David Wyatt

I left school at 16 years old with a handful of O-levels.

After a few years in dead-end office jobs, I decided to study A-level History at a local college. University really wasn’t on my radar at that time. No one from my family had ever been and I had no understanding of how higher education can change lives.

I gave up my job a few years later and went travelling around the world. I decided I needed a career change when I returned, so I applied for history and archaeology at Bangor University. The first year of my degree was a revelation; it was like exploring a new world – the past! From then on I knew that this was what I wanted to do.

In my second year I transferred to Cardiff University and gained a good degree result in 1997. An MA in Medieval British Studies followed and then a PhD researching medieval slavery, which later turned into a book.

In 2009 I took on my current role as both lecturer in early medieval history and co-ordinator of outreach and community engagement. It was a job I could only have dreamed of 25 years before.

I think my unusual career pathway shows that it’s never too late to make a change and get an education. It has certainly instilled a passion in me to make higher education more accessible to all.