Any old guys/gals started in College this week?

[rich66]

Just wondering if there's any 'mature' students started in College this or last week on here?

How are you finding it?

I've just started Level 2 C&G at my local College. I'm probably the oldest on campus including the lecturers!

The kids all seem OK, mainly as they are all glued to their phones! Amazing how much security there is on site, compared to when I last went to College 35 years ago.

Little bit of chat going on during the classroom sessions which the lecturer seems to just ignore but this week he did try and stop the backgrond nattering once or twice. Addmittedly the 'lecture' is him just reading out whats on the handout/slide and when the subject is Health and Safety, its pretty hard to 'hold the room'! He drops in the odd anecdote from his work now and again but its pretty boring for a teenager... I even found myself thinking more about getting over the canteen for a brew and a huge bacon&sausage roll at 11am than concentrating on the list of mechanical lifting devices! Wheel barrow, Sack Truck, Pellet Truck, Bacon roll....

 

[FatAlan]

Did a college evening course a couple of years back. Mixture of youngsters and several lads originally from Eastern Europe. Youngsters spent most of the time talking about girls & what drugs they’d taken. Eastern European lads worked their socks off & blasted the course. It was good fun, enjoy the experience.

 

[davesparks]

Having already gone to college to do A levels I started my apprenticeship at 18 rather than the usual 16.
There was a definate difference in the attitude of my classmates even with only the 2 year age gap.

 

[rich66]

Having already gone to college to do A levels I started my apprenticeship at 18 rather than the usual 16.
There was a definate difference in the attitude of my classmates even with only the 2 year age gap.

Well Dave, there is a difference between apprentices and full timers apparently...

I'm in the full timers class although due to my age, I only actually attend for a day and a half.

In my case the age difference is 40 years or so.

I'm biding my time and adopting a low profile at the moment. I'm also avoiding answering all lecturers questions to the class!

One plus is the fact the lecturers feel comfortable discusing stuff with me, like how difficult classes can beand other work related stuff.

As with any school, there's a them and us dynamic which i dont fit into, being on both sides...

If i was doing a phsychology degree, i could have a field day!

 

[Lister1987]

Well Dave, there is a difference between apprentices and full timers apparently...

I'm in the full timers class although due to my age, I only actually attend for a day and a half.

In my case the age difference is 40 years or so.

I'm biding my time and adopting a low profile at the moment. I'm also avoiding answering all lecturers questions to the class!

One plus is the fact the lecturers feel comfortable discusing stuff with me, like how difficult classes can beand other work related stuff.

As with any school, there's a them and us dynamic which i dont fit into, being on both sides...

If i was doing a phsychology degree, i could have a field day!

My level 2 was daytime 9-3, very few older maturer students, mostly school leavers and there were a good few that didn't want to be there or were giving it the 'Billy big balls - I know everything, this is boring - attitude which for the most part was ignored (I want to say as the lecturers focused on those that actually wanted to be there.

Level 3 started the same way but ultimately traversed to evening and the atmosphere was like chalk and cheese; completely different, those that WANTED to be there.

I took the 'knuckle down and give it everything' approach because i'm there for me, no-one else; although I would ask what you'd call the most basic questions if I picked up that those around me weren't grasping the subject but were too stubborn or more worried about thier image. I very much became 'the guy with the answers' because I put the time in outside of college, got and used the coursebook and did everything I could to better my chances.