{"id":28004,"date":"2025-12-11T11:10:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T11:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/?p=28004"},"modified":"2025-12-11T11:10:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T11:10:08","slug":"i-love-learning-now-i-hated-education-before-and-the-ou-changed-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/student-stories\/i-love-learning-now-i-hated-education-before-and-the-ou-changed-that\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI love learning now – I hated education before, and the OU changed that.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Psychology Masters<\/a> graduate Jonathan left home aged 18, he was looking forward to the adventures university life would bring. By his second year, what started as an occasional flutter for fun had descended into a serious gambling habit that took hold of Jonathan\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

Now 30, Jonathan is free of gambling and works for a charity raising awareness of gambling harms. Jonathan shares how discovering The Open University sparked the self-belief he needed to push ahead with his career and work towards life-changing outcomes in his field.<\/p>\n

A new path<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Despite all the challenges he faced, Jonathan managed to complete his degree but was faced with rejections when he tried to take the next step.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of everything I\u2019d been through, I wanted to take a Masters in Psychology so I could help others struggling with addiction,\u201d Jonathan explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith a third-class degree, doors were slamming in my face, it was an absolute killer for my confidence. But with the OU, I wasn\u2019t judged, they saw I was a different person and not defined by mistakes I made years ago.”<\/p>\n

Embarking on a Psychology Masters six years after he graduated, Jonathan questioned his ability to study at a higher level.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, I doubted myself. I\u2019d been out of education for six years, but my tutor booked calls with me in the evening when I\u2019d finished work and helped me to build my confidence,\u201d Jonathan recalls. \u201cI love learning now – I hated education before, and the OU changed that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learning to suit you<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Reflecting on his OU experience, Jonathan describes how finding an approach to learning that suited him was a gamechanger.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking back, going away to a brick university just wasn\u2019t for me. The OU allowed me to study at my own pace, without the pressure of keeping up with others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jonathan adds, \u201cI wasn\u2019t competing with anyone else \u2014 just challenging myself. I was in control. With the OU, if you\u2019re not in the right headspace, you can come back later and won\u2019t get left behind. That makes all the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now a proud graduate, Jonathan recently celebrated with his family at the OU\u2019s ceremony in Manchester.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mum\u2019s my biggest supporter, she\u2019s always been there for me, especially when I was having a tough time, so achieving this Masters is a win for her, the rest of my family and my amazing team at work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding his calling<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A few months into his OU course, Jonathan landed his dream job, working for Beacon Counselling Trust<\/a> \u2013 an education, treatment and support charity specialising in gambling harms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI deliver education programmes to professionals in all sorts of settings \u2013 schools, prisons, universities\u2026 anywhere we can have an impact,\u201d says Jonathan. \u201cWhat\u2019s that old saying about if you do something you love, you\u2019ll never do a day\u2019s work in your life? That\u2019s exactly how I feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he\u2019s not at work, Jonathan still likes to research and learn about the psychology of addiction and gambling. And if that wasn\u2019t enough to keep him busy, Jonathan\u2019s finishing an epic year of fundraising<\/a> for the suicide bereavement arm of the charity he works for, Paul\u2019s Place<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout 2025, I\u2019ve been completing 13 major running events, including 3 full marathons and 9 half marathons \u2013 I\u2019ve got loads of blisters and a couple of dodgy toenails, but it will be worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A strong drive for change<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Photo

Jonathan on one of his many fundraising marathons<\/p><\/div>\n

Keen to share his story to show others that there\u2019s support out there, Jonathan remembers his own turning point.<\/p>\n

\u201cI signed up to GAMSTOP, a self-exclusion scheme to take away the temptation of online gambling and managed to get some of the money I\u2019d lost back,\u201d Jonathan explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot everyone\u2019s experience is the same – I\u2019ve heard of people in the same position not getting the help they need and the consequences can be tragic. That\u2019s always been my motivation to make the most of the opportunities I\u2019ve been given.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking to the future, Jonathan is determined to drive positive change through his research and professional practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m about to start a Public Health PhD, carrying out research into early intervention for gambling harms. I know in my case, there were a few missed opportunities, and while there\u2019s tonnes of research on how to treat people in crisis, wouldn\u2019t it be better to pick up the issues earlier and prevent a lot of suffering?\u201d<\/p>\n

Now with a career he loves, Jonathan has this advice to anyone considering OU study:<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think I\u2019d ever get a second opportunity, and the OU made that possible – I felt supported all the way. You don\u2019t know what you\u2019re capable of until you try, so find something you\u2019re passionate about and go for it!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Inspired by Jonathan\u2019s story? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Discover your way to make a difference and find your perfect course<\/a> today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Psychology Masters graduate Jonathan left home aged 18, he was looking forward to the adventures university life would bring. By his second year, what started as an occasional flutter for fun had descended into a serious gambling habit that took hold of Jonathan\u2019s life. Now 30, Jonathan is free of gambling and works for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":28005,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[860,1525,1640,1643,1849,2142],"class_list":["post-28004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-stories","tag-faculty-of-fass","tag-news-home","tag-ou-home","tag-ou-news","tag-psychology","tag-student-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28004","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\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28004"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28004\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28008,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28004\/revisions\/28008"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}