In a completely different place in life

“If I hadn’t gone down this path, I would be in a completely different place in life. I’m more secure in the job market and I have a higher salary. But I admit I was afraid to take this step,” says photographer Haraldur Guðjónsson Thors about the assessment of prior learning he underwent at IÐAN after an introductory meeting in the autumn of 2017.

Haraldur is an experienced photographer but has an unconventional educational background. He first studied photography through distance learning from the New York Institute of Photography, then he was a long-time freelancer for Morgunblaðið, Birtíngur, and later for Fréttablaðið. He was a staff photographer at Viðskiptablaðið and also photographed for AFP, Reuters, and other foreign news photo agencies.

“My schooling went poorly and was fragmented; I never finished anything except maybe my breakfast,” he says, laughing. “I suppose the fear stemmed from the fact that I don’t think I had any faith that I could go to school. I received a fateful phone call from Vilhelm Gunnarsson, a photographer who now works at Sýn, in the autumn of 2017. He was gathering photographers for an introductory meeting about the assessment of prior learning. He asked if I wanted to be on the list, and I said yes, but I was a bit doubtful. Still, I attended the meeting with a few other photographers, and it ended with me being the only one who went forward with the assessment.”

Everyone was willing to help

Haraldur completed the assessment of prior learning in late November, and the Technical College of Reykjavík accommodated him even though the deadline for applying for school admission had passed. “It’s my experience that everyone is willing to help smooth the way. Of course, there are conditions that need to be met to have your studies accredited, and then the school takes over. I joined a group where general subjects were taught, specifically for students who were undergoing the assessment of prior learning. In this group, I experienced absolute brilliance in the Icelandic school system. There we were, almost all men like me who hadn’t managed to finish a single thing. And the people who taught us had dedicated their careers to teaching adults with a fragmented educational background who had difficulty with their studies. These teachers were superheroes and encouraged us. We received good support throughout our studies, and every trick in the book was used to motivate us. Of course, there are no shortcuts or anything like that; it’s a fair process, but when I look back, it feels like there was magic in it,” says Haraldur, adding that, for example, they tried to find other solutions than sending adults to classes that didn’t suit them. “I can mention life skills as an example. Those lessons are suitable for teenagers but not for adults. The school met us halfway in so many respects, and other solutions were found. I took geology and sociology at FB instead of a few courses that didn’t suit me. I got a 10 in geology and a 9.5 in sociology and thought they were amazing courses. I still benefit from having taken them. I then took the journeyman’s examination with a certificate stating that I would graduate that semester. When I graduated, I had become a journeyman, and what a great feeling that was! Just as I was graduating, a teaching position opened up at the Technical College, and it was pointed out to me that I could apply for it because I met all the qualification requirements. So when I graduated, I immediately had a job as a teacher at the school and subsequently went to the master craftsman school.

Glad to have taken the step

A new world opened up for me that I hadn’t fully realised. Which is that many advertised positions on the job market require vocational education. For example, in management positions in related industries and in teaching. I can apply for these positions today, and I therefore experience more security and freedom in the job market after the assessment of prior learning. Today, I am in university studies, which is something I couldn’t have imagined a few years ago. And if I back up a bit, it all started with one phone call, and as I said before, I’m glad I took the step. I could have said no because I had a bit of a hard time motivating myself. I was negative and didn’t see the point, why on earth I should be doing this, did it matter? But the answer is yes. It changed my life and mattered a lot.”

Learn more about the assessment of prior learning at IÐAN Education Centre