{"id":8955,"date":"2026-07-01T15:58:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T14:58:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/?p=8955"},"modified":"2026-07-01T15:58:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T14:58:33","slug":"find-your-goal-and-inspiration-in-ou-study-like-stuart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/?p=8955","title":{"rendered":"Find your goal and inspiration in OU study, like Stuart"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>OU student and disabled veteran Stuart describes his OU journey as one of \u2018resilience, struggle and growth<\/em>\u2019. After being medically discharged from the military following 23 years of service, he felt lost and unsure what to do next. Studying towards a BA (Honours) History degree gave him focus and motivation to move forwards in a new direction: \u201cI had a purpose to carry on.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Find out how to develop your career resilience<\/a> and make a career change<\/a> to confidently navigate unforeseen circumstances like Stuart.<\/p>\n

Choosing a subject to study<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When deciding to study History, Stuart considered what subject he would most enjoy studying, as well as his career goals:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was doing my degree, I wanted to pick a subject that I knew I could focus on. It would interest me and give me a goal at the end that I would achieve my degree\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201ca big goal of mine was to <\/em>become a teacher<\/em><\/a>\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Explore careers that match your interests<\/a> and have a go at the activities in Your Career Planning Guide<\/a> to reveal what really motivates you.<\/p>\n

Motivation through achievement<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Stuart explains how achieving milestone qualifications along the way to his final degree really helped to motivate him to keep going and gave him that sense of achievement that he had missed out on at school:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most rewarding parts are achieving my Certificate of Education. And I\u2019ve just recently got my Diploma of Education as well\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Discover career options with your qualification<\/a> and motivate yourself to work towards an exciting future too.<\/p>\n

Building resilience <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Being medically discharged from the military was a huge change for Stuart:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you get injured in the military, you\u2019re almost left behind\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Find out how to successfully deal with career challenges<\/a> like Stuart and get support if you\u2019re facing redundancy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can also find help to transition from a military to a civilian career<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Get inspired and define your goals<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Watch Stuart\u2019s video to discover more about his journey:<\/p>\n