My name is Louis Papagavriel I am 32, studying the BA Hons Early Years and this is my story.

I decided to return to education not long after my 30th birthday. This was after a spell of major mental health issues causing me to be unable to work.

I did a lot of extensive research and reflected on my strengths and weaknesses when looking for new careers to pursue and decided that I wanted to become a primary school teacher.  I attended the college when I was 17 so I decided to look up what adult courses they offered, discovered Access courses and was able to find out that they clearly fitted into my career goal as the college offered an Access to Teaching course. 

Whilst studying the Access course, we were visited by students on the Early Years Education degree at the college and from what they told us about the course I decided this was the course I wanted to progress on to after I finished my Access course. Since starting the course, I have also visited this year's Access course to inform them about my current course.

The course covers many interesting subjects and has developed my knowledge of Early Years education. The course tutor is also very passionate about the subject which makes some of the more, less exciting subjects more interesting. Also, being in a class of likeminded people and being able to share our experiences and passion for the subject is amazing.

Having a young child who is also having to be home-schooled and trying to complete assignments has been difficult during lockdown but luckily the university has been very accommodating and given me extra time to complete tasks and assignments. Also, an important part of the course is having a placement in local schools. However, due to the pandemic this has not been possible. We have however, been making videos from home for children to watch.

The advice I would give to anyone who is looking to go into higher education is that if you have the drive and determination to change your career or to advance in your current career, then go for it. You are never too old to achieve your dreams, it might just take some hard work, but anyone can make it. 

To learn more about the university centre, visit: www.southessex.ac.uk/events 
 

Hello, I'm Helen Barker, aged 26, studying an undergraduate degree in Early Years Education at University Centre South Essex and this is my story.

I decided to go back to education because I felt stuck in the job I was in. I didn't complete A- levels and I wasn't sure what I could do career wise and studying seemed the best option to open up other opportunities. I decided to do the Social Studies Access course as it was the most broad and I thought it would give me the best chance to identify an area of most interest, which it did, as I am now doing Early Years Education. 

I found the information for the Access course through the South Essex College website and it was really easy to apply and get information on funding for the access course. For my undergraduate degree, one of my tutors on the Access course suggested the Early Years Degree to me, based on conversations we'd had over the year and their awareness of my interests in the assignments. Part of the access course was to complete a personal statement and application through UCAS, which was really helpful for my writing skills. 

I'm really enjoying early years education as the topics are interesting and quite broad. We've looked at the physical and mental developmental stages and each year has been more in-depth, looking at these from a sociological and psychological perspective, parents perspective, and in a teaching context. The course has opened my eyes to how many paths there are in life to take and how we can help children to navigate those paths as they grow up. 

One of my initial concerns was that the only career path this Early Years Education degree would take me towards was a teacher. That’s not been true at all. Each assignment introduces me to a new aspect to child development and because of this, I am aiming to complete a masters in psychology to work towards becoming an educational psychologist. 

Studying during lockdown has been difficult, certainly in terms of finding the motivation. I believe that I've been lucky to be studying at such a time, where jobs are in trouble. Being able to study has kept my mind fresh. It's helped me to develop a better routine and taking accountability in my decisions. The hardest part has been not being able to see classmates and tutors face to face, I really miss the discussion that we would have in class. Yet we've adapted really well to working online, which is a silver lining. 

I would like to tell those who are considering going back to education, especially if they have been out of it for some time, to not let fear or uncertainty get in the way. It's been one of the best decisions I've made for myself. Studying is very hard but I wouldn't change a thing about my journey so far, from crying over my first essay for the Access course to now writing my dissertation in my final year, I know I've improved. I'm so proud of myself for doing it and that confidence has flowed into other areas of my life as well. 
 

My name is Jess Fleming, I am 26 years old and I studied Early Years Education at University Centre South Essex from October 2018 until May 2021 and this is my story.

I have just finished my Early Years Education Degree and I am moving on start my PGCE in Further Education in September. My overall aim is to gain a 2:2 in Early Years but obviously part of me is hoping for that 2:1.

