Where has all the time gone?

Where did the academic year go? Gone in a flash!

For some it has been that first journey of discovery: new digs, new friends and a new way of learning. For others it was about consolidating all those things in a second year of study. But it is that final year that is both intimidating and exhilarating as you hurtle towards the finishing line.

Having just completed my Professional Chef FdA programme I suppose I am in the latter camp… waiting for my results, unsure of what the future is going to hold, not quite knowing if I will go on to further study or if the perfect job is waiting for me round the corner. I have applied for a few things here and there and none have just hit the target.

Perhaps the most unsettling thing is the prospect of leaving University College Birmingham. It does kind of get under your skin as our outgoing Student Guild president Alice said to me this week. She has been here since 2015 and even if she does go elsewhere to work for a few years, she has vowed to be back, so watch this space! In fact many of our lecturers were students at University College Birmingham, which makes it seem more like an extended family than a university, and that is probably why you never quite leave, regardless of what you might think.

So, results willing, I am looking at top-up degrees for courses such as Culinary Arts Management or Food and Nutrition which could then lead onto something in dietetics. But I also fancy Business Enterprise which would complement my business degree and my start-up company. That’s the beauty of a foundation degree. It is quite flexible and gives you lots of options.

Then again, I might do something completely different. Having helped out at nursing interviews as a pretend patient (yes, you get paid for lying in bed!) it has opened my eyes to opportunities in the health sector. Moreover, even if you have a degree already, you can still get funding for a nursing degree plus, in some cases, a £5,000 p.a. NHS incentive.

The next few weeks will be decisive and no doubt take me in another new direction which is both exciting and nerve-wracking. However, I hope I will still be around to tell you about it.

Photo: Dreamstime