Why I got started
I was prompted to go out and learn because I was working very closely with the community and my employers felt that it might be a good idea for me to do an MVQ in customer services.

When I started to work with the local authority, I had not written anything for years. The skills I had were hands-on skills. When I was working in an environment where I had to write reports, well, the last time I'd written an essay was 12, 13 years earlier.

Gaining Skills
One of the main skills I learnt was communication. I found that effective communication is very important to get your message across, and listening skills are vital.

I also found that basic essay writing and note taking were very useful in my everyday life. I could help my parents if they needed letters written or if they needed to contact solicitors. So you can gain life skills as well.

Motivation and Skills
My motivation to continue studying actually came from my line manager. He could see potential in me. Sometimes you don't see it yourself. If someone can advise and mentor you, that helps your motivation. If someone is helping to support you, not financially but emotionally, then that's a big obstacle that you've overcome.

Never too late
It was important for me to say to other Asian women "you can go back to university and it's never too late to go back". If I was able to do that, other women could do it too.

Using internet resources
For my resources at university, one of them was obviously books, but the next best resource was the internet. We often wondered how people studied without the internet, because as soon as we had a title for an essay we typed it into a search engine.

Sometimes there was too much information, but as I became more confident using the computer and the internet, I realised what information I could eliminate and what information would be useful for my studies.

Biggest Thrill
My biggest achievement was on the day I actually got my degree. I just felt elated. When I got my photos back I kept thinking, I could have had those photos when I was about twenty or eighteen years old. But to achieve that at forty-six, it's a wonderful thing and I was very pleased.

The degree in itself is just a piece of paper. But I am much more confident now and I encourage others to take it up. If I can do it, then you can do it as well.

Don't Hesitate
My advice for anyone that wants to return to study is, if it's a long term commitment they're going to make, they need to discuss it with friends and family. But if it's a short course at a local college, then I think you should just go ahead. Don't hesitate! Go along and if you don't like it you can leave the course.

If you are anxious, there are people there that are more anxious than yourself. It's not only about learning the syllabus within that course; it's also about learning from other people.