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future studies -advice needed
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Message 1.Â
Posted by Bractondefeated (U3173859) on Thursday, 26th August 2010
I need some advice and where better to get it?
I plan to embark on further study (purely for fun, as being the same age as TA its a bit late for career advancement and the options are:
a)A level in Maths (having passed Maths O level when Noah were a lad and not touched the subject since so it would stretch the brain!)
b) a PhD in a subject in which I'm professionally involved
c) An MA in something I'm merely fascinated by - namely Theology.
Note - and this is not boasting, just giving background - I have a Bachelors and a Masters in law so the level of qualification is not really significant (though I rather fancy being Dr Bracton and beating OH to a PhD)
Any thorts, campers?
Bracton -
Message 2
Posted by Grey Wagtail (U2236881) on Thursday, 26th August 2010
Given those options, I would do the MA in something that fascinated me. (I once a long time ago did a degree in theology just because it fascinated me.)
But in fact - I've just enrolled in adult evening classes in a language that is far outside my previous language learning experience. I'm not looking for a qualification - just want to stretch myself a bit. -
Message 3
Posted by Sunny Clouds (U14258963) on Thursday, 26th August 2010
If it's for fun, go for the Theology. I base that on your having said you're fascinated by it, whereas you didn't suggest that the other subjects did that for you.
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Message 4
Posted by Bractondefeated (U3173859) on Thursday, 26th August 2010
Thanks you two! Yes, I must admit I was veering towards option 3. The Maths would be something totally new and brain stretching but perhaps if I leave that in reserve for years to come. The PhD would be an enormous achievement but would I really enjoy the slog? Whereas option 3 would be pure fun!
I shall mull this over and Harris, Rhum and Eigg it.
(Gets coat)
Bracton -
Message 5
Posted by Kris massblues (U14058894) on Thursday, 26th August 2010
OOh Bracton,
just to play devil's advocate (well not really because i do mean what i'm going to say)..
The maths A level? I'm currently attempting to pass a pharmacy exam that was, initially, so far out of my mathematical acumen ('O' level standard, got last century)that I thougt i would never pass it!
Erm, have failed it twice now but i am soooo close, and the difficulty of the task has made it all the more rewarding. I will pass it next time, and i will actually be quite proud of myself when i do because i have struggled but studied hard and not given up.
Also, i want a Phd..DR Kris, haha i so need that. So that is something to be considered. I know it's only a tiltle but it is a fun one isn't it? And a real achievemnet too.
Hhave fun with whatever you choose to do
kris -
Message 6
Posted by Redbookish (U1335018) on Thursday, 26th August 2010
Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:29 GMT, in reply to Bracton
A PhD is really really hard work -- mentally & physically. If you are contemplating doing it part-time, you had better be *very* sure you can stay the course and keepup the pace. IT really is not a trivial thing like an MA which has course work, and can be done in chunks. You need to be very very passioate about the research, want to do the research for purely it's own sake, amd map out the next 3 ears (full-time) or 6 years (part-time) very clearly and determinedly.
I'd do the Maths A level (although I already have one that I did at 16, I'd like to do it again with full adult understanding. BUt actually, I'd do a languages degree course in German (to get really fluent) and French and ITalian. -
Message 7
Posted by dunlurkin US (U2222436) on Thursday, 26th August 2010
What an interesting thread. My own first instinct was the Maths A level, even though (like Redbookish FB) I've already got one almost 30 years old! Actually, I've often thought I'd like to do some "new but understandable" maths - which unfortunately for me would probably mean a BSc - and I don't think I have either the time or brainpower nowadays.
For me the reason for my choice is the subject matter. I like knowing whether an answer is right or wrong. I am not into subjective discussions, although your alternatives sound as if you don't mind essays etc. As Redbookish also said, it would be nice to do maths again with adult understanding as well. There is something soooo satisfying about solving a problem and having the answer drop out at the bottom of the page. Hmmm - got me thinking now.
Have also done languages as an adult (actually got my best O/GCSE result of all in Italian at night school) and enjoy them but really find the speaking element difficult. Can read/write/understand but not speak. Very frustrating.
DL -
Message 8
Posted by Kris massblues (U14058894) on Thursday, 26th August 2010
It seems to me as though Bracton is not only well qualified, but has the mental stamina to do a Phd..
