Education isn’t just for the young. In fact, more and more mature students are choosing to reenter education to help them further their careers and even break into a new field.

It goes without saying that with some life experience behind you, you will find you will be more focussed and have a better idea of what exactly it is you want and have the drive to get you there. There are so many bonuses to being an older student, so you should never let your age put you off.

But What Should You Be Looking at Studying and What Is the Best Way to Approach It?

Doing your research is essential. Find out what qualifications you need to follow your new career path and tailor your education to cater for this profession.

Can you use qualifications you already have or do you need to go back to basics to make sure you don’t have any gaps in your knowledge? If you are serious, the time it takes to learn everything you need to know won’t matter. It is better to know you have exactly what you require rather than skipping steps. This is also a great way of making the most of your master’s degree if you have one already or if you are working towards one.

Be Practical

Know your time limitations. The main difference between going into higher education straight from school as opposed to studying around an existing job if you still need to work too.

Consider studying online, or in the evening. If you can reduce your hours at work, this could help you but be honest with the time you can dedicate to studying to make sure you don’t burn yourself out and derail your efforts. Especially if you have a family to look after too.

Use these following tips to help you master the issue of time and help yourself boost your efforts and reach your goals as easily as possible.

• Schedule your day – write down everything you need to fit into your day to help see what time you have.
• Identify where you can fit in studying – make sure to be strict with yourself about using the time productively. Do you have a daily commute? Use it to squeeze in some revision or watch tutorials.
• Know what works best for you when it comes to studying – do you need silence or a distraction in the background? Whatever works for you use it to your advantage to help you get the work done.
• Get others involved too – rope in family members or even your employer to help you study? Maybe they can record voice notes for you to help you revise for tests or quiz cards for you to learn on the go.
• Prioritise – don’t take on too much. Some days you will simply have too much on to study. If this is the case, then it makes sense to try to block your time so you can get creative with everything you need to squeeze in.