Mairead Devaney
Primary School in Dundee was a nightmare for me as I couldn’t spell and used to get slapped on the head for not remembering the words in my reading book. I vividly recall being taken to the doctor in Primary Two and getting medication for nerves in my stomach. At Secondary School when we were looking at career options I enquired what I needed to be a computer operator and I’ll never forget the humiliation when the teacher said “you, a computer operator!” I left school with two O levels and went to college to do a catering course, then served my apprenticeship as a cook, which I did for the next fourteen years. I thought about re-training for ten years as the job I was in wasn’t stimulating, but it wasn’t until I was made redundant and had nothing to lose that I finally decided to do something about it.
I went to Dundee College that led to an Access Course in business management. I then completed a B.Sc in Behavioural Science at Abertay University and went on to do a postgraduate diploma in Community Education at Northern College.
Everybody is in the same boat when they walk through the door for the first time, don’t let those nerves and self-doubts get the better of you. As they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Just believe in yourself!
I am currently studying for a Masters in Social Work at the University of Dundee. While I’ve been studying I’ve worked as a coffee bar assistant, foster carer, youth worker and drug support worker for young people and I no longer find work a frustrating experience.
I’ve realised that the negative experience I had at school was not indicative of all tutors in educational establishments and that with the right support and encouragement you can learn to believe in your own ability. The only thing I regret is taking ten years before going back to education. There’s no need to feel intimated by your lack of knowledge, that’s why you’re going there – to learn. Studying has improved the quality of my life, I feel satisfied in myself and I’ve also gained a sense of self-determination and unwillingness to accept prejudice and discrimination.