I'm in my early thirties and I'm thinking of going to uni for two years. I don't wanna be a loser who works in tesco or some boring admin job all of my life.

It's never too late for sure. What were you thinking of studying?

>>22826913
I'm skilled at video editing and photography. I'm on the spectrum and video editing has been one of my special interests since a teenager. I've been applying for editing roles and sending my portfolio, but none of them ever get back to me. Perhaps if I had a degree I could find a job working for a TV company.

>>22826909 (OP)
i'm 36 and working in retail at night for minimum wage
be like me please

>>22826924
Don't you sometimes think you could do better though? I worked in retail too for six years

>>22826921
I wonder if you could be a wedding photographer. That shit can be like 1000 euros a night or something

>>22826927
No, I hate myself and i think I deserve it, and even worse, way worse
sometimes you do things that you're not even want to ask forgiveness for, you only ask for punishment
My cat was dying and I get her to the vet and then just went full drunk for a week, she died alone, I wasn't even there for her, I was too drunk and focused on my pain because I'm losing her, and not on her pre-dying pain and loneliness
All I want is to die in a way more pain and loneliness than her

>>22826924
Sounds comfy besides the age part

>>22826928
I was thinking about that, but it would be better if I knew someone in that field and then I could tag along and take some pictures to build a portfolio and create an Instagram page or something.
>>22826932
I'm sorry for your loss

>>22826932
>All I want is to die in a way more pain and loneliness than her
that's not what she would want for you

>>22826932
You are too harsh on yourself. If you have so much remorse about your cat, it means you are a good person

>>22826909 (OP)
do it
there's plenty of mature students, no real reason not to—you've also got the Open University, if that's more appealing to you
it's got to be more interesting than languishing, wasting your abilities working menial jobs
though I would imagine the field you're looking at might be harder to turn into a job as compared to others; I get the impression it's a cliquey, lots of gatekeeping, friend-of-a-friend sort of business
therefore my uninformed advice: you'll need to focus on networking and looking for internships, as much as the actual academic side of it, if you want to break-in
I may be wrong, but it does not strike me as something where you're going to be eagerly snapped-up by industry as soon as you're finished

but if you already live and breathe what you're studying, I'm sure you'll love it
you have to take risks in life

>>22826943
no
you don't know me
I'm not a good person, not a little bit
My mother died a little further than my kitty but do I care? no
I cry about my cat, but not my mother
you know it's actually a serial killer behavior or something hehe
but charles bukowski loved cats over relatives too and he was a greatest novelist, so who knows right? It's a wild wild world
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3Gm8zQymtk

>>22826970
What's the difference between a University and an open University?

>>22826977
the OU is 'distance learning', anon
it's off-campus, like a correspondence course (but more modern—computers and so on)
you don't show up to lectures or lab classes or whatever, you do things more in your own time
it's well-known and respected by employers (though I'm not sure how well you would build connections)

>It [...] produces more CEOs than any other United Kingdom university.
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_University

>>22826982
I wish I had a jedi power to do my work from the distance too, like you can learn something and not visiting the class, and I want to move goods while I'm at home, even in my sleep hehe

Have you thought about taking up online gambling to try to strike it rich?

>>22826989
works only if he's lucky enough, I spent a lot of money on poker and gambling and still poor as a dirt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj231TLCbD4

>>22826971
it's been about a year since my cat died, I probably think about her and cry (in the shower, like a man) about once a week
can't help it, I miss her terribly—my best friend
one of my parents died more recently than that, and maybe the grief is just too big; I don't think about it, don't cry about it
grieving is a weird thing, and it's something which happens TO you, rather than something you actively do
it's not your choice to cry or not cry
you don't seem like a bad person just based on the information you've given—you seem only like somebody who badly, badly misses their loved one
wherever she is, she either loved you, or she loves you still, and either way she wouldn't want you to be suffering and punishing yourself
please see that you've done nothing wrong; there's nothing you need ask forgiveness for

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic_KKMSfufA

>>22826982
I've found one course - storytelling with video editing. It's a 6 week course buy I don't think you come out with any kind of formal qualification. It's just something that would look good on your CV I suppose. Wouldn't employeers prefer to hire somebody whose been to uni for 2 years rather than someone taking part in a short course?

>>22826992
You gotta do the coin flip

>>22826993
It's been about a year for me too, july
fucking july
sorry for your loss, cats are special

I'm not actually bad, in general, yeas I'm a sinful man like all of us I guess, but this shit about my kitty, I will never forget what I did (or what i did not) and will never forgive myself

>>22826998

>>22826996
yeah, you're right, mate—they absolutely would
I found this:
>https://www.oca.ac.uk/courses/film-and-media-production-certhe/
which would get you a CertHE ("equivalent to the first year of a bachelor's degree")
but it looks more artsy-fartsy and holistic than just teaching video editing, and in fact, they specifically state on that page that "how to use specific [editing] software is not part of the curriculum."
so maybe the OU don't have what you're looking for at the moment, unfortunately

however, having a cert of some sort might make it easier for you to get into a uni which DOES offer a course closer to what you want, dependent on your current level of education, although you should check with the specific uni—some might only need some kind of Access Diploma course, or you might even be able to get onto a course on 'clearing' (where you can take a course you don't actually qualify for, if they have any empty seats left over)

example: maybe something like this sounds better to you (just found it on google):
>https://www.salford.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/editing-and-visual-effects-for-film-and-broadcast
?
check out the requirements section—you can see you need at least a GCSE in English, as well as one of the other requirements like A Levels, or a BTEC, or an Access Diploma

but that's just one course at one uni
there are loads of paths open to you to get where you want to be

>>22827027
Thanks anon. I have a BTEC diploma from college when I studied film and TV 15 years ago. I'll probably give the course in visual effects a miss though. Do you really think the short course at OU would be any help? It seems the most straightforward and most convenient

>>22827032
>Do you really think the short course at OU would be any help?
to be honest, no—it's not accredited, and you probably already know a lot of what they'd teach you
it doesn't seem worth your time to me
but I have no idea about the media or film industries, so take all my opinions with a very large heaping of salt
maybe that's enough for them, I don't know—but I know you'll be facing competition who DO have degrees...

whilst it might not be as convenient as an OU correspondence course, if you want a bachelor's as proof of what you can do, you will either need to fulfill the stated requirements of whatever course at whatever uni, get into a course on clearing, or if you look at that one at Salford (even though it's not what you want), you can see they have an alternate route in:
>https://www.salford.ac.uk/salford-alternative-entry-scheme
that's just how it is, I'm afraid

you've got your BTEC, so you might already qualify for a lot of courses, and if not, you might still be able to blag it—I speak from experience in saying it's not impossible to blag your way in—but do always have a backup route (even if it's a somewhat longer path)
if you can bring them your portfolio, demonstrate relevant knowledge, and explain your situation (touch of the 'tism), they might well consider you
maybe they have a secret sperg quota? it's certainly not going to hurt your chances

>>22826909 (OP)
>>22826921
my friend has an art degree (i forgot what exactly), and now he takes pictures/videos and makes instagram posts for a local company. there is a lot of travel, you may not be comfortable with that

>>22827957
I don't mind travel, in fact I'd love to work abroad at some point

>>22826909 (OP)
where is he driving to