When John McAteer got his first degree from Aberdeen University, Margaret Thatcher was in Number 10 and Donald Trump was little more than an up-and-coming real estate developer.
A lot has changed in the 40 years since then, but it was with a similar sense of pride that he graduated for a second time this week.
The 63 year-old from Oyne in Aberdeenshire came back to the university to study for his masters degree after spending decades working in the oil industry.
Returing to the same building where he had studied geography in 1979, he has now graduated with a master of science degree in the archaeology of the north.
Following a 30-year career in the oil and gas industry, Mr McAteer was keen for a a new challenge.
After researching the courses that the university had to offer, settled on archaeology.
Mr McAteer said: “There was an element of nostalgia involved, plus the amusement that I was back studying there after so long.
“Needless to say this meant that many of my conversations began with the words ‘back in my day’.”
He added: “I promised myself a long time ago that I would never sit another exam and was determined to stick to that.
“The reason I returned to university was to see whether, after over 30 years in the oil industry, I was capable of learning something completely different.”
Having to initially delay his studies for a year after having a full knee replacement, he experienced plenty of highlights thereafter.
“My first pint in the St.Machar bar after 40 years was definitely a highlight, as was the Orkney field trip.
“But it was difficult to return to structured education with the requirement to read a large amount of material and adopt a very different style of writing to what I had become used to.”
Following his graduation, the he is looking forward to volunteering for local archaeological digs and plans, in time, to take on another degree.
Returning to the Granite City after studying in Edinburgh, Stuart Thomson adapted to the “new normal” in order to pursue his interest in psychology.
Spurred on by the history of the university, the 40-year-old said it was an easy decision to return home and attain his masters degree.
He said: “Obviously, in March earlier this year, we had to quickly adapt to a new form of learning as the country went into lockdown.
“I was grateful to have had the opportunity by then to get to know my co-students and much of the relevant staff, which helped with the process.”
Having studied marketing, Mr Thomson had started a small holiday lets property company in Edinburgh’s Old Town which welcomed guests from around the world.
“I found myself missing a lot of family time and felt I wanted a change of scene.
“So, after selling up, I was very glad to get back to Aberdeen to pursue my interest in psychology with a little more control over my time.”
Graduating with a distinction, a number of additional roles also appealed to Mr Thomson throughout the academic year as he served as a student representative and programme ambassador.
After his most recent academic achievement he is now working towards his masters of research psychology at the university and plans to apply for PhD studentships to begin in autumn 2021.
Mr Thomson added: “The only really disappointing factor is the cancellation of all in-person graduation ceremonies this year, but I will be graduating again next year from Aberdeen University, so perhaps I can combine the two, but I do feel sorry for those whose only opportunity it may have been.”
