Charting a new path: Mature student Joseph sets his sights on a career in maths

Joseph, aged 21, is currently well on his way to achieving his goal of going to university, but his journey at Coleg Llandrillo started last year when he decided it was time to improve his GCSE grades.

“I was doing GCSE Maths papers in my own time and realised that I wanted to progress with it.” He said.

Joseph had taken his GCSE maths and English previously and didn’t get the results he wanted, but now he had a goal of studying for A Levels to spur him on.

The main obstacle for Joseph as a mature student was breaking through his anxiety. “That’s what stopped me before,” he continued. “It made me ill and I found it hard to challenge it.”

He took the leap in September 2025 and signed up for the GCSE Maths and GCSE English language courses at Coleg Llandrillo’s Rhos-on-Sea campus.

“At the start it was very daunting, and I did struggle initially but as time progressed it got a lot easier”

Joseph explained how his tutor was able to help him. He found it easy to talk to his tutor and she was there for support when he needed it. “It helped that she was aware of the situation and I felt able to step out of the classroom whenever I needed to.”

Getting his grades at the end of the year was one of his favourite college moments. Initially thinking he was in line for a C for his English Language, “I was absolutely shocked to see that they were both As,” he said. “It was like a weight off my chest and I was able to relax after that.”

Talking about his plans for the future, Joseph said, “I want to go to university to study physics and after that, maybe work as a scientist or in engineering. Something where I can use my maths as that’s where my focus is now.”

Joseph’s story shows how education can change the direction of your life at any age. If you are interested in starting your own story with us, head over to the website to see the range of courses for adults: https://www.gllm.ac.uk/course-type/adult-learners-part-time