My name is Chloe Veitch, I am 32 and from Dunfermline and I studied the Advanced Certificate in Social Science course.
My interest in Social Sciences comes from past work experience when I used to work in Human Resources. It was my first professional job as a 19-year-old and I was highly influenced by the people I was working with. Also, when I would watch the news, I would find myself asking questions such as why things are the way that they are. It always made me want to search into the deeper meaning of news reports and what I was seeing/reading.
When the Fife College prospectus launched, a quote that stood out to me the most was, “If you find yourself asking “why?” as you watch the news… then this course is for you!” and that very quote was what influenced me to apply. Since applying and studying on the course, my questions have been answered. The prospectus also mentioned how the course would help with our critical thinking skills, and now my ways of thinking have also changed as I can now interpret what I see and read better.
I came to study at Fife College because I have studied previously here in 2012. My time here has been incredible, I have loved the overall experience, the lecturers and course content. Last year, I was working part time, but I decided I wanted to progress in an occupation involving politics and current affairs, therefore it seemed as though Social Science was the best decision to make.
My favourite part of the course was the sociology aspect. You study how society works, sociological theories which you can apply to some social issues within society. For example, we have been learning about poverty which is an important topic to discuss and applying these theories to the topic. As previously mentioned, it makes you see the world in colour rather than black and white. With sociology, you can go down many avenues and paths to explore why things are the way that they are.
I think the course has helped me immensely in terms of what I want to do after I complete the course. The course that I am doing just now is an Advanced Certificate which is an equivalent to an National Certificate (NC) which means next year I have the option to go onto Social Sciences, Social Services or Healthcare. I do however want to progress onto the HNC Social Sciences course. This course has been an excellent introduction as to what the course content will go into the following year. It prepares you to step up to that next level of studies as you build on your knowledge and skills each step at a time.
I would recommend this course to others in my situation, if you are passionate, have empathy and wish to uncover more about your society and community, then social science is the best move. You will have a clearer picture and understanding of everything around you.
My ambition for the future is to complete my HNC and HND in Social Sciences. Then I would like to progress into university and work towards a degree. Now I am thinking about social sciences, however, I am considering sociology to potentially do a community course as such for youth work or work in communities. I think my passion for Social Sciences and Sociology will lead me into a university-based course that will eventually lead me to strive for social change.
