While the teenage stars of Derry Girls want nothing more than to leave school and get on with their lives, Ma Mary (played by Tara Lynne O’Neill) shocked them all when instead of harbouring a guilty secret about an illicit affair, as they had thought, she was in fact attending night classes in English literature.
The permanently harassed mother, revealed that she had kept her academic pursuits quiet as she didn’t believe it possible that she could go back to school, claiming the mere idea of her attending university was impossible.
But a somewhat serious moment amid the laughs highlighted that it was more than feasible as husband Gerry (played by Tommy Tiernan) proudly supported her saying, ‘There’s nothing you can’t do, love — nothing’.
While there are no official figures for Northern Ireland, anecdotally it seems that returning to education in later life is something which is becoming increasingly popular.
Chris Love can attest to this as during the pandemic, he decided to further his academic qualifications and add an extra string to his bow.
“I had always thought about going back to university, but it was never more than a thought until the Covid-19 lockdown happened and then I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands,” he says.
“I wanted to put this spare time to good use, so I approached a lecturer I knew who thought I would be an ideal candidate for the course (an MSc in Communication and PR).
“Although I work in PR, I hadn’t entered through an undergraduate degree in communication and always felt I should learn more about the theory and models of communication to underpin the campaigns I work on.
“So, having decided to study for a full-time Masters, I applied through the official channels (at Ulster University) and once I had been accepted, applied for a student loan. I was lucky that, because of Covid-19, all the lectures were pre-recorded online and released weekly so I could watch them in my own time, Chris adds.
“I was working full-time and studying in the evening.
“I probably under-estimated just how much work was involved as it’s not just about lectures and seminars, but there is a lot of studying to do as well as reading and writing assignments and, of course, a mammoth dissertation in semester three to round off the course.
“But I was lucky that I could do it online as I don’t think I would have been able to attend lectures on campus as it would have interfered too much in my working day.”
Chartered PR consultant Chris Love took the plunge and became a mature student
The 41-year-old began his course in September 2020 and said although he did feel anxious about the decision, which he admits to signing up to ‘on a whim’, as soon as he got stuck in, he really began to enjoy it.
“I did feel really nervous initially, but there was a week or two of brilliant inductions, learning how to access e-books from the library, how to submit coursework and information on how to write in an academic style,” he says.
“It was a bit daunting as a lot of the people on the course had just graduated with an undergraduate degree and transferred straight into the master’s course, whereas I and a few others had chosen to go back to university later in life. It was also strange not meeting fellow students in person at any time throughout the year.
“But we created a WhatsApp group which was brilliant for discussing upcoming assignment deadlines and any pressures anyone was feeling.
“I also signed up to be one of two course reps at the university.
“This involved regular meetings with the course director and lecturers to relay feedback from the students to the teaching staff. So, I have to say that I did embrace all the opportunities available during my student year as I wanted to get involved as much as I could, albeit remotely.”
The Belfast man began his MSc in Communications and PR in September 2020 and finished when he handed in his dissertation just over a year later.
While it was challenging to juggle both work and study, he has no regrets and is delighted that he was successful in his quest to return to education.
“I really enjoyed the learning and loved being able to do it in my own time,” he says.
“And because the lectures were released weekly and followed up with a seminar, it gave me a deadline each week to stick to.
“Also, as I much prefer a physical book to an e-book, the university was brilliant in facilitating the ordering of library books online to be picked-up and dropped-off at any campus when it wasn’t possible to browse the library in person.
“However, I did find the dissertation quite intense. Based on the communication strategies of domestic and sexual abuse organisations during the Covid-19 pandemic, I needed to interview at least eight organisations and I found it difficult to convince people to take part.
“Firstly, because it was hard to reach individuals because they were off sick or working from home during the pandemic and their offices were effectively closed, and secondly, these organisations are generally charities who are resource poor and couldn’t facilitate an interview because they just didn’t have the staff or time to commit to it.
“But I am well connected in the PR industry due to my work over the past two decades with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and I was able to reach out to my network and ask for help with introductions to people in these organisations,” Chris adds.
“And I have to say I was blown away by the amount of support I received. I ended up interviewing people from organisations in Glasgow to London and from Dublin, Cork and Belfast to give a good representation of the sector across the UK and Ireland.”
The Chartered PR Consultant says no-one should feel that age is a barrier when it comes to chasing a dream and while undertaking a masters is no mean feat, it is hugely rewarding.
“I do believe that you’re never too old to try your hand at anything,” he says.
“I really loved studying again and got involved in every aspect of university life that I could, given the restricted circumstances of Covid-19.
“I received a prize from the university for coming top of the year, along with another prize for one of the campaigns I created and got an overall distinction for the entire course.
“So I am really proud of myself and actually underestimated just how much I would enjoy the experience.
“But it is a mammoth task to study for a masters in one year whilst also working full-time and I’m not sure I could have achieved the same result if Covid wasn’t present.
“My advice to someone who is thinking about signing up to study, would be to remember that there are a lot of hours needed to devote to reading and writing.
“However, despite all of that, I really loved it and am contemplating a PhD — I think I’ve found the studying bug and I’m surprised just how much I enjoyed it.”
Former Belfast Telegraph journalist Donna Deeney also went back to education, but her experience took place over two decades ago when her youngest child had started school.
The mother-of-four had initially undertaken an Access Course at Limavady College as ‘just something to do’. But she got on so well, that she decided to carry on and study journalism.
“I made the decision when my daughter Meabh started primary school, but I didn’t have a long-term plan,” she says.
“However, my English tutor really pushed me to continue with my studies, so I applied to do journalism at the North West College.
“I had attended an Ulster University Open day but the age of all the young people there put me off, so the journalism course felt less intimidating — and it was.”
Former Belfast Telegraph journalist Donna Deeney says she took to further education like a duck to water
Donna adds: “I took to it like a duck to water as I had previously worked as a hairdresser, so chatting to people and having a wide range of contacts served me well.”
The 58-year-old who lives in Derry, says while she can see why some people may feel unsure about taking the first step into becoming a mature student, the end result is worth all the effort.
“I understand why someone would feel nervous about going back into education,” she says. “I juggled taking care of my family and working part time in hairdressing with my study, but the sense of achievement when I graduated and seeing how proud my husband and children were of me was well worth it.”
