Personal Blogs

you know what's romantic in theory?... A rainy day.
You know what's slightly less romantic in practice? A rainy day when you’re behind on coursework, your highlighters are on strike, and your 5-kilo dogs have decided your lap is now their full time residence.

Today’s study session started with real ambition. I made coffee, lit a candle (because adulting with ambiance is still adulting), and opened my laptop like a focused academic warrior. Within 90 seconds, one dog had claimed my lap like a Victorian fainting couch, and the other was busy rearranging my highlighters with her nose. For feng shui, obviously.

Meanwhile, the rain outside wasn’t exactly helping. The soft pitter-patter on the window was less “motivational study soundtrack” and more “why don’t we all curl up and pretend the real world doesn’t exist?” My dogs were very on board with that plan. One is currently burrowed into a blanket with the intensity of someone evading tax fraud.

And yet...there’s something kind of perfect about it all.
Sure, I’m trying to commit adult level content to a brain that still forgets why it walked into the kitchen.
Yes, my dogs are treating my lap like a chaise lounge in a Parisian spa.
And fine, I did just realize I highlighted an entire paragraph in pink and yellow and now it looks like a popsicle meltdown.

But I'm learning...
They're cozy...
The rain is doing its moody background soundtrack thing.
And honestly? It feels like a little moment of calm in the middle of adult life chaos.

So if you're also an adult learner today, with a pile of notes, a cup of coffee going cold, and two tiny dogs supervising your study session from your knees, know that you're doing amazing. Your dogs believe in you. (Well, they believe you might open the fridge soon. But still.)

Keep going. Rainy days were made for focus, fluff, and forgiving yourself for re-reading the same paragraph four times.

Studying is hard. Tiny dogs make it better. Rain makes it cozy. And yes, naps happen.

They say life is a journey, and sometimes, the path we take isn't the one we originally planned. For most of my life, I didn’t think I’d be sitting here, typing these words as a mature student, returning to university to study a BA (Honours) in Arts and Humanities. But life has a funny way of revealing new paths, and after years of working, reflecting, and growing, I’ve decided to take the plunge toward a career in education and becoming a teacher in further education (FE).

You might be wondering what brings someone my age back to the lecture halls and the student grind. The answer? Passion. A love for learning that has never truly left me, despite the years spent working in other fields. It’s funny how sometimes, what we loved as children can become the seed for what we want to do later in life. For me, that seed was always in the arts, literature, history, philosophy and now, I’m finally pursuing that dream.

But it’s more than just a personal ambition. It’s about giving back, sharing what I’ve learned, and guiding the next generation of learners to discover their own passions. I’ve spent years in the workforce, working with people from all walks of life, and it has given me a deep appreciation for the transformative power of education. Now, I want to be the one who helps others find their own paths, just as I’ve been fortunate enough to do.

Returning to university at this stage in life can feel like a daunting challenge, but it’s also incredibly exciting. There’s a certain freedom in stepping outside of the box, leaving behind expectations and embracing a fresh start. I know there will be moments of doubt, moments when I’ll question if I’m “too old” or if I’ve made the right choice, but I’ve learned that growth rarely happens when we stay comfortable.

So, here I am: embarking on a new chapter. A chapter full of reading, writing, discovering new ideas, and ultimately teaching others. If you’re also thinking about going back to study or making a big life change, I hope my journey will show you that it’s never too late to follow your passion.

Thanks for joining me on this adventure. Let’s see where it takes us.