We have our annual survey out, asking a few questions about you, your needs and preferences, and the impact of our services. It should take around 5-8 minutes and by completing it, you will be entered for a chance to win a £200 Love2Shop voucher (in line with our privacy policy)
Click here to fill out our survey.
Anxious about doing manual licence
Redemption
Community Connector Posts: 6,989 Master Poster
As mentioned previously, I want to get my manual licence for several reasons, like improving my job prospects and being able to drive a wider range of cars. My uncle is okay with practicing with me, but I feel scared to book my test or even start practicing properly. I have been talking about it online and offline for a while, and it is more something I really want to get done than just talk about. I think a big part of my fear is the pressure around test day, failing, feeling stressed, and the worry of falling behind since I am 24/25 and still cannot drive a manual. I also think part of it is the long waiting lists for tests, which makes everything feel even more daunting. I struggled with it back when I learned to drive manual at 17, but it was quite a while ago, and now I am 24, so I don’t need to learn the roads or anything—I know them already. I have done a bit of practice since and made a couple of mistakes or so, which I think can be easily ironed out. I also had similar issues back when I was booking my automatic driving practical and theory tests, but a bit less because I just wanted to be able to drive.
Now, I do not really have to do it, but sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone because I want to move ahead and not restrict myself if I want to move forward. I do not have many GCSEs and I do not want to go back to college to resit maths or English. I tried that and got functional skills in one, if not both, but it was not for me. If having a manual licence would open up doors, I would need to be able to drive both. I think employers will be focused on this, knowlege of cars, etc rather than academic qualifications maybe for something like a school teacher youd need good grades and all that or just more academic roles. Because I am into cars, driving different models and everything, it has always bothered me being someone interested in cars who can only drive an automatic and missing out on certain models that are only available in manual. Plus, if I want to work in a car-related job, it would be a lot better if I could drive a manual.
Comments
Hey @Redemption - thank you for sharing this with us.
-
It is great that you want to get your manual licence as you think it could really can open up some new opportunities for you. But it is understandable that you are feeling anxious about it, it is completely normal for new things like this to feel really daunting. I wonder if going out with your uncle for a really short drive would help get rid of some of those nerves?
-
The pressure of taking a driving test is something that a lot of people find really scary, so you aren't alone there. Like you say, you have the experience of driving automatic cars so there is less to learn than starting from scratch, but any big test can bring anxiety.
-
It can be really easy to compare yourself to others and feel like you are behind, but everyone has their own timeline in life - it is hard not to worry but there are no set ages where you have to have completed certain milestones.
-
It sounds like you have a lot of motivation to learn to drive in a manual, which is great! Is there one particular thing that you could focus on and use as motivation to carry on when your anxiety might start to creep in?
I hear you @Redemption and it makes a lot of sense that you feel nervous about this. What you’re saying shows a lot of thought and self-awareness and it’s clear how much this matters to you. It’s understandable to feel scared about booking the test and such but it also sounds like you already know a lot and that you can handle this. Making a few mistakes is completely normal and it does not take away from your capability.
It’s nice to hear that you want to push yourself out of your comfort zone and not let fear hold you back. Wanting to grow, explore your interests in cars and open up new opportunities is such a good motivator and it’s okay to take your learning at your own pace. Every small step you take is progress. You deserve to achieve this for yourself and you can do this.