At the age of 17, Chido left school to start a family, putting her academic goals to one side. After years of feeling she\u2019d missed out on the degree she yearned for, Chido is chasing her ambition of becoming a professor.<\/p>\n
Now 39, busy mum and mental health support worker, Chido, shares how she manages to fit study around two jobs and family life, whilst dreaming big for the future.<\/p>\n
With young children to look after and her partner studying full-time, Chido was itching to pick up her education, but wasn\u2019t sure how.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew that physically attending a university wasn\u2019t possible until my partner finished his degree, but I didn\u2019t want to wait,\u201d Chido explains. \u201cI started searching around the UCAS website and that\u2019s how I discovered the OU \u2013 it was the perfect solution for my situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Excited by the prospect of learning again, Chido enrolled on her first Psychology<\/a> OU module as soon as she could.<\/p>\n \u201cI love the flexibility the OU offers. I can get on with my life while I complete my studies. I\u2019ve learned to be really disciplined with my time,\u201d says Chido.<\/p>\n Working across a variety of locations, with school runs and children\u2019s activities in the mix, Chido tries to make the most of any downtime in her day.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause I\u2019m travelling from one place to another, I often find myself with time to kill between appointments or pick-ups,\u201d Chido describes. \u201cSo, I always have my course materials with me, and I make the most of those gaps by squeezing in some study \u2013 with the OU, you can literally study anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n As a support worker for adults with learning disabilities, Chido\u2019s studies have already made a difference at work.<\/p>\n \u201cStudying has helped me better understand the people I work with,\u201d she says. \u201cThe course and my job complement each other perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n Having been out of formal education for several years, Chido took a little time to adjust to studying independently.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first started, there were moments when I worried that I wasn\u2019t smart enough,\u201d admits Chido. \u201cConnecting with other students really helped, it was a comfort to know that I wasn\u2019t alone and lots of people felt the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n Embracing the OU\u2019s student community has become a source of motivation for Chido, spurring her on when she needs it.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I\u2019ve been putting something off, knowing that others have made more progress keeps me on track,\u201d Chido says. \u201cThe forum for people on my module is amazing. Everyone\u2019s so helpful and comes up with different ways of looking at things.\u201d<\/p>\n Growing in confidence all the time, Chido grabs every opportunity for tutor support.<\/p>\n \u201cTutorials are great for explaining the course content in more depth, and they\u2019re recorded if you can\u2019t catch them live,\u201d says Chido. \u201cEven if I still don\u2019t understand something I can get in touch with my tutor, who always responds quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n Chido adds, \u201cMy module tutor is amazing. I\u2019ve taken all the feedback I\u2019ve received and applied it, and I\u2019m already getting higher grades in my assignments. I had a little self-doubt at first, but now I know I\u2019m getting it.\u201d<\/p>\n With her eye on the finish line, Chido has her career path mapped out.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce I graduate, I want to be a therapist, then with that experience, take my academic career further and work towards become a professor,\u201d Chido shares.<\/p>\n Having so many commitments to juggle, Chido reflects on what keeps her motivated to study.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like I\u2019d let myself down by not furthering my education when I was younger, but now the OU has given me the opportunity to pursue my dream career,\u201d says Chido. \u201cMy aunt is an inspiration \u2013 she\u2019s an expert in the field of psychology and a professor at the University of West London. I\u2019d love to follow in her footsteps.\u201d<\/p>\n Determined to fulfil her potential, Chido reflects on her OU experience so far, keen to encourage others to see where an OU degree can take them.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d say to anyone thinking about their next step, to consider OU study. I\u2019m really happy with the support I get – the OU is a brilliant university! I know if I stick with it and dedicate myself, I\u2019ll have the career I\u2019ve always dreamed of.\u201d<\/p>\n Step into your future with the support of the OU. Register before 5 September<\/a> for courses starting this October and discover what you\u2019re capable of.<\/p>\n Find out if Chido is \u2018The Smartest in Their Space\u2019<\/a>\u00a0in the one and only OU themed game show, in partnership with Word on the Curb. Catch all four episodes on\u00a0YouTube<\/a>\u00a0where OU students and well known content creators battle it out for the coveted trophy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At the age of 17, Chido left school to start a family, putting her academic goals to one side. After years of feeling she\u2019d missed out on the degree she yearned for, Chido is chasing her ambition of becoming a professor. Now 39, busy mum and mental health support worker, Chido, shares how she manages […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":25431,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,18],"tags":[1526,2142],"class_list":["post-25402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychology","category-student-stories","tag-news-home-ou-home","tag-student-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25402","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=25402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Building confidence<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Looking to the future<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Inspired by Chido\u2019s story?<\/strong><\/h2>\n