I love hearing the stories of other students and the reasons why they start studying. Making the decision to study while working, bringing up a family or running a business is a big one.
It takes a lot of dedication and you must be able to motivate yourself. But the decision to invest in yourself can give you this motivation to keep pushing when you’re feeling down.
I would love to hear why you started studying so please leave a comment below and tell me a bit of your studying story.
I’ll go first with my “why”.
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I didn’t go to university when all my friends did as I had become disenchanted with learning and convinced myself I wasn’t good enough to go. I'd been distracted at Sixth Form and hadn't tried hard enough. Everyone else upped their game and studied harder but I thought I could continue "winging it" and get good grades.
So instead I moved to Barbados for 18 months. I was a bit jealous as everyone I knew was at university having fun and building a life. But at the time my own foreign adventure was exciting.
When I came back to the UK I jumped straight into work in the events industry and then as an office administrator. A niggling doubt had been growing for awhile that I wasn’t happy with where my life was going.
I saw lots of successful people around me, and the common thread was they had been to university. Now I don’t believe university is right for everybody (it wasn’t for me straight out of school). But what these successful people shared was that they had invested in themselves.
They picked a path and worked incredibly hard to try to better their future.
This stuck with me so I started thinking about what I might want to study. Working for a large corporation piqued my interest in Business so that seemed a sensible subject to study.
I applied to the Open University and started the following month! This decision changed my life.
Not just because I gained a First Class Honours degree in Business – but because I proved to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to, even if I experience set backs along the way.
So this is a small part of my story that led me to where I am today.
I would love to hear yours so hit reply now and tell me something about your reasons for starting studying and what keeps you motivated to carry on.
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Hi Chloe! I always wanted to go to grad school, but when I graduated from Baylor with my undergrad degree, I actually moved overseas for half a year. I came back to the States and wasn’t ready to study yet, so I took a job. I spent five years working that job and was able to pay off all of my student loans. That was kind of like a benchmark / goal I wanted to accomplish before returning to school. I did it! I’m so thankful, because I know that’s a huge feat! So now, I’m ready, and I’m heading back! It was a hard, scary decision, because I had to quit my well paying job and start a new job. That other job was way too busy for school, so now I’m working a different one that pays way less, but we’re making it! I want to help people who struggle with mental illness. To do that, you need a license in counseling or some similar certification. So, that’s why I’m going back to school. First, because I love school, but mainly because I want to get the proper training I need to follow my dreams!
Thanks so much for the comment Michelle! What an interesting story. I agree with you that paying off your student loans is important. One of the reasons why I chose to study while working was so I could pay off my tuition as I went so I’ve managed to graduate debt-free. I hear you on the career thing. I’ve been wanting to get a new job and push forward my career for years but I was aware I needed to try and keep my job workload stable so I could be flexible with my degree workload. You sound so motivated which is great – when you have multiple reasons to study it really helps to keep you focused and positive. How long will your studies take you?
Hi Chloe!
I believe everyone should always be in a mindset and habit of learning, whether in school or not. I was one of those, like many, who did go to college right out of high school. It was required for the career I wanted to pursue.
However, after a short time I wanted to go back to college to learn business and earn a MBA degree. Due to serious health issues in my family it was not the right thing to do. But 25 years later I did go back and earned my MBA. Yes, I was usually the oldest person in my classes, but I loved it.
I am excited you took the plunge and changed your life. Congratulations!
Thanks for the comment Roger! I completely agree with you on the mindset of learning. One of my favourite quotes is from Henry Ford – “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty of eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young”. Even though it took 25 years you went back and that’s a pretty brave thing to do!
I went to college right out of high school but left after 2 years when I realized it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I was always very academic and loved to learn, but I just didn’t know what I wanted to be yet. I tried a few things off and on but never finally went back and finished until I was in my 30s. The American economy had tanked and I wasn’t able to get by at work with my experience and intelligence, so my hand was kind of forced. It ended up being the best thing, though, because I was definitely more focused. I also needed to get a better paying job in order to afford to have a child, so that was a great motivator. I ended up getting my degree and eventually becoming a CPA, and now we have a beautiful daughter, so it worked out great!
Hi Joni, thanks so much for the comment. The first part of your comment sounds like me. I also loved learning so much but didn’t see the point in continuing studying if I didn’t have an end point in sight. I sometimes think it’s wrong to encourage all kids to go straight to university/college as some would do better to spend time in the “real world” first until they’ve decided what to do. It’s odd how when all you have to do is go to school you struggle to focus, but when you’re older, working and have lots of other commitments the focus seems to come easier! I’m so glad you ended up with a great experience, the job you wanted and a beautiful daughter – I think you hit the jackpot!