4 minute read
Mei'd For Law
from Obiter | Issue Three
As a female mature aged law student, I can say that returning or entering the life of education at the age of 37, I started from the bottom, where I successfully completed my Certificate IV in Legal Services and then proceeded to complete the Diploma of Justice. Moving forward I am now a 2nd year Law student doing my Bachelor of Laws at Victoria University.
Advertisement
While the typical law school student is between the ages of 23 and 26, there are many mature aged students who are over the age of 30 that are returning to school. I have found that many of the programs or courses offered, have a fairly flexible schedule that accommodates older students, they have welcomed older students and are allowing more and more mature aged people like myself to pursue a law degree, and although the reasons for seeking a legal education differ, the general view is that education isn ’t just for kids!
Growing up as an Islander girl, who is the eldest in the family, I was taught that my number one priority was to take care of the family, which meant working for an income, as education is not important. When I finished high school all I did was work, in which I gained valuable skills that I use in everyday life. I then became a wife and a mother. While reminiscing into my childhood, I started to remember a saying that I heard at one of our church services which stuck with me, “ not to be pushed around by the fears in your mind, but to be led by the dreams in your heart” .
t’ s a lesson that’ s guided me ever since and it’ s the reason why I decided to finally pursue my Law degree as a mature aged student. Yes, I went backwards, as in, raising a family first, and with the support and encouragement of my family, I pursued my education, which has also started the pathway to reaching my long-life dreams and goals, to working within the Law & Justice environment.
There are some challenges when to going back to school and getting used to being on the learning end of the stick can be difficult to adjust to. One of my lecturers, who taught Family Law, believed that older students enhance class discussions and that they bring a perspective and maturity, that helps deal with conflicts and problems, including life experiences. Things that should be carefully considered and weighed before committing to a law degree schedule are money, time, family, and capability, as we still need to be there for our families and other commitments, while also being fully committed to the program or schedule. A hurdle that older student' s also face is readjusting to the rigors of school, which can take time to get into the swing of things. I wasn 't used to studying anymore and I had to discipline myself again and with Covid also playing a part with the changes in our learning pathways (from face-to-face learning to home-online learning) was a challenge. It was a struggle at first, especially with having to readjust to the new way of life, which included having the kids at home doing their remote learning too, but with time, I found that I was able to develop an effective studying strategy, with a good time management structure, and by finding the flow that I needed, helped me get into the habit of not only learning but online learning. So, regardless if you are 20 or 70 years old, law school can be a successful, rewarding experience. I still have two years to go in my journey and I look forward to when I finish, and I may even be back to provide a success story or update to this walk or path in my life. I wanted to share the start of my journey and to encourage our mature aged fellow members, who are hoping to pursue this path but are hesitant, my advice is ‘If you really want to do something, don 't ever make age an excuse not to pursue your dreams, just go for it and be willing to put in the hours of study, and to always believe in yourself!’ YOU CAN DO IT!
