We tend to think of uni as something that we do after school, at the beginning of our working lives. However, for lots of us going back to university as mature students (frighteningly, that means ages 30+) or retraining in later life is not only professionally beneficial but personally fulfilling.
Boost your career
Going back to university can be an excellent opportunity for professional development – it doesn’t all have to be done in the office. Maybe it’s that next rung on the career ladder, maybe it’s the key to earning more, or perhaps it’s adding a new string to your bow so you feel like you’re adding more value to your role or offering an additional skill set. Lots of us don’t really know what we want to do as a career when we first go to university, which might mean doing a degree that’s quite general in its application. Going back to university after a period in the working world can mean refining those skills now that you’ve found what you’re passionate about and really adding some rocket fuel to your prospects.
Start a new career
Ten years into your career and you know who you are (a bit better), you know more about different industries and you might be at exactly the right moment in time for an epiphany. Perhaps it’s a change of direction within the same field that you’re after or a total career change. Going back to university can be the perfect fresh start and an exciting opportunity for a whole new professional adventure. In the words of George Eliot, “it’s never too late to be what you might have been”.
Going back to university for personal development
While on the face of it university is about academic or professional growth, we all know that studying is a personal journey as well. It’s a chance to meet new people and learn new things from experts in their field but also from your peers. Our team at CamVision has often spoken about their time at Cambridge University and how they learned from other students in addition to their professors. University is about the people you meet as well as the books that you read. Perhaps you feel the need for a break from the road you’ve been travelling, for new inspiration and a new sense of purpose. University could be just the ticket.
Keeping up with industry changes
The world is moving at a rapid pace. Technology is one of the biggest drivers in that and it doesn’t take long to feel out of the loop. For lots of people, learning on the job is enough, but for many that can feel like a sticking plaster solution. If you want to really get under the skin of new developments, retraining or taking courses to top up your skills can really give you an edge. It doesn’t have to be a new degree, a Masters or a PhD, there are shorter courses to develop specialist and transferable skills with intensive, personalised training.