When I have my weekly life crisis, I tend to blow everything way out of proportion.
Why have I not been to Africa?
Why did I take five years to finish a three-year degree?
Why didn’t I make more friends at uni?
Are my current friends planning on killing me and making it look like an accident?
I should have learned a language by now.
Why am I wasting my life watching reruns of Gilmore Girls?
Am I choosing not to date or am I just a leper?
The panic is real.
And while there’s no point stressing about things you can’t change (see: those hours I’ve wasted watching Gilmore Girls), there is some merit to thinking about going back to uni.
More info can never hurt, and if you ever decide that you want to study again, Vic Uni has added a Block Model learning program which means you can study one unit at a time instead of the whole shebang. That way, you can take your time and continue to earn that cash while you learn.
But, first, let’s figure out the motives behind wanting to head back to uni.
1. You think about it when you’re having a rough day
Making extremely rash decisions when I’ve had a crappy day is something I’ve become quite accomplished at, but usually, it bites me square in the butt.
If you start toying with the idea of going back to uni, make sure it’s a decision you’ve been mulling over for a while and not just a knee-jerk reaction to your coworker stealing your precious canned chicken for the umpteenth time.
I’m kidding, of course, no one wants to steal my canned chicken. It’s a real problem.
2. Your current job isn’t ticking all of the boxes
I don’t want to sound pessimistic, but you’re rarely going to find a job that ticks all of the boxes.
However, you owe it to yourself to be in a career that makes you at least somewhat content. If you feel like you’re stuck in a dead-end job, perhaps uni is the right direction for you.
A good way to tell is to take a tally of how many times in a day you say, ‘Screw this I’m over it’. If it’s more than twice, it might be time to start researching those classes.
3. You’ve started to develop an interest in something you haven’t already studied
Admittedly, I made quite a large mistake when I first went to uni.
During my first year, I just floated through, taking random courses in areas I’d never consider working in, and ultimately bombed pretty hard.
However, if you think going back to uni would further your current career, or get your foot in the door of another industry, I’m all for it.
4. You’re only considering going back for the student discounts
I can only assume that most people who are willing to sit through exams again aren’t purely doing it for the 10-15% student discount – that would be downright insane.
For anyone who’s considering uni to avoid paying full price for that $20 ASOS tee, perhaps focus on that glaring problem before you get the ball rolling with full or part-time study.
5. You feel like you’re stuck in a rut
Going back to uni because you’re stuck in a rut could either be the result of your life crisis, or a genuinely good move.
If you feel like you’re not going anywhere and you have an idea about what you want to study, I’m all for mixing it up. Again, as previously mentioned, just have an established game plan going in.
If you’ve discovered you’re truly passionate about a line of work that you’re not currently in, it’s never too late to yeet out of whatever situation you’re in and hit the books.
You’ll probably find that you’ll be more dedicated to your classes this time around, too.
