Second-chance students: mature and motivated

By Adrienne Cernigoi. If you're fed up with your job, don't be afraid to return to university – you're a much better student second time round. Your friend is chattering enthusiastically: some days she loathes her job, but most days are like today – challenging but rewarding. You try to be just equally upbeat, and mumble something about how at last you've worked out how to make the arms of your office chair fit under the desk. Did you settle for the first job that took you after graduating? Or perhaps your dream job has turned into a real nightmare? With linear careers becoming outdated, professional reinvention is on the rise. So should you stop whingeing and return to study? If a few years have gone by since you made your first-degree choices at 18, your aspirations and outlook are likely to have changed. The reality of working made me examine what aspects I actually enjoyed about my job in international aid – and what I needed to do to get the career I wanted. Read more...