I have a level 3 diploma in Childcare and Education that I achieved through an apprenticeship in 2013 after dropping out of college due to a poor experience. I worked in Nurseries and also as a Ride Host at Adventure island. In 2015 I gave birth to my little girl who has just turned 6 and I wanted to do something in my career for the long-term and I’ve always wanted to teach. 

It wasn’t so much I chose the University Centre South Essex but that it chose me if that makes any sense? University was not in my plan and was not even a consideration. I spoke to South Essex College about careers advice on what I can do with my current level 3 qualification and they invited me in to speak to the lead of the Early Years programme to see if they had any insight. After speaking with Maria Cruickshank about where I wanted to go in life and her suggesting this course, I felt ready to jump into the deep end and get my degree. 

There are many opportunities that are available for both personal and professional growth. During this course I have been a student rep, a uni-buddy and spoke to students from other courses to share experiences and knowledge. Also, with the CPD courses we have done alongside the degree, I have had a career change while studying and went from ride-host to security guard which is an amazing experience in itself. 

Being in higher education gives you the motivation to work hard to achieve what you set out to do. It helps you time manage, but the best thing is self-confidence. ‘Knowing your stuff’, seeing how much you have grown and developed over the time period and having the confidence to have an opinion and know your worth.
 
In my first year I was diagnosed as dyslexic and with dyspraxia. It was overwhelming but the university has supported me not only academically but emotionally too. It has not been an easy three years outside of my studies but they were still there to support and guide me in any way possible. You can ask for help and they will find every possible way they are able to support, even if it’s just to listen. 

As a student that is also a parent, the university centre have been great when it has come to child care and would never mind if I had to leave to pick the children up or look after them if they were ill. My daughter adored my lecturers and when we were online would often sit next to me on her tablet and she would wave and it was nice not to feel like a burden. 

Some people may be put off by the University Centre South Essex being a small centre but in fact I believe that it is their biggest asset. By having smaller classes then some larger traditional universities it makes it a much more personal leaning experience. You feel noticed and recognised, where as you may get lost in the large crowds of students elsewhere. They make you feel as though you matter, and you are important which in itself is a reason so many push through the tougher parts of studying in order to have the end results.

The support you get is the best possible and they really get to understand you as a student, how you learn and how they can best support you. Not only that but they also help you in decisions after completing your degree and show you the many options are available and help you understand what they are and where you go. I think if I had studied anywhere else, I would have given up before I finished. 

There are so many things I have achieved, personally and also academically but my best moment was submitting my dissertation. Researching something I had keen interest in, gather the information and then create this document that was my work was an extremely proud moment and never in my life before did I think I would get to this moment. 

Originally, I wanted to teach primary education however within the last year of this course it has changed. Through the opportunities I have been given within the University Centre I have realised that I have a real passion for supporting older students so have decided to change my teacher training to one that is specific to Further Education. I plan to stay within F.E for a couple of years and learn, experience, and take opportunities within that before completing my Masters degree and moving forward to teach Higher Education. You could say I plan to do a full circle which is strange for a girl who four years ago never thought she would go back in education, who was shy and who thought very little of her own self-worth. I am now a woman who is confident, who can fight for what she wants and has a passion for knowledge and students.

For more information on the Early Years programme, visit: www.southessex.ac.uk/course/early-years-education-ba-hons

My name is Leah Horton, I am 21 years old, I studied Early Years Education at University Centre South Essex from 2020 until 2023 and this is my story.

Before starting at UCSE, I had just dropped out of Winchester University after a short period of time, as I felt homesick and was unsure of the course. I was then accepted into UCSE at the very last minute and have been grateful for having this opportunity. I chose to study at South Essex College as I was able to commute from home. When looking at the course, it was suited to the career I originally wanted to do, whilst also having brilliant reviews. 

My time at UCSE prepared me for the workplace as it made me understand that to achieve and succeed in life, you have to work hard for it. The best thing about doing higher education is the rewarding feeling you get once you have completed everything at the best standard you possibly could have. I have gained lots of confidence during my time at the university, whilst also gaining organisation skills, both in which I will use in the workplace. 

