For adults working in the UK
Your UK career plan. The next five years, and what it takes to build them.
Not a personality quiz. Questions about the work you do, the life you have and the money you want, and a route with the numbers on it.
14 questions · about 4 minutes
Your plan appears on screen. No sign-up to see it.
What the answers are filling in
Questions people ask before they start
Short answers, and where the answer is 'it depends', what it depends on.
Which degree should I choose if I work in a warehouse and have no qualifications?
The plan does not tell you what to choose. It shows what your own answers support: it starts from the work you do now, the city you live in and the hours you can realistically give, and produces a route - the target role, the qualification that sits between you and it, and the first paid step on the way. If you have no qualifications, that route usually includes a foundation year. Which programme actually runs at a campus you can reach is checked with an adviser, not here.
Can I study at a UK university while working full time?
There are programmes with a single day a week on campus, and the academic year is usually two semesters of about 14-15 weeks, so roughly six months of study a year. Which programme and which campus fit around your shifts depends on your city and on the university, and that is checked case by case.
Is it free? Who pays the fees?
It is not free. Student Finance in the UK is a government loan, not a grant or free money. You repay it gradually only after you finish your course and earn above the repayment threshold, and any outstanding balance is written off after the set period. Amounts, conditions and eligibility are set by Student Finance England and can change. Whether your own situation is eligible is confirmed separately, not on this page.
I am 38. Is it too late to start?
Universities assess an application on your prior study and your experience, not on your age, and the foundation year exists precisely for people who do not hold the usual qualifications. Adults returning to study are a normal route, not an exception to one.
I do not have A-levels, and my qualifications are from another country. Is that a problem?
Often it is workable, but it depends on the specifics. The university decides admission, based on the study and experience you already have. A foundation year is the usual route for someone whose qualifications are not recognised in the UK. Which documents you need and what is accepted in your case is checked before anything is submitted.
How long does it take, and when do courses start?
Courses in the September 2026 intake start around 10-15 September, depending on the programme. A degree with a foundation year is four years; without one it is three.
Are the salary figures real?
They come from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, gross annual pay for full-time jobs, April 2025, uprated by 4.2% - the growth in median pay to July 2026 published by ONS from PAYE records. They describe what people in those occupations are paid. They are not an offer and not a prediction for you.