Jill Harvey will be 36 this year, an age commonly seen as the start of midlife. Yet, Jill is far from ‘crisis.’ In fact, only since entering middle-age has Jill felt at peace with what she does.
“I worked with young people in the care system and was constantly asking them: ‘What is your dream? If you could do anything, what would you do?’.”
“Then, I had the epiphany one day: ‘What am I doing?’ I was helping everybody else apart from myself.”
So, Jill chose her own dreams. She returned to study art whilst most of her peers settled into jobs that will carry them off into retirement.
Exploring Jill’s artwork, it is no surprise she won Scottish Qualification Authority student of the year. Jill’s installations powerfully explore issues of trauma, gender violence and motherhood in such unique ways that it is hard to fathom her doing anything else – but Jill explained why it had not always seemed possible to pursue her creative passions.
“I’m not from a family that’s wealthy. We’re all just getting by. To be chasing a dream might have seemed a bit ‘airy-fairy’ – not knowing what you’re going to achieve with it, needing to explain myself. I think that’s why I went looking for a career rather than following art.”
Jill reassured me that these concerns had dissipated over the years, but returning to education had posed new challenges. Raising a family while creating masterpieces is a stressful business, yet Jill remains determined.
“When I find it hard, when I’m exhausted juggling everything, I remind myself this is my dream. Regardless of how hard it’s going to be, art is the only path I want to be on now.”
“Do what you genuinely want to do. If you’re not living your dream, then why not? When you’re employed you work far too many hours to be unhappy, so do something that gives you joy.”
Hayley McCormack is a little older than most of her fellow second year students. “I’m in the thirty-plus demographic. Fuck. I just turned thirty so I’m getting used to saying that.”
Unlike Jill, Hayley is leaving behind a career in the arts to pursue psychology.
“I was working in theatre, film and music but I reached a point where that wasn’t enough. The practical aspect of working in that industry wasn’t fulfilling and I always wanted to go back to academia to do something more impactful.”
Hayley has been to university before. At seventeen she set off for Maynooth University, ready to study law. It hadn’t worked out. The course, the place, the people – it wasn’t for Hayley. While she admits it left her questioning academia, what shone through was her assurance that it had been a necessary, not negative, part of her journey.
“My experience has been characterised by trial and error. You have to try and do what you want because, actually, it’s not that deep. You get to thirty and you have the same goals. They don’t leave.”
“So, keep following your own path, uncompromisingly so. Don’t ever follow a direction because you perceive it to be the right thing to do. Eventually there will be repercussions and it’s you who’ll have to live with them.”
Not all mature students come to university to change direction or realise a dream long contemplated. For some, it’s a tool with which they can build on what’s come before.
Josie is 48 and working towards her PhD examining the intersection of faith and resilience, something she’s been studying in the field for decades.
“My husband and I lead a charity that does holistic crisis care and resilience building in communities affected by humanitarian crises and global disasters. We provide psychological first aid from a ‘mind, body and soul’ perspective.”
Josie has worked as a chaplain in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the Ebola outbreak, provided psychological aid to those affected by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, and continues to help those impacted by war in Ukraine. She never attended undergraduate university.
“I’m thankful that I didn’t go to school right away. My educational experience would have been totally different, and I believe my life experience informs my perspective on all things.”
Josie, like the other mature students I spoke to, championed the idea of finding your own path.
“Life is going to be hard regardless, so find the things that bring you joy because that’s going to offset those things that are difficult.”
“You learn through practice and we don’t wake up the master of anything. With time and with practice we get better at identifying when we’re trying to fulfil someone else’s expectation and overlooking what we’re passionate about.”
Whilst the experiences and aspirations of Jill, Josie and Hayley all differed immensely, one thing became clear. If you know you’re doing something you hate just to cater to others’ expectations, take a minute to think. It’s never too late to do something you love.
“Woman Reading in the Library” by iirraa is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.