There is no expiry date on education…just ask Sam Murphy. After 20 years out of the classroom but with a burning desire to change her career she’s succeeded at Hartlepool College and excited about what the future holds.
Sam, 36, a former Dyke House school pupil, is moving onto University after completing the Level 2 and then Level 3 Diploma in Counselling. Reflecting on her decision to return to education, Sam said “The work I do as a receptionist in a substance misuse service has opened my eyes to the support and care counsellors give. It was this insight and the burning desire to change my career aspirations that brought me to Hartlepool College”. Like lots of adults Sam had known for years that she wanted to change career but “didn’t know what I wanted and could actually do”. It was her experience in the sector she works that inspired her to enrol onto the counselling course.
It was on the counselling course she first met her tutor, Sarah Ashely. Sarah reflected, “From the start we could see that Sam is very enthusiastic about her career in counselling and she has lots of opportunities within her job role that she could use and apply the skills learnt in the classroom.” The year long Level 2 programme was followed by a yearlong Level 3 programme in counselling. This created a great platform for her career and one Sam embraced, “Sam is very hardworking, dedicated and was a valued member of the level 2 group, she contributed really well to class discussions and shared her experiences, which is essential in learning new skills and putting those into perspective.”
Having completed the level 3 programme during lockdown and facing the new challenges of remote and distance learning, Sam now takes the exciting step into higher education, “I am enrolled onto my Foundation Degree in Counselling at Teesside University. I aspire to become a qualified counsellor and aim to work with children and young people, once fully qualified.” She leaves the college to continue her career and with a glowing reference from her tutor, “I wish her all the luck in her new career, as I know she will be a credit to the counselling profession.”
There is no expiry date on YOUR EDUCATION. Follow in the footsteps of Sam, apply now for one of two counselling courses http://bit.ly/hcfecarcou at Hartlepool College or alternatively search our course list to see how you too could transform your life
