r/OpenUniversity • u/Aromatic_Proof8420 • 1d ago
Is graduating at 28 too late?
So, I'm a 22 year old EU citizen living in Belgium, and I'm looking to do the BA (Honours) Language Studies. Given that I'm financially independent and living on my own, I can't afford to do the course in three or even four years, and I don't want to use credit or loans to finance my studies. I'm looking into scholarships offered where I live, but I'm not confident that I would qualify, since I'm not a Belgian citizen and I would be studying through an UK institutions. So, my best option financially would be to study part-time, over 6 years, which would also be easier to balance with work and life. However, the thought of getting an online degree at only 28, leaves me concerned about job prospects. Right now, I work in hospitality, and although I could raise in it over the next years, I don't know if my experience would look favorably. OU is by far the best institution offering online degrees, all EU initiatives are mostly national and don't have the same structure, support and community that OU has, so I would really like to hear some thoughts.
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u/DontMakeMeMeat 1d ago
My grandma graduated university at 58. It's never too late!
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u/nikki-niksUK 10h ago
I love this! I’ll be 50 by the time I’m fully qualified and I was having a moment about it earlier. Reading comments like this definitely helps!
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u/SweetiePeteetie 1d ago
Mid forties here. Got another 3 years to go to get my degree. Never too old.
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u/anecdotalgalaxies 1d ago
God it's as bad as the travel subreddits in here with people in their 20s fretting they're old to experience anything.
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u/spacecadet_42069 1d ago
Haha im 26 and all those posts actually freaked me out and made me stress. Got off all those subs, put my phone down and chilled out
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u/anecdotalgalaxies 1d ago
Yeah good for you. I'm 42 and I did three months in Mexico about a year ago and now I'm doing a degree. You're doing fine.
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u/spacecadet_42069 1d ago
Thats awesome. I started again at 24 to do an apprenticeship as a heavy equipment mechanic, finishing next year when i'm nearly 28. Will look at doing an OU degree afterwards i think! No idea why half of reddit puts random age limits on things. I was far too anxious to travel far when I was younger but starting to see more of the world with my girlfriend now.
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u/FroggyFrogFrogRibbit 1d ago
I'll be 30 when I graduate, 6 years for the degree itself and I completed the optional 1 year introduction course. I'd rather be 30 with my degree than 30 without it. 28 is not too late at all
The best time to plant an oak tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.
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u/PianoAndFish 1d ago edited 1d ago
You're going to be 28 in 6 years' time whether you do the degree or not, so you might as well be 28 and also have a degree. It's unlikely that being 28 and not having a degree will lead to measurably better job prospects than if you do have one.
Look at it this way, your retirement age in Belgium will (currently) be 67 and is roughly mid-60s in most of the EU, so after you graduate you'll still have nearly 40 years of your standard working life left. In the grand scheme of things 28 is really not as old as it feels like it will be when you're 22.
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u/Darkone539 1d ago
Plenty of people go to uni later. 28 isn't even "later" in my view. You'll be fine.
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u/theghostofloganroy 1d ago
Absolutely not!
I started OU at 25, I'm completed my History DipHE last year at 28, I'll be 30 when I finally get my BA in History next year, it is never too late and never too old.
When I attended a brick and water uni (sadly didn't work out for me) there was a man in his sixties getting his history degree.
Never say never, go for it
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u/thefoundbird 1d ago
I’ll be in my mid-50s when I graduate - and I plan on going all the way to PhD(s) level.
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u/eluthingol1919 1d ago
I’m graduating in September and I’m 30. I started in 2020, was working an entry level job in my work and since then I’ve had 3 promotions in that time, and started a family with my wife.
Just go for it if you really want it - it’s hard to stay committed sometimes and six years is a long time, but worth it for what you get at the end
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u/FearlesZuchinni 1d ago
I'm 26 and starting my degree only now. I will be 33 by the time I graduate. You're fine!
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u/Andrawartha 1d ago
At 28 you probably have about 40 years of work career left to go. Would you rather aim for something new by 28 or stay as you are?
