PROFILE: EOIN CUNNINGHAM, MATURE STUDENT:A decade after leaving college EOIN CUNNINGHAMis back at UCD taking an MA. The past 10 years have been a rollercoaster; researching bestselling books one moment, working nights as a cleaner the next. So why has he decided to return to education? And what does he make of the class of 2010?
I LEFT COLLEGE 10 years ago and had no serious plans to go back again. Like a lot of my peers I was eager to climb on the back of the Celtic Tiger, which at that point was only beginning to look well fed. One reason for my forward thinking was an indifferent degree; another was my first child, who needed more from life than a 22-year-old student could financially provide. Nappies, for a start.
This new century was going to be mine for the taking. I intended to snatch an unreasonably profitable share.
Fast-forward to 2010 and I’m back in the same university pursuing an MA, married with two children and a third on the way, and struggling with a mortgage that moves a little further from resale value every day. I’m a veteran of almost every cliche of modern Irish life.
I’ve worked in a dotcom and in retail. I’ve been made redundant. I’ve enjoyed the dwindling financial returns of freelance journalism. I’ve worked on bestselling books (with David McWilliams) about the impending disaster. I’ve looked unsuccessfully for State aid. I’ve worked nights as a cleaner with economic migrants and then taught English to some of their compatriots. Gratifying and all as it was to eke out a living, it wasn’t terrific for my self-respect.
So it was with a certain hardened numbness that I read an opinion piece by Declan Kiberd of UCD in this newspaper in March. His article, which opened the Renewing the Republic series, lifted my spirits and fired my imagination. Reflecting on the Celtic Tiger era, he wrote:
“People were seized by the crazy idea that information is knowledge and that everything worth knowing could be measured. They became so busy using the new technology to document life that many of them lost the art of living it or of thinking straight. Too many of us rolled over and let these things happen.
“Before the Tiger years, Irish people understood that the real quality of life lies in those things which cannot be quantified. The notion that market forces are vital is plain common sense, but the idea that money should determine everything is a rather recent and barbarous development.”
Kiberd fairly thumped a raw nerve with me.
I had come to a point in my life where it made more sense to take an imaginative leap into the nebulous future than to continue spinning plates, always one unexpected bill or two away from financial disaster.
Money isn’t the be-all and end-all.
And so to Belfield. The first thing you notice in college is how much trendier everyone looks. The democratisation of fashion has done great things for our dreaming spires. Fourteen years ago we were baggy and our futures sparkled over the horizon. In contrast, today’s students are on trend even if their future looks less certain. They may yet be part of the next brain drain but at least they look professionally styled.
Also, the air is a lot cleaner around Belfield. The smoky haze in which we hid from passing lecturers is gone, replaced by Wi-Fi and an endless sea of laptops. All in all, it’s a little like finding yourself in a departure lounge filled exclusively with Top Shop models.
Fashion anxiety aside, university is an exciting place. Walking along the corridors, you feel optimism breaking through; it’s a world away from the unrelenting gloom of the news bulletins.
The whole point of a university, or of any form of education, is to think about the future, what it will be like, how it will work. And despite the problems in the outside world, there is still a charge of positivity in the lecture hall, along the concourse, in the bar.
It may be that the end of “free fees” in Ireland will change this.
The recent Browne report in Britain points to the US model whereby graduates carry significant debt well into their working life. So no change for me then!
In Ireland some students receive grant support but my application was recently refused, despite the meagre income which just about keeps a roof over our heads. I don’t know if I can afford this year in UCD but I’m also sure I’m far from the only person facing this problem.
So why do it? Why am I putting my family further into debt? Are there truly any employment opportunities in the arts and humanities? Or am I simply hiding under a rock until the economy stutters back to life?
Well, here are my reasons. First, there are no certainties. Ask the next architecture graduate you meet about job security and you’ll get a good idea of career guarantees in Ireland.
I’m studying Anglo-Irish literature and drama. What can you do with it? It may be true that demand for Joycean scholars in the catering industry is at an all-time low, but on the other hand there are other industries in the world. I’m an optimist. If we don’t dare to dream of a better future, we’ll never have one.
It’s not easy to go back to college as a mature student with the attendant costs in time and money, certainly not without the benefit of a grant. But education is always challenging, stimulating and uplifting. It should not be seen as a luxury.
I believe that art, in all its forms, is both vital and commercial. If you don’t think so, go ask the Department of Tourism, which knows the debt we all owe to the achievements of Irish artists. In the future, whenever it arrives, we’ll need Flann O’Brien just as much as Feargal Quinn. We can probably do without Seán FitzPatrick.
Returning to college is a gamble. For many, such a move is a dice throw too far. In a country obsessed with “outcomes” a degree in the humanities means I could well be bound for Dublin airport or the dole office.
But then who thought that Dublin Docklands would become Ireland’s most expensive wind tunnel? Apart from David McWilliams, of course.
Beckett said: “Fail again. Fail better.”
On balance, I’d rather approach life that way. I may be a fool but I’d rather be a poor one with a good library than a poorer one without.
Here are my tips for mature students:
Be independently wealthy
There are grants out there, but unless you are extremely hard-up they are difficult to get. Going back into education is a huge financial commitment. Not every book you need can be borrowed from the library, and you’ll have to consider other related costs, such as food and travel. Last time I checked, banks hadn’t instituted a student rate on outstanding mortgages, and if you have kids they’ll want the odd dinner while you’re expanding your horizons. Use your student card for every discount you can.
Keep working . . . if you can
Even with a full grant, it is hard to support yourself. There are part-time jobs out there, so even if waiting tables, cleaning bathrooms or working in a call centre is not your idea of the academic dream, you need to find ways of funding that dream.
Embrace the digital age
Back in the old days people queued from the early hours to buy a pass to use university computer systems. In 2010 Wi-Fi is commonplace, while laptops are getting cheaper all the time. Access to libraries around the world will make your work much easier, so get on board.
Ask for help
Your college, department and student union are there to support you. Your success is theirs, so talk to them.
Make friends
You may feel light years older than your classmates but if you make an effort you can find new friends for life (and, even better, have someone to help explain what happened in last Tuesday’s lecture).
Recognise your advantages
No matter how out of touch you feel, you have one major advantage over most 18-year-olds: you’ve been out in the big bad world. You have lived. You know the value of education, how it opens doors. This is invaluable knowledge.
Have fun
We’ve all been at those parties where someone starts pontificating about how students don’t know they’re born. What with the societies, the gyms, the bars, sure they have it made. This is your chance to see if the rumours are true. Don’t waste it.
Don’t panic
Don’t worry about how hard college will be, or how you’ll cope with student life. Enjoy your opportunity, learn as much as you can and, when you’re finished, go and do something useful with it.
