Lyn Taylor

For Lyn Taylor, returning to education after already establishing a career was a daunting experience, but – now in her third year of study at North East Scotland College – she says the risk has already paid off.

Lyn was working as a promotions executive when she decided that it was time to make her dream of starting a career that would positively impact the health and wellbeing of others a reality. The Level 2 Diploma (now Certificate) in Sport, Exercise & Fitness at NESCol’s Fraserburgh Campus was the first step towards achieving this goal.

Lyn said: “I thought Sport, Exercise and Fitness sounded like a mixture of fun with learning, I was correct. I continued onto the second year [Level 3 Diploma in Sport & Exercise Science] and completed this last June.”

During her two years studying Sport, Lyn thrived, gaining skills and confidence that saw her find enjoyment in every aspect of the course – particularly the opportunities it provided to work with young people.

“I really enjoyed the volunteering for active schools, planning and delivering sessions for primary school pupils. This was surprising as I hadn’t previously been interested in working with children, but it turned out to be the best bit for me. We also worked with teens who had some challenges and didn’t want to engage much in the beginning. It was really good to see them progress and playing sports after a few weeks, while enjoying the sessions we planned for them.”

Lyn took her newfound passion and found work as a sports coach for Active Schools Aberdeenshire, planning and delivering basketball sessions and holiday camps for children. Although lockdown restrictions have stopped this for the moment, she is optimistic about returning when things are safer, and grateful that College gave her the skills she needed to do a job she loves.

“If I hadn’t learned coaching skills during my college lessons, I wouldn’t have been able to plan and deliver my basketball sessions or holiday camps. Nor would I have had the experience to gain confidence in this area.”

After completing the Sport & Exercise Science course, Lyn decided to continue her studies in a slightly different direction and applied for NC Applied Science. Now halfway through the course, she is enjoying studying chemistry and biology, and is starting to look to the future.

“I have optimism for my future while enjoying the challenges of studying and plan to progress to university next. I am hoping to obtain a degree and become a scientist. It seems like a big ask, especially at my age (42), but I heard a quote that says ‘shoot for the moon and you might hit the stars.’ This is inspiring me to go as far as I can until I can’t go any further as I’ve nothing to lose by trying.”

Regardless of where her qualification takes her, Lyn is grateful for all the new opportunities NESCol has given her.

“Returning to education was a big financial risk, it took a bit of adjusting to less income in the beginning, but the college has really good funding for mature students and I have been lucky to secure work that fits around college to help me maintain a good lifestyle.

“College has given me confidence to try challenging things out of my comfort zone. It’s better to try something and reach your full potential. I wouldn’t have considered working with children before or had the confidence to look at university degrees to consider applying for in the future. College has made me truly happy about my future and optimistic I can succeed and achieve things even at my age.”