I finished an Msc at 50 with a fair few 40-50 somethings aiming at working in the related industry
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u/TheGardenATheGate 1d ago
I'm gonna be finishing mine when I'm 30, you should be good :)
Better to graduate than not at all, go at your own pace, no need to race
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u/megan109 1d ago
Hi, I also worked in hospitality, I was a chef for 20 years. Started my IT degree with the OU 3 years ago (3 to go), just got my first IT job. It's totally worth it 🙂
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u/Federal-Demand-2968 1d ago
I graduated the OU with a BA Hons at 58 and a Masters at 61. It’s never too late. And it’s brilliant 🤩
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u/leovaldiana 1d ago
I also studied part-time while working, as financially independent. I will graduate in July, just a few months before turning 28, and continue studying at post-graduate level. You’ll be fine! Good luck 💌
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u/prophetiamortis 1d ago
I've just started mine at 28 - planning on full-time if possible, and continuing to a masters and PhD. By the time I finish all that I'll be 36, giving me at least a 30-year career - graduating at 28 is definitely not too late!
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u/HomocidalBunny 1d ago
im also graduating at 28, started last year at 24 (foundation degree).
gna be 28 anyway so might as well do it. im grateful im still in my 20s and not put it off any longer.
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u/Best-Tackle-5306 21h ago
28 too old to graduate??? I started my degree last October. I am now 62. If I can pass everything within 3 years I will be 65 when I graduate. Sheesh, perhaps I should just quit now....
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u/stargasingintovoid 1d ago
Hi! I’m in the same boat! started just before my 23rd birthday, turning 25 this year and about to start stage two in October, albeit on full-time basis for this stage thanks to flexible employment.
My journey with the OU has been nothing short of opening so many doors for me and I’m planning on going all the way with my postgrad studies and potentially a second bachelors at some point.
It’s never too late to start, and like others have said in this thread, if you start now you’ll be 28 with a degree if you don’t you’ll be 28.
Just a note on the job prospects, this might not apply to all fields (I’m in engineering) and seem a bit harsh; but a degree doesn’t mean that you’re qualified to do the job, at least not in today’s market. Having transferable skills does. A degree won’t mean that someone will give you a job post graduation and where online learners can have an edge to this is seeking employment with transferable skills while studying.
With engineering as an example I started at the bottom of the food chain a while before starting my degree doing menial CAD work, which then helped me get an edge in the industry that I am interested in with pre-agreed step ups along my degree pathway. For yourself this could be tutoring on the side or translation or even a public service post
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u/blessedbythepotter 1d ago
I’ll be graduating at 33 . Better late than never 🤷♀️ only doing it to get a PGCE for a stable job to support my kid and have some holiday time off with her
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u/sailorpepsi 1d ago
I’m giving OU a go at age 27, eight years after I dropped out of traditional university in the first year. Got sick to my back teeth with hospitality and decided to make a complete pivot into business and law! You’re never too old to achieve anything!!
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u/Aromatic_Proof8420 1d ago
I’m kind of in the same situation as you, just some years younger. I want to get out of hospitality, or at least work in a department where I don’t have to deal with clients directly
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u/Battlingmybrain1 19h ago
I started my degree this year and I’m doing it part time so just finished my first year out of 6 and I’m soon to be 30 so as long as I don’t have any breaks etc, I’ll be 35 when I finish 🤷🏻♀️ never too old to learn!
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u/willthevoidanswer 8h ago
Hi there! I'm just coming up to the end of my degree now at 28. Depending on when my graduation will be planned I may be 29 by the time I graduate. The years will pass all the same so you could be 28 or 28 with a degree as someone else said here.
Sometimes I feel like I'm behind but there's no set schedule for life everyone lives at different speeds and that's ok. Go for it! Get the degree and in 6 years you'll be so proud of yourself you'll wonder why you ever questioned it
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u/Iulius96 1d ago
If you do the degree, you’ll be 28 with a degree. If you don’t do the degree, you’ll be 28.