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Against All Odds.
Submitted by: S
EnglandI am a 38-year-old male who is shooting for his dreams and life purpose. Even if that means at the grand age of 37, starting all over again and going back to university to fulfill a lifelong childhood dream to follow my passion.
I am a 37-year-old male who has found the courage to start over again and follow my childhood dreams.
A long time ago when I was a teenager, I wanted to be a Mechanical Engineer to work with cars in motorsport, Formula One, or road cars. I was well on my way to successfully securing placements and I gained a place at my dream university. However, when I got my A-Level results my family encouraged me to pursue an alternative path, even though I didn’t want to. They kept discouraging me from shooting for my dreams, even though I had accomplished far more than any aspiring 18-year-old Formula One Engineer.
Those things kept niggling at me and eventually made me doubt myself about choosing the right path. So at 19, I changed my career to Maths. I was good at Maths but I didn’t love it. I stuck with it and graduated with a 2:1 degree in Mathematics with Management from a very well known and prestigious university in England.
You would think that I would be set, right? I secured a graduate role within an FTSE 100 company as a trainee actuary. I chose to be an actuary for the money, and so I could buy my dream car. I enjoyed a few probability and statistics courses at university. But in my heart, I wished I had been a Mechanical Engineer working in F1, motorsport, or the automotive industry. I pushed these thoughts to the back of my mind and tried to forget about them.
For the first few years, I was happy with my new job. I was passing actuary exams and having to work very hard to pass them. I was enjoying pay rises and I enjoyed working with the people in my workplace.
Then around 2 years later when I was 25 years, I had a bit of a crisis thinking about what I was doing with my life? I really want to be an engineer working with cars. I tried to park these thoughts and forget about them. I then focused on my next actuary exam which was very difficult. I managed to pass it and was enjoying life.
Fast forward a few years later. I was working for another company that I didn’t like. My original aim was to work there for 2 years and save money, then apply for university. As circumstances happened, I left slightly under 2 years later and then applied for university. I got rejected twice from my dream university. I was using The Secret and trying to imagine being there.
Now, most people would give up, right? In hindsight, I am glad I got rejected as it made me realize how much I wanted it and I work harder. I applied for the third time. I tweaked my application and made it better. This time I bought The Secret book to accompany The Secret movie, and also the audiobook.
I read a little bit each day. I wrote a small note to myself saying how thankful and grateful I was for achieving a place at this university. Thankful that I was getting to fulfill a childhood dream of being a Mechanical Engineer at one of the best universities in the world for Mechanical Engineering. Grateful that I was going to be living my dream, working in motorsport or automotive.
I sent my application in November and didn’t hear back from them for a few months. Then one day I sold my car. That very same day I got an email from the university saying they wanted to invite me for an interview. I was so happy.
I set about preparing for the interview as much as I could. The interview was hard. It was like being torn apart by Jeremy Paxman. Every time I got asked a question I would answer it but was always interrupted partway through my answer and then asked another question. This happened several times. I kept going with the interview to the end. After it was over, I thought there no way I got in. I couldn’t feel any warmth or rapport with the interviewer.
Three months later I received an unconditional offer from the university. I was absolutely overjoyed and so happy! I had finally achieved an offer and worked very hard to do it and despite the rejections, I came back stronger.
I finally get to follow my childhood dream, living my life purpose and life mission. I get to go to my dream university and do well in my favorite course. What I had wished when I was 18 had arrived!
I want to give hope to any mature students out there. It isn’t too late to follow your dream. You can do it. If you get rejections, come back to the huddle and come back stronger. Keep positive. The Secret really does work.
I am so very grateful and feel very blessed and I want to say a big massive thank you to God, The Secret, The Universe, the interviewer, the admission tutors, Jack Canfield, my dad, and everyone who supported me in my journey and believed in me. I am the oldest student in my course but I am going back to fulfill my childhood dream. I am so grateful, blessed, and happy. Thank you again to God, the Universe, The Secret, the interviewer, and the admission tutors.
It is not too late. You can do it.