Hampered by low confidence, Kyle, 36, rejected the place he was offered at a campus university, despite his lifelong dream of achieving a degree.<\/p>\n
Now studying Arts and Humanities<\/a> at The Open University (OU), Kyle shares how a promise to his late nan gave him the strength to fulfil his potential and unleash an insatiable love for learning.<\/p>\n Kyle yearned for higher education, but a lack of self-belief thwarted each attempt to make it happen.<\/p>\n \u201cI applied to university a few times, and was accepted, but when it came to it, I just couldn\u2019t get over the line,\u201d Kyle explains. \u201cI\u2019d struggled with my confidence for a long time, and it held me back.\u201d<\/p>\n With a close relationship to Kyle, his nan understood how important it was for him to pursue his dream.<\/p>\n \u201cMy nan knew how much it meant to me to carry on with education,\u201d says Kyle. \u201cBefore she died, I promised her that I\u2019d get my degree, but it wasn\u2019t until I discovered The Open University that I truly believed it.\u201d<\/p>\n Needing to maintain his income while he studied, Kyle realised that distance learning could be the answer.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t say I had full confidence when I signed up to do my first module, but I knew I wanted to make some changes in my life and the OU seemed like a great option,\u201d Kyle recalls. \u201c<\/p>\n Kyle was set on studying history, a subject that had always fascinated him, until one module unlocked a completely new passion.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d never come across Classics before and I can\u2019t believe how much I love the subject,\u201d Kyle enthuses. \u201cOU degrees are modular, so you can switch the focus of your degree if something sparks your interest.\u201d<\/p>\n Now working towards an Arts and Humanities degree specialising in Classics, Kyle\u2019s confidence is growing.<\/p>\n \u201cStudying doesn\u2019t feel like a chore because it\u2019s so interesting,\u201d says Kyle. \u201cI went into it just wanting to pass, but once marks and feedback come through, you learn what\u2019s needed to get higher grades and it starts to mean more than you ever thought it would.\u201d<\/p>\n With confidence issues to overcome, leaning into the support available at the OU has helped Kyle believe in himself.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are people you meet along the way, who make the journey worthwhile,\u201d says Kyle. \u201cThe support I\u2019ve had from my tutors has been amazing. There have been times I felt like a pest, but they went out of their way to help me.\u201d<\/p>\n Keen to make the most of his OU experience, Kyle is an active member of the student community.<\/p>\n \u201cI love the fact you get to connect with other students,\u201d says Kyle. \u201cYou can interact with people from all backgrounds, hear differing opinions and get involved in discussions. It adds to the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n With a career change on his mind, Kyle has already engaged with the OU\u2019s Careers and Employability Services<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cStudying Classics, everyone assumes I want to be a teacher, but that\u2019s not for me,\u201d Kyle explains. \u201cThe careers advisors are absolutely brilliant. They make you realise all the transferable skills you\u2019re developing through studying \u2013 self-motivation, communication, independence \u2013 all of which helps when you start applying for jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n Not only studying while working full-time, but Kyle has also bagged new qualifications through work.<\/p>\n \u201cLooking back, I don\u2019t know how I did it, but I did two level 3 NVQs last academic year,\u201d Kyle reflects. \u201cI must admit, I felt very proud getting through all of that. Imposter syndrome still creeps in, but I\u2019m learning to manage it.\u201d<\/p>\n When self-doubt gets the better of him, Kyle knows it\u2019s time to take a break.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it all feels too much, I need a change of scenery \u2013 four walls can feel like a trap in your mind,\u201d Kyle shares. \u201cI\u2019ll go out for a bite to eat and try to clear my head, then I always come back fresher.\u201d<\/p>\n Spurred on by every assignment passed and his newfound love for Classics, Kyle looks to the future.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like I never want to stop learning, OU study has been so good for my mental health – there\u2019s always someone to support you,\u201d says Kyle. \u201cI\u2019m still working on my confidence, but it\u2019s the best it\u2019s ever been, thanks to the OU.<\/p>\n Register by 5th September<\/a> to start your OU journey if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be an OU student, we’ve got you covered. Head over to Instagram<\/a> to find out what happened when Kyle teamed up with content creator Kyran Nijjar<\/a>, to share a typical day of\u00a0juggling work, social life and OU study.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hampered by low confidence, Kyle, 36, rejected the place he was offered at a campus university, despite his lifelong dream of achieving a degree. Now studying Arts and Humanities at The Open University (OU), Kyle shares how a promise to his late nan gave him the strength to fulfil his potential and unleash an insatiable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":25660,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,8,18],"tags":[858,1525,1640,1643,2142],"class_list":["post-25659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-classics","category-history","category-student-stories","tag-faculty-of-arts-and-social-sciences","tag-news-home","tag-ou-home","tag-ou-news","tag-student-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25659","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=25659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Taking the plunge<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Inspiring content<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Support to succeed<\/strong><\/h2>\n
One step at a time<\/strong><\/h2>\n