In September, 2015, I enrolled to do three courses here in the CDETB Adult Education Service on Barry Road.  The previous year I successfully completed a Level 2 Word Processing course in CDETB Cabra Community College and I suppose you could say that the learning bug had gotten into my system and I was eager to try to learn more. My objective when I started last September was to try and learn as much as I could about how to use a computer.  I have a laptop at home and basically I only used it to play games on.

I was nervous on my first day. I did not know anybody and I was to some extent worried that I had taken on too many courses. I hadn’t been in school since 1983 so I was a bit apprehensive.  But these fears were soon lessened, simply because I was learning new things and then putting them into practice at home on my laptop.  I was really enjoying all of my courses and my confidence in using the computer was increasing.  Also my own personal confidence grew from meeting new people and getting to know my fellow classmates also helped me quite a lot.

I am over the moon with the results I achieved in my three courses. I think back to last September in terms of what I knew then compared to what I know now and I smile. Screenshots, email attachments, making greeting cards, printing, looking up and booking things on the internet, copying/cutting and pasting, creating folders and files and saving them, being able to type up a letter and my C.V., adding photos to exercises, doing a project and a PowerPoint presentation are some of the things that I have learnt to do.  I even entered a creative writing competition and although my story didn’t win anything, I still find it hard to believe that people actually thought that what I had written was good enough to enter the competition.  So if I can do it then anybody can.

In regards to next September, I am thinking of enrolling to do a Psychology course and I’ve been thinking of maybe applying to do the Foundation Course for Higher Education: Mature Students.  I would never have dreamt that I would be thinking of doing these courses but as I said earlier, the learning bug has gotten into my system and that is down to the CDETB Adult Education Service in Cabra and here in Barry Road.  I should have applied years ago to do some courses but as the saying goes, it’s never too late to learn.  I would recommend returning to adult education to everybody and thanks to the CDETB for assisting me to broaden my education.

Bren Mulvey
03/07/16