As we enter the Third Age many of us regret not having taken the full opportunities of our time in education.

It is never too late to learn, but now we are older we may not wish to do this in a classroom situation. It may feel uncomfortable and slightly threatening if we do not come up the standards of those around. Distance learning could well be your answer.

There is a wealth of choice out there for anyone wishing to take the distance learning option, and also a great many Third Agers who could benefit from it as they may have had career changes forced on them by the world’s recession.

The Internet has also played a huge part making distance learning easier. Now many text books and manuals have been replaced with online materials and interaction between a tutor and student can be very sophisticated thanks to advancing technology.

The beauty of distance learning is that it can be done without pressure. You are in charge of the pace you wish to work at and the goals you want to achieve. If all you remember is a formidable school classroom scenario this will be like a breath of fresh air!

When deciding on a distance learning course you will probably go for something which you enjoyed at school or perhaps even something you didn’t but would like to pick up in later life.

Often in our schooldays we might not have excellent in a subject because we didn’t like a particular teacher, that isn’t a problem with distance learning!

A typical course, and there are hundreds of them available online, will probably cost around £300 and should consist of various modules, possibly online tuition, access to a tutor by telephone, usually for a 12 month period and at the end there is often a diploma or certificate. Expect to put in about 100 hours of study on an average course.

Many people have changed their career direction dramatically after taking distance learning courses.

Is it for you? Shop around carefully and you might find your life and career going in a direction you never imagined.

Graham Smith for Third Age.

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