In reply to Escher:
> I'm shortly to be made redundant and I am not sure what I wish to do in the future but I am at a time in my life where I could do something completely new and much more fulfilling (hopefully).
I started a part time degree in 2008, whilst working part time. I went to a local college that was affiliated with Liverpool Hope University two evenings a week from 6 - 9pm. The subject that I really wanted to study wasn't available so I opted for something that I had an interest in and hoped would be worthwhile. Within a year of starting it I was made redundant so I was glad at the time that I had started it and hoped that having a degree would be beneficial in pursuing a new career. The bad news is that It hasn't been up to now, but part of the reason for this is that my personal circumstances meant that I couldn't commit to some of the roles that were available to me. I had no family support and was a single mum to two fairly young children. However, I'm still really glad that I did it, and it does feel like a personal achievement and I still hope to utilise it in the future.
> - What is the workload like?
There was a lot of work to do and it seemed relentless at times, I pulled many an all-nighter to get an assignment finished on time. However, I am not particularly organised and had quite a lot of pressure on me at the time so under different circumstances I don't think the work load would have seemed too bad to be honest.
> - Can you do this without having an a-level in the same subject?
Yes you can, as a mature student, if your only qualifications are G.C.S.E.s from way back then you will probably have to enrol on a one year Access Course, which is a pre-cursor to higher education, it involves an intense course where you choose three main subjects to study and also Maths and English if you have not already got these qualifications, I had Maths and English G.C.S.E.s which I was so glad about because there was already a lot of work with the other three subjects!
> Not sure what else to ask but I find myself at a crossroads wondering what to do next. If not now then when? I keep asking myself. Any insights gratefully received.
I would definitely encourage you to go ahead and do it, yes it is hard, and at times you will want to give up, but along with anything worthwhile in life you get out what you put in. When you have finished it you will feel really proud of yourself. Also it could open new doors for you in the future, I would say make sure you choose a subject that interests you because if you have no interest it will feel like double the amount of work and you will be doing it for 3 - 4 years!
If you have any other questions, feel free to email me privately and I will do my best to answer them. Good luck x