{"id":21196,"date":"2022-05-31T11:00:06","date_gmt":"2022-05-31T10:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ounews.co\/?p=21196"},"modified":"2022-05-31T11:00:06","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T10:00:06","slug":"im-studying-so-i-can-set-up-my-own-environmental-consultancy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/student-stories\/im-studying-so-i-can-set-up-my-own-environmental-consultancy\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI\u2019m studying so I can set up my own environmental consultancy\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Proud Open University student Kevin Odhiambo Onyango lives in Kenya and is studying for his MSc in Environmental Management<\/a> \u2013 in preparation for setting up his own environmental consultancy firm. He shares how OU study has changed his life so far.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am finding my experience of being an international OU student very exciting because I\u2019m interacting with students from other parts of the world through the online tutorials. This has really shaped my thinking and helped me to become a global citizen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudying internationally makes it possible for me to learn from global academics and worldwide experts and also gives me access to journals and books that would be expensive for me to acquire locally.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI plan to complete my Master\u2019s degree and then set up an environmental consultancy firm, working for my local and international community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to progress in my career\u201d<\/h3>\n

Kevin already had a BSc in Environmental Science from Maseno University when he enrolled with The Open University but wanted to study further to enable him to progress his career and become an environmental management consultant with his own business. He is currently working for a non-governmental organisation called UHAI Kenya, which supports the human rights of smallholder farmers, fisherfolks and gender minorities.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cI enrolled with the OU because I want to progress in my career and become an expert in my field\u202fof study. I want to specialise as an environmental management consultant, so I chose the course to help me do this, because my previous degree was more general.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Kevin added: \u201cAlready, I have been able to perfect my skills in critical thinking and discuss environmental management issues with ease. So far, I have managed to learn and expand my knowledge on how I view environmental management, and this means I am able to analyse issues while drawing on referenced supporting facts and information.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin was able to get a Commonwealth Scholarship from the British Council to fund his studies, designed to support talented individuals with the potential to make a positive impact globally.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to study while working full time\u201d<\/h3>\n

Thanks to the OU\u2019s flexible, supported distance learning model, Kevin has been able to continue working in Kenya while he studies \u2013 which is one of the reasons he chose the OU.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe flexibility and convenience offered by the OU allows students to study while continuing with their daily activities, like work,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is what made me choose The Open University. It is so important, because I didn\u2019t want to leave my job in order to enrol for my studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am able to study even when I am travelling thanks to the tools provided by OU. The mobile app has been incredibly helpful for me and is very interactive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin has also found the OU\u2019s study planner to be a great help when it comes to organising his busy life.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best thing about OU study is that it has a very interactive website that offers a study planner,\u201d he said. \u201cThis can help students to plan how to study and check on their progress. Using this, I have developed a study plan, which I use to help me fit in all my activities each day. In doing so, I can ensure that I dedicate time to cover each topic in my course.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has also found the OU to be understanding when it comes to life\u2019s unexpected problems which get in the way of studying.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cThere was a day I was very ill and couldn’t manage to finish my TMA on time and I had to ask for an extension. I explained the situation to my tutor and she granted this with no problems. They know that sometimes life gets in the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

“No dream is too big”<\/h3>\n

Kevin has been impressed with the quality of the OU\u2019s materials and believes there\u2019s no better place he could have chosen to do distance learning internationally.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cAll the OU materials are very much up to date with the current academic needs and the tutors are always ready to help and available. They even organise tutorials on other channels like WhatsApp in order to reach students.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would definitely do more studies with the OU. I am a very proud international student and am delighted to be associated with a global brand like The Open University. I would love to enrol for an OU PhD in the future and continue with my career development. I\u2019d even love to become a tutor for the OU!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He says he will use his Master\u2019s degree to inspire those around him to change their lives, like he has.<\/p>\n

Kevin added: \u201cAs the first-born child in our family, I am a pacesetter. In achieving my Master\u2019s degree, I will be illustrating to my siblings and community around me that no dream is too big, as long as you believe in yourself.<\/p>\n

“OU study has changed my life. I will now be able to accomplish my dream of becoming an environmental expert. It is the best place for distance learning if you want to experience quality international education. I\u2019d urge those who haven’t enrolled yet to do so, and to give it their best shot.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Proud Open University student Kevin Odhiambo Onyango lives in Kenya and is studying for his MSc in Environmental Management \u2013 in preparation for setting up his own environmental consultancy firm. He shares how OU study has changed his life so far. \u201cI am finding my experience of being an international OU student very exciting because […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21197,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[1157,1390,1525,1640,2146],"class_list":["post-21196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-stories","tag-international","tag-masters","tag-news-home","tag-ou-home","tag-students"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21196\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}