Photography may not require entry qualifications, but Claire Gillo looks at the options available and how they can make a difference to your career

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Career direction Studying may take your career in a different direction. Abigail wishes her course had been more commercially orientated

© Abigail Studios

The beauty of being a professional photographer is that, unlike a lawyer, teacher or electrician, no formal qualifications are required. Provided you have the right equipment, the basic skills and knowledge to be successful, it’s a job anyone can do.

Many photographers are self-employed and for those who are employed, often their portfolio and skillset is deemed more worthy than a piece of paper with a qualification. However, there are many benefits that come from studying photography, ranging from broadening your knowledge and widening your understanding to re-routing yourself down a career avenue you hadn’t considered.

Studying costs money though – so before you enrol on a photography course, you need to be sure you have the funds or access to borrow the money and the ability to repay it later. If you undertake a course such as a Bachelor’s degree, the fees alone cost £9,250 for a year (usually a three-year course) – aMaster’s degree costs around £11,300.

If you have never received a student loan before you will be entitled to one whatever your age. However, if you are over 60, you can still qualify for a tuition fee loan, but you may get limited funding when it comes to maintenance loans. Find out more about UK Student loan eligibility at www.gov.uk/student-finance/who-qualifies

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Fine Art photographer Liz Jeary (lizjeary.co.uk Instagram @lizjearyphoto) embarked on a photography degree at the University of Salford aged 31 and has no regrets about her decision.

“It gave me the confidence to start a photography-related business straight out of university,” she says. “It also gave me an opportunity to develop my artistic side and to use other skills I had gained through my employment history in the curation of exhibitions, something I really enjoy.”