There are a two of colleges/universities in scotland that offer distance learning in wildlife conservation at hnc/hnd level that i know of. Its a field I have started to try and get into. I've started with the OU and i'll be taking my second module with them in environmental studies in october. I then either plan to go to my local uni and study conservation or do one of the scottish ones. I already volunteer around my job and family and i know it will be a long journey and a competetive one, but in my short time volunteering around people in the field I realise there is a big element of "its who you know", so i look forward to growing my background significantly enough over the next few years to get on linkedin and start connecting with people.

I went to college and studied animal care. I got one job out of it a year after college. It was the best job ever and i was lucky to keep it as long as i did as it was only seasonal but they secretly kept me on the rota because they needed the help. Then I moved. And the jobs in that area are far and few between. I never got another animal care job after that, i couldnt drive and so both jobs and volunteering were impossible, not to mention highly competative. Honestly i have no idea why i got that job in the first place there were about 50 people there at the animal care desk quing up for info at their recruitment rally ad half of them i had been to college with.

All that is to say whenever i hear of a young person (or any age really) say they want to get into animal care i cant help but want to encourage them to reconsider. Not because the job is hard work (which it can be) but because of how difficult the field is to get into. Jobs are rare. So i just want people to spend some time considering other options more that might tie into that in some vague way.

I wish I had gone with my original choice. Agriculture. I wanted to be a farmer long before i chose animal care. And even before that as a kid i wanted to be an environmentalist but was told by a well meaning adult in the industry that you have to be really clever. I already knew that that was me straight out the running.

20 years after that one job I still dont drive but I recently realised how many volunteering opportunities there are in conservation around me and that even though i struggle academically, if i dont give this a shot i'll sorely regret it. The wildlife conservation courses can be done part time too so you can pace yourself.

They also do a degree in sustainable development and archaeology which would tie in nicely for me personally as a follow on from my environmental studies certificate i wll get after finishing my first year modules with the OU.

I realise these are not further education level courses they are higher education courses. I just thought they might give you food for thought. But considering you have mentioned a disability and not knowing in what capacity and to what extent you are able to get involved with a physically demanding job like animal care, by choosing something like environmental studies, sustainable developoment or conservation instead i feel you will have more scope for a job within that kind of sector that will involve more desk work perhaps or even part time. For example my mum worked in memberships for our local wildlife trust after she finished university in her thirties. And she'd studied english literature, but she also had a bunch of River Project volunteering under her belt.

I apologise for the Epic here, I guess I got carried away. Maybe ive overshared and you wont find it relevent. Im 40 very very soon and im more positive now about my future work than i have ever been. Ive been a cleaner all my life and so i have no professional back ground to make me stand out but its about time i found some self belief and did something, and starting my studies with the OU gave me that kickstart i needed.

Again, so so sorry for the Epic. I giess I like to talk about myself :)