..but it doesn't have to be ALL hard work, it's shouldn't be anything more than something that will make you feel as though you have achieved something that you have had to try for.
There are no prizes for making hard work of anything in life. Nothing is trivial if you are passionate about it, and likewise you are not an inferior being if you feel comfortable floating through life. -
Message 9
Posted by tillytrolly (U8311312) on Friday, 27th August 2010
Hello Braccers,
I take it you're certain that you do want a formal qualification from all this ? (ie you need to have a goal ?)
The reason I'm asking is that, as you know, I've had a lot of time on my hands over the past few years but I haven't had the energy to "really go" for something like a PhD etc etc. As well as pursuing Stuff I've always been interested in, I've found a great deal of satisfaction in simply ploughing into things that don't hold an obvious attraction....sometimes, it feels as though I've been wasting my time completely & it's like eating wet cardboard, but this has been more than compensated for by the many, many, times I've been led up & down various garden paths by footnotes or references or goodness knows what...into interests I never knew existed. Sometimes there's a fascination which is intense but relatively short lived....like a book you read which totally absorbs & stuns you, but you don't necessarily wish to read again.
When I was a teenager, I used to go the library &, beforehand, I'd have thrown a dice with a system that worked out one of the books I'd take out & make myself read.....I don't know...fourth bookcase on the right, second shelf, third book from the left etc (always been several sheets to the wind)....& I'm glad I did it. I'd never, ever have appreciated some of the things I do now if I hadn't (like spending time reading about something you're really interested in....)
Anyway, glad to hear you're cutting back on the nightclubs a bit.... -
Message 10
Posted by Dame_Celia_ Molestrangler (U14257909) on Friday, 27th August 2010
Oh, tilly, I sometimes do something similar.
I say to myself "14th book on the shelf". 14 is one of my favourite numbers along with 4 and 8. But my birthday falls on the 14 and I think it's a satisfying number. But the main thing is the randomness of finding something new that you wouldn't normally go for.
I'm doing the social sciences foundation course with the OU this year. Not very stretching, but I think next year it will be child development. The reviews by other students are very good.
Strangely, though, before deciding to do child development, I also considered doing some maths - also just for the challenge. I wasn't that great at maths and needed some extra tuition to understand some elements that the teacher hadn't explained well enough to me.
Basically, I think no study is wasted. I'd probably start on something lower and then go on to something higher. I did a master's with the OU in Eng. Lit. - took three years. That was quite enough study in one week (about 20 hours). I can't imagine doing a PhD. It'd be nice to be a Dr. but I don't think I want to work that hard. I've read the PhD thread here and heard about the amount of hair-tearing that happens.... noooooo. Not for me.
But I am a bit like Bearhug in that I need some study to keep life interesting. If you're not learning something new all the time, why bother living is my view. Doesn't have to be an academic thing - could be knitting, swimming, or how to make a souffle. -
Message 11
Posted by Dragonfly (U2223700) on Friday, 27th August 2010
Bracton, I have no recommendations, but would just say something to think about re the MA would be the government's ELQ policy. In most universities this has caused a big price hike for students who want to study for a qualification equivalent to or lower than one they already have, because the universities don't get the government subsidy for them any more.
What about an OU maths module or two? -
Message 12
Posted by tillytrolly (U8311312) on Friday, 27th August 2010
What I found interesting was that this was a chance to find out if I was interested in/had an aptitude for things I hadn't considered before.
It's probably different for younger women, but I belong to that generation (or maybe it was just my school) where science/maths at school was taught by an all male staff &, out of a sixth form of around 60 or 70, only 2 or 3 girls took any science/maths A Levels. But I'm not just talking about that....there's so much Stuff out there....
There have been no great revelations & I don't think my main interests in life have changed....but there have been lots of very interesting spin offs & windy routes I'd never have taken.....like getting off the motorway & learning about villages you might love or hate, but feeling you have been getting a taster of new things.
The physically lazy person's equivalent of trying to get a great one night stand -
Message 13
Posted by Bearhug (U2258283) on Friday, 27th August 2010
How much time do you have? It's not clear if you're still working. The one person I know who did a P-T PhD nearly went insane, as it was was almost as time-consuming as doing it F-T. Also, it is a very big commitment - even F-T, it's 3-4 years, and you need to have a real passion in the subject to get through that, and the impression I get from your OP is that you don't have a particular passion for it, it's just something to pass the time, so it wouldn't be a sensible option - just being called Dr Bracton isn't enough reason to embark on one.
