{"id":24847,"date":"2024-03-13T17:47:13","date_gmt":"2024-03-13T17:47:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ounews.co\/?p=24847"},"modified":"2024-03-13T17:47:13","modified_gmt":"2024-03-13T17:47:13","slug":"i-became-an-engineer-while-juggling-a-young-family-the-ou-made-it-possible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/student-stories\/i-became-an-engineer-while-juggling-a-young-family-the-ou-made-it-possible\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I became an engineer while juggling a young family \u2013 the OU made it possible\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Engineering graduate Kay, 41, set off for a weekend of live music at Bluedot<\/a> festival, she never imagined the experience would inspire her to pursue an exciting new career.<\/p>\n

Now working as an Aerodynamics Engineer, Kay looks back on how she juggled Open University (OU) study with a young family and grabbed the opportunity to make her mark in a fascinating sector.<\/p>\n

The lightbulb moment<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Held in Cheshire, Bluedot is not only a music festival, but also home to an annual celebration of science and exploration – something Kay didn\u2019t realise when she was packing her tent.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband knew all about the festival, but I had no idea it was science orientated,\u201d Kay remembers. \u201cIt was a such a cool experience. The whole environment was brilliant, all happening beneath the iconic Lovell telescope, there were talks from experts across a massive range of subjects – my mind was absolutely blown.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having taught overseas for several years, Kay and her husband had returned to their hometown in the UK to start a family and were running a small business organising holidays for cycling enthusiasts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoyed the business for a while, but it was never my dream,\u201d Kay reflects. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t until my eyes were opened at Bluedot that I realised what I wanted to do. After one of the talks I went to, someone gave me a flyer about women in engineering. There were quotes printed on the back and each one resonated with me. I was hooked.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking the leap<\/strong><\/h2>\n

With her mind firmly set on pursuing a career in engineering, Kay was determined to find a way she could study alongside caring for her daughters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew the OU had a great reputation and I loved that you could be in control of your own learning. So I took the leap and signed up,\u201d says Kay. \u201cYes, there are deadlines to meet and assignments to submit, but you can fit your study around all the other things going on in your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thrilled by the scope of her subject, Kay soon realised the breadth of opportunities an engineering degree could offer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such a varied field of study and there are different routes you can take depending on your interests,\u201d explains Kay. \u201cI was drawn to the mathematical side of engineering – I\u2019d always loved maths at school, but never fully understood how it could be used practically.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flexibility with support<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When a placement with BAE was advertised through OU channels, Kay jumped at the chance to get some industry experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to put what I\u2019d learned into practice was amazing,\u201d Kay reflects. \u201cBut it was more difficult to find the time to study. One of the best things about the OU is that you can press pause when you need to. I postponed a module while I was on placement, but there were other times throughout my degree when I had the capacity to double up on modules.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Drama as her first degree and a background in teaching, engineering was a complete change. There were times when Kay struggled with her confidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had imposter syndrome a lot. I couldn\u2019t have made it through my degree without a support network,\u201d Kay shares. \u201cMy husband and family took things off my plate when I needed it. And I developed great friendships with other engineering students – we were in the same boat, so we all supported each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Managing time<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Like many OU students with busy lives, Kay developed strategies to manage her time.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my tutors gave me a useful tip \u2013 make a diary of everything you need to do in your week and work out what\u2019s fixed, what can be shifted and what can be taken away completely,\u201d Kay suggests.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat way, you can find your slots to squeeze in some study. OU students become experts at making the most of their time – I became an engineer while juggling a young family, the OU made it possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being a STEM ambassador<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A strong believer in tackling inequalities in the sector, Kay is an active STEM ambassador delivering outreach programmes in schools and other institutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s still a huge disparity between the number of men and women in engineering roles and that spurs me on,\u201d Kay says. \u201cI work with STEM Learning<\/a> and I love challenging the preconceptions of what an engineer is \u2013 I hope by doing this, more girls will explore STEM related careers.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked why someone might consider an engineering career, Kay\u2019s love for her work shines through.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo it to prove something to yourself and other people. Do it for the endless career prospects. Do it for the excitement! For example, I now work in aerodynamics and I understand how the smallest change on the surface of a plane can affect its ability to fly \u2013 isn\u2019t that incredible?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kay adds, \u201cWith the OU you can get an industry respected qualification while you manage your other commitments. Juggling everything can be tough, but the tutors are always there when you need them and the support from the student community is amazing. I can\u2019t think of a reason not to go for it!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Engineering graduate Kay, 41, set off for a weekend of live music at Bluedot festival, she never imagined the experience would inspire her to pursue an exciting new career. Now working as an Aerodynamics Engineer, Kay looks back on how she juggled Open University (OU) study with a young family and grabbed the opportunity […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":24848,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[1643,2142],"class_list":["post-24847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-stories","tag-ou-news","tag-student-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24847","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\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24847\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}