The years I have spent recouping my education since leaving school and the resulatant loss of income (1 year doing a part time GCSE at night school, 2 years back at college paying to do A levels when I could have had them for free at age 16 - 18, 3 years back at university in my late 20,s, and 1 year doing a post grad teacher training course) have left me thinking no amount of Awake arrticles on the lesser spotted pepper moth could compensate me for my lost education. Im 35 and my career has just started. Im competing with 21 year olds who earn the same as me. I feel like a right loser!!
Couldn't agree more Lou. I suppress quite alot of bitterness that when I was leaving school it was at a time when further education was 'frowned upon'. If you weren't leaving school at the ripe old age of 16 to pioneer, supprting yourself with a window cleaning round or some other part time job, you were considered 'worldly'.
Although I say it myself, I consider myself to be a reasonably intelligent person. Coasting through school with little effort achieving 9 good 'O Levels' - shows my age! I'm pretty sure I could have got 2 or 3 A Levels and a half decent degree and pursued a far more lucrative career earlier. I also found myself shying away from a job I wanted to do because again 'it was frowned on'. Happy to say I now do tha job, am enjoying it, and I even think I'm quite good at it! And I'm sure you're far better at your job than those 21 year olds cos of a bit of llife experience.
The frustrating thing though is that since 1984 the rules have changed. Quel Surprise! It is no longer considered such a bad thing to pursue a further education. How annoying!