An RAF veteran in his 60s has proven age is just a number after graduating from Aberdeen University.
Carl Bennett joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1980, enjoying a long and fulfilling career with the service.
However, it was the experience of his wife Carol as a military spouse that led him to university later in life.
“While I served in the RAF for 23 years, my wife put her career as a midwife on hold,” the 63-year-old explained.
“She put the needs of the service and me above her own.
“While discussing this with work colleagues and realising there were many people – predominantly women – in this situation, I started researching the topic.
“After finding few articles on the experiences of UK military spouses and partners, and almost none on the RAF, I made enquiries about pursuing a doctoral thesis.”
RAF veteran Carl’s faith in the future after spending time with Aberdeen University students
Carl, from Elgin, opted to stay close to home after finding the perfect opportunity to complete his Master of Research (Social Sciences) degree at Aberdeen University, through the MRes Social Sciences programme.
His research examined how the spouses and partners of RAF personnel serving in the north of Scotland balanced the competing demands on them from the military, their partners, their families and their employers.
Carl found changes to employers’ attitudes on home-working helped some maintain their careers. Others were living apart while they pursued their careers, waiting for their partners to leave the military.
He said: “Once a week during term time I caught the train from Elgin to Aberdeen and then cycled from the station for lectures and tutorials.
“Going back to university at the end of my working life was a great way to recharge my brain, especially having to justify arguments with evidence and logic.
“The research methods, both quantitative and qualitative, would have been perfect for some of the jobs I’ve undertaken over the years.
“I really enjoyed mixing with students of all ages and from many different backgrounds, countries and cultures.
“If only the world was able to follow their example, learning from one another and co-operating for mutual benefit.”
‘I’ll be grinning like a Cheshire Cat’
Having completed an MBA in his 40s, Carl – who refers to himself on LinkedIn as a ‘Grandfather and Student Social Scientist’ – is no stranger to returning to his studies.
And while this, and his time in the RAF, equipped him with valuable transferable skills for his research, throwing himself into a brand new field was nevertheless a big challenge.
“Completing an MBA in my 40s allowed me to share my graduation with my wife and children, which I was very proud to be able to do.
“This time though feels different. I will be graduating in a field I had little previous experience in, but which I was keen to pursue.
“I had many years of management and business experience I was able to draw upon for my MBA, whereas for this course I was learning as I went along, and somehow that makes my achievement feel more special.
“I’ll be grinning like a Cheshire Cat as I walk across the stage, and I suspect my heart will be pounding.
‘At that moment the future of the world didn’t seem quite as bleak’
Carl now plans to embark on a PhD, and hopes pursuing his research will help influence policy on the treatment of military spouses and partners.
He added: “I think my favourite memory of the university was working in the library one afternoon, just looking around at the next generation about to start their lives and seeing the effort they were putting in and the relationships they were developing.
“At that moment the future of the world didn’t seem quite as bleak.”
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