{"id":27191,"date":"2025-05-12T09:58:25","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T08:58:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/?p=27191"},"modified":"2025-05-12T09:58:25","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T08:58:25","slug":"ou-study-helped-me-get-ahead-in-my-career-before-i-even-graduated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/student-stories\/ou-study-helped-me-get-ahead-in-my-career-before-i-even-graduated\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018OU study helped me get ahead in my career before I even graduated\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rather than following the same path to higher education as her peers Jaz, 24, was itching to start work and earn her independence. Still determined to achieve a degree, Jaz discovered The Open University\u2019s flexible distance learning courses and never looked back.<\/p>\n

Now a proud Business Management (Marketing)<\/a> graduate, Jaz shares her thoughts on how learning while earning can give you the edge in a competitive job market.<\/p>\n

Carving her own path<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Having left school and already secured an intern position with a successful software business, Jaz didn\u2019t want to choose between her career and higher education, so she set about finding a way to do both.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was loving my work, so I wanted to learn more about business and marketing,\u201d Jaz remembers. \u201cMost of my friends were physically attending a university and I knew that wouldn\u2019t fit with my job, so I started searching online for other options.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding that she could study for a degree while she was working full-time was a game-changer for Jaz.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came across the OU, I just had to give it a go,\u201d says Jaz. \u201cIt was really straightforward to apply and distance learning fitted perfectly with my lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n

A winning combination<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Choosing a course that was relevant to her job kick started Jaz\u2019s career earlier than she could have imagined.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was brilliant because I could apply what I was learning to my work straight away,\u201d Jaz explains. \u201cIt worked the other way round as well. Often what I was learning on my course resonated because I could relate it to things I\u2019d done at work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Impressed by Jaz\u2019s motivation to upskill, her employer was totally on board with her studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone at my company has been super supportive. I\u2019ve been promoted from intern to sales executive, and when I mentioned how much I loved the marketing element of my degree, my manager allowed me to split my role between the sales and marketing departments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jaz adds, \u201cI feel privileged to have had these opportunities before I even graduated. OU study gave me the confidence to present my own ideas and there\u2019s no way I would be working in marketing now if I hadn\u2019t discovered the OU.\u201d<\/p>\n

You\u2019re not alone<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Juggling work and study wasn\u2019t always easy, but Jaz recognised when it was time to lean into the support on offer.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt one point, I was really struggling and thought about giving up,\u201d admits Jaz. \u201cI spoke to my tutors, who were so understanding and willing to do anything they could to ease the pressure. The support they gave me was exactly what I needed to push through and get to the finish line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout her studies, connecting with other students helped Jaz overcome feelings of self-doubt.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a whole student community to lift you up when you need it,\u201d says Jaz. \u201cWe all helped each other on our What\u2019s App group – that snapped me out of my insecurity and spurred me on \u2013 you\u2019re never alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Big plans for the future<\/strong><\/h2>\n

After celebrating her graduation at The Barbican last year, Jaz reflects on her OU experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so proud of myself at my graduation ceremony \u2013 it was an emotional experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jaz laughs, \u201cI would never have believed this in those moments when I was struggling, but I actually miss studying!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would recommend the OU to anybody. It\u2019s so flexible that whatever your age, educational background or circumstances in life; you\u2019ll be supported all the way – the OU has got you covered.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jaz goes on to say, \u201cI\u2019ve been recommending the OU to everyone I know because I really do think anyone can do it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Already making strides in business, Jaz has big plans for the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m definitely further ahead in my career than I would have been if I\u2019d gone to a campus university. Having the flexibility to study while gaining work experience makes so much sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jaz adds, \u201cI\u2019m in a great position and I love where I am right now. The dream is to have my own marketing agency in the future, and I think what I learned at the OU will help me get there.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rather than following the same path to higher education as her peers Jaz, 24, was itching to start work and earn her independence. Still determined to achieve a degree, Jaz discovered The Open University\u2019s flexible distance learning courses and never looked back. Now a proud Business Management (Marketing) graduate, Jaz shares her thoughts on how […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":27193,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,18],"tags":[859,1640,1643,2142],"class_list":["post-27191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-student-stories","tag-faculty-of-business-and-law","tag-ou-home","tag-ou-news","tag-student-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27191","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=27191"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27247,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27191\/revisions\/27247"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}