Having begun a tertiary degree at 45, David Faulkner is proud of being able to say: ‘I am able; I am capable’ Technological University of the Shannon: Having completed the first year of his tertiary degree at the College of Further Education and Training, Mulgrave Street, Limerick, David Faulker is preparing to start year two at TUS Mon Aug 24 2026 - 05:31 • 4 MIN READYou’re never too old to start college, as David Faulkner discovered when he decided to begin a tertiary degree when he was 45 years old.After meeting his wife and starting his family, Faulkner had become a carer for his elderly parents and was also a stay-at-home dad to his two children. But two summers ago, after spending some time on his own, he began to question what his future might look like.“They [his children] went away for a couple of weeks with their mam. I stayed at home and I thought, Jesus, what am I going to do when they go back to school, when they’re in college and stuff? I’m just going to be sitting here.”The realisation was enough to spur him into action. “I decided I’m going to go back and do computers, because I love computers and stuff like that. I did a level 5 course in Mallow college. And then I decided to do a degree. And I saw that the place in Limerick in Mulgrave Street was doing the same degree that was in TUS [Technological University of the Shannon].”Faulkner is studying for a Bachelor of Science in computing, mobile and web. “The reason I picked it was that it was a much smaller campus so it would be more one-on-one time with the teachers,” he says. “I had been at home for 17 years so to jump into a massive college with thousands of people was a bit daunting, so this was kind of a stepping stone to it.”Faulkner admits his confidence was affected by spending so many years at home, and so the smaller campus helped him feel more confident about the prospect of college life.“You’re a man of 45. You’re jumping into courses with everyone …There was one girl there, she’s only a year older than my oldest daughter. I’m trying to kind of relate to younger people … [having] been at home on my own and stuff. Relating to people of different nationalities – I wouldn’t have had much of exposure to multiculturalism.“College is that great exposure to other people and how other people think. It was a great experience altogether. I couldn’t recommend it more.”David Faulkner: 'I always wanted to get a degree' Education has changed a lot, Faulkner found, since he completed an accounting course in 2001. “It’s all online. All computers. Everything is digital.”Faulkner has teenage children and he often discusses his work and assignment results with them, such is his enthusiasm for his studies. He hopes to set a good example for them rather than have them feel any sense of pressure around grades.“I want to do it properly,” he says. “I always wanted to get a degree. It’s great to go back and say, ‘I am able. I am capable’.”Having completed the first year of his tertiary degree at the College of Further Education and Training, Mulgrave Street, Limerick, Faulker is preparing to begin year two at TUS. He’s feeling “trepidatious” about the prospect.“No matter what age you are, if you’re 45 or if you’re 18, if you’re walking into a new place for the first time you’re always going to be nervous. We did have a little tour there, last September – there was a careers day – but having a look at the campus and actually being on campus are two different things.”It’s the same degree that students who go directly to university are completing, Faulkner points out. But with no fees in the early year or years, that makes a huge difference to accessibility – particularly if you have responsibilities such as children. Logistics also play a role, he explains, in terms of commitments, which is why he chose to study at Limerick. “I still need to be a taxi,” he says, about needing to drop his children to various places and activities over the course of the week.While he was offered a place in Tralee, the commute there would have taken him an hour and 20 minutes each way. “Whereas Limerick is 45 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic.”There will also be a work-experience placement as part of the degree. “TUS will organise that for you”, he says. Faulkner would love to be a teacher, but he’s not sure yet if he’ll be able to progress all the way to a level 8 degree, due to his family responsibilities. However, thanks to the nature of tertiary degrees, which follow a progressive qualification route, he can aim for a level 7 degree and see if circumstances will allow him to continue.If not, he will still leave with a qualification.“Imagine the case if my two kids ended up in TUS as well and they’re looking at their old man walking around,” he laughs.“If I get to year three, my oldest daughter will be doing her Leaving Cert then. I’ll be finished my course [level 7] in college and she’ll be starting college the following year. If I do the level 8, while she’s in first year, financially as well I don’t know will we be able to do that.“With the level 7, for example, I’ll be able to make websites for people, stuff like that, straight away. A bit of programming. I think AI is coming into this course. So it’s going to be handy for the future.”IN THIS SECTION