Starting something new at any age is always worrying, especially if you’ve not been in education for a long time! Don’t worry – feeling nervous about returning to education is perfectly normal.
We’re here to dispel a few of the common worries new adult students always ask us…
“I’ll be the oldest in my class!”
If you have chosen to study one of our higher-level or professional courses at MidKent College you will not be joining a class of 16 year olds! You will be studying alongside other adults who also may not have been in a classroom for 10, 20, 30+ years. They’ll have similar reasons like you as to returning to education for career development to retraining or upskilling. You’ll be able to share experiences with your peers, and network for future opportunities.
“It’s been a long time since I was in education.”
Another very common worry! Your tutors are there to help you to re-learn essential study skills, advise on new ICT software and to help you to settle into a routine. They’re very experienced in teaching adult students, and are industry-experienced themselves so are best placed to advise you on your career.
“I’m worried about studying alongside work and a home life.”
Talk to your tutor about this, or if an emergency crops up outside of your studies. They’ll be able to help you to manage your time, provide extensions and advise on the best resources (both online and physical) in our Learning Resource Centres and Virtual Learning Environment. Your employer may also allocate you time to study. Ultimately you will be balancing an additional “plate”, but keep in mind the long-term benefits of potentially increased salary or career progression.
“What happens if I don’t understand the tutor?”
Our tutors are very experienced, and will be able to provide relevant industry examples for you, or talk through things on a 1:1 level. Class sizes are smaller for our professional and university-level programmes than you may have had at school, so you’ll feel more comfortable asking questions. You’ll also have their email address to contact them with any questions outside of your face-to-face time too.
This year could be THE year you decide to progress or change your career.
