I deffinatley wouldn't be put off studying the subject. Blackburn offers a range of photography courses for all ages and abilities. I'm just finishing my BA there, which makes this my fifth year studying photography at Blackburn
I just traveled to NYC to shoot my final project for it --
New York City 2009 - a set on Flickr a taster of the final work is up there :P
if your into street photography I'd recommend getting out of accy and wandering the streets of some larger cities with your camera... be brave and vigilant and don't let peoples reactions put you off! as I told someone in NYC "If you don't want photographing don't come out in public" sounds a bit harsh but it's the truth...
A good way to learn is to get yourself on flickr or deviant art, they are great community websites and you get a lot of constructive criticism on your work.