off, and he now takes on life’s challenges as a survivor.

Whether done for financial reasons or not, it seems the majority of mature students embrace their studies and do see it as a personal challenge.  The new career it might bring is just the cherry on top.

Mandy Barnes is using a new qualification to rubber stamp her practical experience gained since leaving school 25 years ago – with only six CSE’s.  She now says “My family are very proud of me; they feel I am achieving something, especially considering my school life”.  Despite already doing the job she is qualifying for, she knows that the combination of experience and qualifications puts her head and shoulders above those within her department and this has already been recognised in her salary.

But it seems that even the rich and famous are still exercising their grey cells later in life.  Brian May, guitarist with the incredibly successful rock group Queen, dropped out of university before completing his PhD in Astrophysics.  Fame and fortune may have lured him away, but he still yearned for academic recognition.  The only work needed to complete his degree was the submission of a thesis.  Some 33 years later and nearing 60, he has finally achieved it.

The composer of some of the most famous rock anthems in the world returned to Imperial College, London and spent nine months adding to his research on ‘interplanetary dust clouds’.  He had kept his original handwritten notes from his student days, always hoping to complete the work.

Comedian and Jungle survivor Joe Pasquale readily admits to leaving school with only an ‘O’ level in Woodwork.  And yet, almost 30 years later he has qualified as light aircraft pilot.  This has to be the ultimate subject to learn.  Get it wrong and you crash and burn – literally.

So how are mature students studying?  Greater choices in the courses available and where and when you can study, has opened the doors of a virtual university to millions.  Even if you choose to study at home with what used to be termed a ‘correspondence course’, you are now able to join other students via internet forums and on-line lectures.  Both are excellent ways to advance through a course and provide a connection with other students, removing that sense of isolation often found before.

The comment ‘Oh I wish I could do that’ is in the past.  We now live in a time where nothing is impossible or beyond us.  Mature students rock – just ask Brian May!