{"id":27715,"date":"2025-09-09T11:36:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T10:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/?p=27715"},"modified":"2025-09-09T11:42:37","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T10:42:37","slug":"youre-not-just-improving-your-career-prospects-youre-learning-about-yourself-at-the-same-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/arts-social-sciences\/society-politics\/youre-not-just-improving-your-career-prospects-youre-learning-about-yourself-at-the-same-time\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018You\u2019re not just improving your career prospects, you\u2019re learning about yourself at the same time\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Working towards a degree was something Jack, 28, always assumed was in his future. After leaving school, Jack set off for a campus university but with no financial support to lean on, soon found it unsustainable. When a housemate told him about The Open University\u2019s flexible courses, Jack couldn\u2019t wait to dive in.<\/p>\n

Now a proud Politics, Philosophy and Economics<\/a> graduate, Jack shares why he thinks OU study is the perfect solution for young people who need to earn while they learn.<\/p>\n

Study that fits around life<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Finding it impossible to fit a fixed, in-person timetable around his full-time job, Jack had a difficult decision to make at the end of his first year of university.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always thought of myself as someone who would complete a degree, but the higher education system is skewed towards those with financial support,\u201d explains Jack. \u201cI really didn\u2019t want to give up on university, but with rent and bills to pay, I needed to work more hours than I could fit around my lectures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Accepting his situation, Jack searched for opportunities to move out of the retail sector and build up his work experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked for a green energy company for a while and then in customer service, but I wasn\u2019t stimulated mentally,\u201d Jack remembers. \u201cThen someone in my house share told me about her OU experience – she had the freedom to give her all to her job and still pursue a passion for learning \u2013 that really appealed to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Inspired by his housemate, Jack decided to embark on his own OU journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing someone else doing it and how they managed to incorporate a degree course into their working life, showed me it could be done,\u201d says Jack.<\/p>\n

Keen to encourage others to take the leap, Jack reflects on why OU study worked for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s flexible in so many ways. The main thing for me was being able to achieve a degree while working full time, but the way the courses are structured also make it a great way to learn,\u201d says Jack. \u201cBeing able to pick the modules you\u2019re most interested in, keeps you invested.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack adds, \u201cI think finding a subject you love is crucial because it\u2019s not easy to study for a degree in your spare time. It\u2019s a real test of how much you want it, so be sure of your motivations before you start.\u201d<\/p>\n

Developing new skills<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Gaining confidence in his ability to juggle work and study, Jack started to think about his next career move.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was looking for a role with societal impact and I was drawn to the civil service,\u201d Jack remembers.<\/p>\n

Navigating a rigorous recruitment process, Jack was grateful for the skills he\u2019d developed through OU study.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe application and interview were centred around competencies and behaviours, which gave me plenty of opportunities to showcase what I\u2019d learned from studying independently,\u201d Jack reflects. \u201cI would say that studying at the OU definitely helped me get the analyst job I wanted and set me on a new career path.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pushing through<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Starting a new job while facing into his final year, there were times when Jack needed to dig deep.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were a few months where I was on residential training courses for work and I was trying to complete my TMAs at the same time \u2013 that was tough,\u201d Jack admits. \u201cBut I had to remind myself how far I\u2019d come and give it that final push.\u201d<\/p>\n

Celebrating with his family and thousands of fellow graduates at his degree ceremony, Jack took the opportunity to look back on everything he\u2019d achieved.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a fantastic experience. I worked very hard to get there and for a period of time after leaving university the first time, I didn\u2019t think I was ever going to get a degree,\u201d says Jack.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the OU, you\u2019re not just improving your career prospects, you\u2019re learning about yourself at the same time. I have no doubt this degree will open doors for me in the future, and it\u2019s already driven me forward professionally.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Working towards a degree was something Jack, 28, always assumed was in his future. After leaving school, Jack set off for a campus university but with no financial support to lean on, soon found it unsustainable. When a housemate told him about The Open University\u2019s flexible courses, Jack couldn\u2019t wait to dive in. Now a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":27716,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,18],"tags":[1525,1640,1643,2142],"class_list":["post-27715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-society-politics","category-student-stories","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\/27715","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=27715"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27717,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27715\/revisions\/27717"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}