{"id":23202,"date":"2023-04-18T11:08:18","date_gmt":"2023-04-18T10:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ounews.co\/?p=23202"},"modified":"2023-04-18T11:08:18","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T10:08:18","slug":"from-a-plane-to-a-cafe-in-paris-i-can-study-anywhere-with-the-ou","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/science-mct\/from-a-plane-to-a-cafe-in-paris-i-can-study-anywhere-with-the-ou\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018From a plane to a caf\u00e9 in Paris, I can study anywhere with the OU\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the flexibility of The Open University (OU), Colm, 32, has been able to study whilst travelling the world. Originally from Ireland, Colm has spent the last eight years working towards a Bachelor of Engineering<\/a>, alongside his adventurous life living in Budapest and Madrid.<\/p>\n

Earning and learning<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Colm was attracted to OU study, as he wanted a new challenge that would fit around his full-time job as a software developer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was getting bored working with software all the time, which is why I wanted to expand my skills with engineering. I needed to keep my day job, so the flexibility of being able to study in my spare time was important,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe OU gave me that flexibility, which meant I could study in the morning before I started work, or in the evening. I also wasn’t bound to a physical campus, which allowed me the freedom to travel with my job.\u201d<\/p>\n

International reach<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Colm\u2019s job presented him with opportunities to work abroad, firstly in Budapest, Hungary and in the last seven months, in Madrid, Spain.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter securing a job offer with travel and tourism company, TUI, my fianc\u00e9 and I packed our bags and moved to Madrid. I love travelling and learning, and this opportunity felt like the perfect next step.”<\/p>\n

Colm says having the OU on his CV has already helped him to progress in his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m now a software quality assurance specialist, which is more technical and a step up from my previous role. The analytical and problem-solving skills that I\u2019ve learnt in my engineering degree, as well as the soft skills that I\u2019ve gained of time management, have been vital to securing this new role.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy OU degree has also benefitted me when applying for other roles and has been a great selling point to recruiters and prospective employers. I\u2019ve been told in interviews that having a lifelong commitment to learning is an appealing asset, which is great to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pressing pause on studies<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Colm has also benefitted from being able to defer his degree to suit changes in his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve taken various breaks throughout my studies, including a year off when I moved to Madrid, as I was experiencing burnout and needed to take a break.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like that I could step away from studies and come back to them when I was ready.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important when there\u2019s too many balls in the air, that you stop and take time. It\u2019s a matter of pride and a point of principle for me that I\u2019d like to share with other OU students, to let them know that it\u2019s okay to put yourself first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Travelling the world with his degree<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As well as living abroad, Colm enjoys exploring new countries in his spare time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe flexibility of the OU is still one of my favourite things, as it allows me to travel the world. I\u2019ve studied in a variety of different places, including a plane going from Dublin to Boston, a train with my dog next to me while I went from Budapest to Vienna, and munching lunch in a caf\u00e9 in Paris. All I need is my tablet and I\u2019m able to access my OU course anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

For prospective and current OU students, Colm has some advice.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have nothing to lose. I’m a testament to the fact that you can study anywhere and at any time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have something you’re genuinely interested in, that you\u2019d like to explore, the OU has everything you need.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019d like to dip your toe in the water, check out the OU\u2019s OpenLearn<\/a> site, which is completely free and allows you to try a small section of a course.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd to anybody currently studying with the OU, I\u2019d say do little and often, even if it\u2019s just 20 minutes whilst you wait for your bus. You\u2019ll be surprised what you can achieve in that time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inspired by Colm\u2019s journey? Start your own<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Discover your perfect career-boosting course at the OU and get the flexibility to learn around your life. Choose your course.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the flexibility of The Open University (OU), Colm, 32, has been able to study whilst travelling the world. Originally from Ireland, Colm has spent the last eight years working towards a Bachelor of Engineering, alongside his adventurous life living in Budapest and Madrid. Earning and learning Colm was attracted to OU study, as he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":23216,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,18],"tags":[1525,1640],"class_list":["post-23202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-mct","category-student-stories","tag-news-home","tag-ou-home"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23202","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\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23202\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}