Michelle Sweeney
I grew up in Edinburgh. I don’t have many memories of Primary School, but when I was 14 my mum finally left my violent father and we moved to Dundee. So I changed Secondary School in 3rd year, which was in itself a shock and I spent a lot of time trying to fit in and be liked. After leaving school I worked in MacDonalds for two years, then I got a job as the Assistant Manager at a bar in Dundee before becoming the Promotions Manager for a nightclub. For five years I worked at the Odeon as a customer service assistant and in 1996 I had my son. Soon after my partner left me and I found myself in a new flat with a new baby and very isolated. I saw a notice for Learning on Your Doorstep in Blackness Library and to me this offered a few hours of adult conversation with a crèche facility.
Once I plucked up the courage to go along and enrolled I started the next week. I went on to finish eight different outreach learning courses including Local Investigations, Practical Talking, Stress Management, Using Micro Computer, Introduction to Counselling, Behavioural Science, an NC in Sociology and an NC in Pcychology!
The hardest bit is going along on the first day, once you have done it once or twice it does become easier, but make sure you know what money you are entitled to and how to get it. If you don’t understand anything just ask and above all have fun!
I then progressed on to full-time study at Dundee College to do an Access to Community Education course, and finally went to the University of Dundee where I finished a Batchelor of Arts degree in Community Education in 2005. During this time I worked as a childminder, a sales assistant and a youth worker, which was stressful as I felt I didn’t spend a lot of time with my children, but I coped and just got on with it.
Studying has made me realise that I’m not thick and if you work hard you can achieve anything you want to. My self-esteem has grown along with my confidence and vocabulary. I can now help my children with their homework, join in adult conversations, provide for my family and generally have a much richer life. I now have a job with Elmwood College working with the inclusiveness team that I really enjoy and have recently finished a course at the Cosmos Centre in St Andrews to update my computer skills and hope to start an NC in Care.