Having done a masters degree, I don't think I'd want to do that P-T, either, but if you enrolled for one, then you would only have to commit a year if you did it F-T.
I have done OU before, and just one 60-point course together with a full-time job and on-call - it didn't leave much time for socialising or anything.
For GCSEs and AS/A-levels, you should be able to find syllabuses and past-papers online at AQA and EdExcel's websites, and they would give you an idea of what standard you are currently at. However, if you went for that option, the exact syllabus would depend on what's offered by whoever is offering the course, and which board/options they go for. Also, I am not sure you can just do A-level these days - you have to do AS first, as that counts towards the final marks.
These days, I usually do evening classes, because they are cheaper and more social than OU. But they're also less intense - if I wanted to go to a higher level, then I probably would need to consider OU. Also, I enjoy learning languages, which are easily available at evening classes round here - other subjects may be less so. But it does get me meeting other people every week, and the time commitment fits in with work, on-call, housework and going away some weekends, and it gives my brain something else to think about (so I wouldn't choose a subject directly related to work for that reason - for me, it's about getting balance in my mental life, as much as anything else.)
It's a good time of year to be checking out evening class options, anyway, as most of them are busy recruiting for courses starting September.
I think you need to work out how much time you can spend on it, (and money, though I'm assuming that if you can consider a PhD or MA, that's not such a factor,) and what you want to get out of it - like I said, the social side is important to me, which is partly why evening classes appeal, but it might not be for you. -
Message 14
Posted by tillytrolly (U8311312) on Friday, 27th August 2010
The thing about the PhD that struck me was that, if you're not sure whether you want to do it, then you probably don't feel passionately enough about the subject.
My Maths knowledge is the same as Bracton's (O Level in the dim, dark, past) & I'd be rather scared of plunging straight into A Level (but that's probably me).....I'm sure I'd need to do a bit of limbering up at a lower level first. Not that that would matter or put me off -
Message 15
Posted by Elnora Cornstalk (U5646495) on Friday, 27th August 2010
Well, I'd go for (C) the Theology.
Taking a part-time MA isn't an easy option (starting in on an essay after finishing an evening's preparation for the day-work takes energy), but having the fire of something new is wonderful motivation.
You're fascinated by it already, and having the structures and the discipline will help focus, enrich and deepen that interest. From your op, I can't see the professional PhD (even with the spark of competition with the OH) giving you the same boost.
The Theology would also 'last' you through into retirement, giving you more and more 'returns' and routes to follow, in a way the 'Dr' tag seems unlikely to offer at this stage. True treasure. -
Message 16
Posted by Letty (U11612567) on Friday, 27th August 2010
I would do the MA in something you are fascinated in. It could always lead to a PhD later.
I miss the freedom of my masters - to study a range of topics, at various levels of depths depending on what was thrilling at the time. Fascinating, but also frustrating. Master If I could, I think I could quite happily spend a lifetime collecting masters degrees.
Just speaking for myself, I really fancy getting Further Maths Alevel. Frustratingly, I think the system has changed from when I took my Alevels, so I would have to retake the maths Alevel itself in order to be able to do Further Maths. -
Message 17
Posted by Dragonfly (U2223700) on Saturday, 28th August 2010
Mmm - at the risk of repeating myself, Bracton needs to look very carefully at the cost of doing a Masters if she already has one. Some places are charging double the standard fee to ELQ students. That's a lot to pay for what is essentially a hobby!
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Message 18
Posted by Bractondefeated (U3173859) on Sunday, 29th August 2010
Thank you so much, everyone - really helpful comments and food for thought.
Re particular comments - yes, I do work full time but mostly in academia and I'd be able to get some time allocation in my working week (ie fewer classes to teach) for the PhD, which is work related.
Cost - hope this doesnt sound too much like JD, but cost isnt a factor.
The PhD topic I'd study is a very live issue but yes, it would take a huge amount of time.
I appreciate all the support for the maths, but thinking about it, I might leave that till I've retired completely and my brain has aged a bit more.
Bracton -
Message 19
Posted by tillytrolly (U8311312) on Sunday, 29th August 2010
Bracton.......sure you wouldn't like to buy one of my kidneys instead ?
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