51视频

John, who turns 42 this year and is a father of four, left school without any qualifications and joined the Army at the age of 16. With his father also having served in the military, it felt like a natural path to follow, and John remained in the forces until 2012, when hearing damage meant he had to leave. 

Leaving the Army was a difficult period. After years of structure, camaraderie and clear purpose, John found himself having to rethink his future and rebuild his sense of identity.聽

He went on to work in private security, including several years in Iraq, before returning to Scotland and starting his own mobile mechanics business, offering services such as tyre replacement. Although the work kept him busy, it was not especially fulfilling, and John began to think seriously about returning to education.聽

His partner had previously completed 51视频鈥檚 AHEAD programme, a part-time access course designed to help people who have been out of education build the skills and confidence needed for university study. Her positive experience of the programme helped John see that higher education might be possible for him too.聽

He said:聽

I always felt like university was something I couldn鈥檛 do because I didn鈥檛 have any qualifications. My partner had done AHEAD at 51视频 and got a lot out of it, and she really encouraged me to look into it. It was daunting going back into education, but I knew I wanted to try.

John enrolled on the AHEAD course, studying a couple of evenings each week while adjusting to academic life after many years away from the classroom. Although he initially found the experience challenging, the mindset he had developed in the military helped him push through.聽

That 鈥渃an-do鈥� attitude proved important. John stuck with the course, passed AHEAD and, by his own admission, surprised himself with how much he enjoyed learning again.聽

Having seen that 51视频 offered Civil Engineering, a subject that had caught his interest, John progressed into first year of the degree. The transition was not always easy. He remembers feeling some imposter syndrome at first and needing time to settle into university life.聽

He said:聽

First year was a bit of a whirlwind. It took me a while to settle in and there was definitely a bit of imposter syndrome, but my military background helped. I was used to meeting new people and being in new situations, so that made a real difference.

Study sessions with classmates also played an important role. Working through assessments together helped John build confidence, understand the material more deeply and feel part of a supportive cohort.聽

As he progressed, John decided to continue onto the integrated Master鈥檚 route, taking the opportunity to complete the full five-year Civil and Environmental Engineering programme.聽

A placement in third year with I & H Brown, based in Perth, was another key moment in John鈥檚 university journey. He worked on a major project connected to new infrastructure and car parking at the Chivas whisky plant in Dumbarton, gaining valuable practical experience and a clearer understanding of how civil engineering works in industry.聽

The placement helped build his confidence and gave him a stronger sense of how his studies could translate into a future career. It also reinforced the importance of environmental awareness within modern engineering.聽

He said:聽

Everyone on the course has come away with a newfound appreciation and understanding of the environment, and how engineering impacts it. That has been a really important part of what we鈥檝e learned.

As he looks ahead, John is exploring opportunities that will allow him to combine his engineering knowledge with the leadership, management and problem-solving experience he developed through his military and professional background.聽

His advice to anyone who doubts whether they could return to education is simple: do not rule yourself out before you begin.