My favourite memory of being at the university is when my friends and I would walk down to the beach at lunchtime and eat the donuts! After finishing my degree, I applied for many jobs, and participated in online courses to ensure I got a job in the industry I wished to work in. I have been lucky enough to have been given a job in a Lloyd’s Syndicate in the City, at my dream company, Munich Re.

My official title will be a Claims Delegated Authority Assistant, where I will be assisting the claims team in various tasks including the day-to-day admin. I have had no experience in this industry, however, I was proactive in searching for jobs and completing free courses to gain a better understanding of the industry. 

My tutor at UCSE, Maria helped me to achieve the grades I have achieved in all of my assignments, whilst also helping me to understand what it was that I actually wanted to do as a career, and for that, I couldn’t recommend UCSE enough. Maria helped me grow as a person and gain lots of confidence. My time at the university helped me gain confidence and persistence. With my greatest achievement being achieving a 2:1 in my dissertation. 
I

n the future, I hope to progress through insurance and to gain my CII certification.
 

Lisa D’Auria, Owner of Rocking Horse Childcare (Mother) and Amy Cassen, Manager of Rocking Horse Childcare (Daughter).

My name is Lisa D’Auria, the Owner of Rocking Horse Childcare and my name is Amy Cassen, the Manager of Rocking Horse Childcare.

I chose to study at the college because my daughter, Amy had done her first year of university degree. After looking at her module, I thought that I could do that. I was unsure being a mature student, so I got in touch with Maria Cruikshank and spoke to her about the degree and then decided to give it a go.

It was close to where I lived at the time because I lived at home. I didn’t want to go away for university because I felt like I needed that extra support from home, and I had also been to the tour. I got to speak to the staff and the staff were so friendly.

I would highly recommend university. As a mature student, the support I was able to give other students. Knowledge and experiences I already had that maybe they hadn’t. There were also things they knew that I hadn’t, that combination was brilliant.

The tutors were everything there, Maria she was amazing. They made you think about why you’re doing it and that filtered down to the assignments. That carried on throughout my career, because that’s when I decided to do my PGCE and was successful in doing it. I understood my purpose. The tutors on my course were incredibly supportive.

I enjoyed the whole experience. Coming from early years for so many years and coming from different sectors within that, there was so much I missed and so much building-blocks there and I wanted the underpinning knowledge. That’s what I got from the course.

After I finished my degree, I left early years for a while and went into finance because we all know that the sector isn’t funded well. It was because I didn’t know directly what I wanted in early years at the time, so I had to take a step back and think about it. I didn’t last very long out of the sector, so I went straight back to it. I did my QTS in Teaching and that came from my Early Years degree because I loved the learning and development side, so I wanted to take that further. I did all of those, got into teaching and absolutely loved it, but I still have a passion for the early years side of it. In all honesty, that’s grown me as a person, because coming back to early years with all that knowledge has solidified my passion for it.

After I left the degree, I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go but maybe going into accessing. I had been a mentor for the students within the degree, and I liked that way of helping others. I looked into assessing for a while, but I loved being with the children. After going back into nursery, I then started up my own childcare business and Rocking Horse Childcare was born.

Now I’m managing our new setting at Rocking Horse Childcare, working alongside my Mum which is lovely. We took the decision from that we both always loved early years, that’s why I taught because of my Mum. She’s worked within that all her life, that’s all I’ve ever known, and it just worked out. The timing was right, and we wanted to do it together. We’ve both got ideas that we wanted to imbed. Where I said that university empowered us, we felt confident in putting these practises into place.

The early years needs a lot more support in recruiting staff. I love every aspect in being here at work. I love early years, I’m passionate about early years and I like helping little ones achieve. The slightest thing you see, a crawl, a first word, to threading to jumping, it’s all those things that you know that you’ve been part of that process for that child.

I highly recommend early years. Knowing that you have changed that child’s life. It doesn’t always seem like it, but you are. Everything you do in the way you talk to them and the way you’re supporting those families. The tiniest things can have a huge impact and you grow as a person, so I would highly recommend even just chatting to the tutors, just go.