Can you do a course in your 40s – my experience
This is a collaborative post.
It is quite some time since I was in any form of education. I love to read but I finished university in 2003 and have done a few things since but nothing significant so have been considering courses to further my knowledge. When the Centre of Excellence asked me if I would like to consider a course from them I was excited and spent hours looking through the site to see what I should choose!
Choosing a course
I studied psychology at university and instantly knew I did not fancy a course in that so that was one area that was ruled out. Whilst I love my business I didn’t fancy anything accounting related but that left me with a huge variety of courses to choose from.
My shortlist included marketing courses, food and nutrition courses and language courses. Whilst there are literally hundreds of courses to choose from these were the ones that I liked the sound of most.
For this review, I was offered one course so I chose a nutrition course and decided that if that went well I would look to buy other courses in time.
Starting the course – initial views
Before I started the course I wondered if it would be very in-depth or essentially if it would be a case of paying for a certificate after a few hours of reading and “job done”! I was actually really surprised! I can not say about the other courses but assume they are all equally in-depth.
The course is broken down into modules and lessons with each module having a short assessment at the end. I have found it easiest to read through the whole module, then another day scan it again before doing the assessment. The assessments I have done so far have been multiple choice questions with 60% and above considered a pass.
Level of understanding needed and time to study
In my opinion, I would say a good level of education is needed to read and understand the course however most people who have done some GCSE’s or equivalent shouldn’t have a problem. I think if you find it harder it will just take you a bit longer to read, understand and complete, but it is certainly still possible.
The courses can be completed in your own time whether you choose to spend a day reading lots and completing a few modules as I did or do a part every week in your lunch break or whilst the kids have swimming lessons!
The time you take to do the course is entirely up to you and will depend on how much time you can devote to it, your background knowledge of the subject and how many times you wish to read the materials before moving on.
My advice
In my opinion, if doing a course is something you have considered for a while this is definitely a website worth considering. The courses are low in cost with payment plan options for some if you choose and there are even free courses available.
The free courses change regularly so at the moment I notice there is one around crystals and another free course on home education but I have seen more academic ones too so it is worth keep checking back. They also have offers frequently too and if you sign up for their newsletter your first course is just £29.
Each course has lifetime access so you are under no obligation to finish it this term or even this year and can truly learn at your own pace.
If you have a dream of writing a book or perhaps learning a new skill to change your job it may be that this would be a good starting point.
My experience of Centre of Excellence
I signed up for the Diet and Nutritional Advisor Diploma course with the Centre of Excellence. It is one of 28 diet and nutrition-based courses and was the one I liked the sound of most. The course is usually £147.
With 14 modules it is quite an in-depth course and I was pleasantly surprised by the detail included in each part of the modules I have completed so far.
I am approaching halfway through the course and have found it really enjoyable so far. There are so many things I didn’t know and they are all explained so clearly. I love the little tests at the end of each section because it makes you realise what you do or don’t know and remind you that you need to keep reading and learning. It isn’t as easy as you would think!
I aim to finish the course by Christmas so will update you when I do with my overall thoughts. It is possible to get a certificate at the end of the course and this costs a little extra. I am not too bothered about that though as either way I will have that qualification and a certificate, to me, isn’t essential!
Are there any courses you would like to do? what dreams do you have that you could work on? Would you, like me, like to write a book (I am going to a writing group for this!) or learn about nutrition? Let me know in the comments below.