Jamie Shaw, who works in Student Services at SHU, shares his story of returning to education and his journey as a mature student…

“I had a very negative experience at school in Sheffield the early 80’s, which led to me leaving school with very few qualifications, and very few options of what do afterwards.

I opted to join a Youth Training Scheme which introduced me to the world of retail, and for the next 18 years I remained in various jobs with various companies performing similar roles; retail sales, call centres, advertising sales etc., none of which I found satisfying or that made me happy.

Whilst working for an insurance company in my mid-thirties in yet another entry-level role, I decided that I had to take charge of my future and find a career I found interesting and that motivated me. I took the decision to return to education as a means to achieve my goal.

Working full-time and attending college on an access course in the evenings was pretty difficult and took a lot of commitment, but I eventually got the credits I needed together with my Maths GCSE, something that had eluded me at school.

I started at SHU in 2005 as a full-time English and History BA (Hons) student. With the support of my peers, tutors and course administration team I found the experience fantastically rewarding and extremely positive. The funding aspects of the course were a lot simpler and straightforward than I thought it would be, and the nature of the course allowed me to work part time as well.

I graduated with a 2.1 level degree and, as importantly, a new-found belief and confidence in my capabilities which led to me successfully applying to work in Student Services at SHU, where I am now.

My advice to other mature students is to make yourself aware of the support that is available at the university. You can call in and see a student advisor from the Advice & Information Team who will be able to answer your questions and signpost you to the most relevant support team. You will be amazed at the amount of help that is on offer. You have made it to university; make sure you make the most of it whilst you are here!.”