[robski]

Stephen's tale sounds all too familiar. As a schoolboy I used to build valve radios, amplifiers etc. Like Stephen I went through the college route to get the qualifications to enter the electronics industry. At this stage transistors and analogue chips were being introduced into equipment. ( showing my age now ). The micro chip made an appearance in the early 80's which meant a return to study. It did feel odd going back to college at the age of 30 and mixing with 17 year olds.

At 35 I embarked on the OU route. In an insane moment I spent 8yrs of my life to obtain a BA & BSc(hons). I had young children at the time so much of work was after midnight till 2 am. It's not easy holding down a full time job ( often working away from home ) and fitting in 9 months of study, assessments and exams. As Stephen mentioned there are highs along with the lows. Was it worth it ? In many ways yes but at a very high price.

Dependent on the subject the drop out rate on degree level distant learning courses can vary between 25% to 75%.

I think my son paid about £800 for his College course last year.

The membership thing to this or that is a hook and you may find out that it is not as easy as just passing the course ( other requirements maybe needed ) or this or that is not worth the paper it is written on.

I did join the IEE for a few years.

If you have the time and interest by all means take the photography course but don't bank on it to get a better job. Sadly much of adult education is lacking suitable tutors and modern equipment in a range of subjects. So track down where the course is held and speak to current students to see if it is of value.