Covid’s Complicity in Continuing Education

Translation: Högna Þorkelsdóttir

Stúdentablaðið/Sædís Harpa Stefánsdóttir

It can be difficult for many to take their first steps toward education. Lack of confidence, learning difficulties, circumstances at home, and countless other factors. For me, it was lack of confidence – for a long time, I believed I was a bad student. Art and design courses were my favorites, but math was my Achilles heel. When I started art courses in high school, I felt a lot of social insecurity and soon dropped out. After having my firstborn in 2012, I had the drive and interest to finish high school, and I graduated in spring 2017, having focused on textiles in my studies. But university scared me, and I found the course descriptions overwhelming. I had also heard of people who slaved over their books night and day just to get through the material. So I waited to continue my education.

You might say I had an existential crisis and had no idea what I wanted to do or where I was headed after graduation. I started to work in a clothing shop since it tied in to my training in textiles. I gave birth to my twins in 2018 and yearned to further my education and discover my future career. Since I had a big family and more financial responsibility, I wanted to find a shorter path to the job market. The obvious solution was to take courses I could finish during my maternity leave. For example, I have a diploma in cosmetology, although I didn’t really put to use since it takes quite a bit of backbone to get yourself into the industry and I had not yet built up the confidence to do so.

As I finished my maternity leave, a global pandemic took the world by storm, and once again, I started looking for programs that would help strengthen my position among the flood of job seekers who would now be fighting for the few available positions up for grabs. It was now or never; I had worked on my confidence with cognitive behavioral therapy, besides just growing up and learning more about life. I still had some doubts about going to university, as I felt I was too old and already had a large family that depended on me. Worries about my finances and not entering the job market until I was nearly forty scared me. But it was even scarier to think of getting stuck in a boring minimum-wage job forever. With my husband’s support, I decided to apply to study fashion design at the Iceland University of the Arts. Alongside my studies, I had often worked in after-school programs, and I saw an opportunity to acquire a teaching permit. After my BA degree, I could take a two-year Master’s program and, in the process, combine my interests and a possible career I was interested in. I was invited to an interview and put on the waitlist, but did not get in. I had already visualized spending the winter in the classroom, so I didn’t let the rejection stop me. I made the spontaneous decision to apply to study elementary education with an emphasis on art and vocational subjects at the University of Iceland. It was a decision I don’t regret.

This fall, application rates to universities reached a record high, with many pointing to Covid as the culprit. When I talked to my fellow students, they had many different reasons for choosing the education studies department; some had switched courses, others were coming straight from high school, a few had returned after a break in their studies, and some, like me, were taking advantage of the stagnation of the job market due to Covid to further their knowledge. I thought the proportion of students starting university now would be higher, but according to a study I conducted on the Facebook groups for incoming students at the university and incoming students in the education department, only 46 of 388 participants said Covid had anything to do with their decision to further their education.

At the university, we are a large, diverse group representing a wide age range, and we have endless reasons for our presence there. I want to tell you, dear reader, that it is never too late to follow your dreams, and the obstacles in your way are never so big that you cannot overcome them. If something doesn’t work out, find another way to reach your goal. As Covid was an influencing factor in my decision to further my education, I leave you with these wise words: “Every cloud has a silver lining.”