^ I was really worried about starting my MA this year. I applied because I was too ill to go back to work but had got quite depressed not having anything to focus on. I actually applied for last year but deferred starting it as my stamina was pretty poor.
(I was doing so much better and feeling quite normal and energetic, but then caught covid again on the first bloody week
)
I was getting so anxious in the build up, thinking everyone would be really young, people would think I was very odd for signing up for something like that at my age (now 50), but when I started about half the people in my group are around the same age. One woman has come straight from doing a degree, and has started teaching part time on the course she just finished, while starting the MA, and she's a grandmother.
Like Spud says, you have 20+ years of working age, that's a long time if you look back 20 years and remember what you were doing then.
You may as well work towards something
Hope the loan gets approved, fingers crossed.