{"id":28525,"date":"2026-07-30T16:02:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T15:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/?p=28525"},"modified":"2026-08-28T09:40:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T08:40:56","slug":"its-like-having-a-cheat-code-how-the-ou-helped-graduate-kianna-get-ahead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/student-stories\/its-like-having-a-cheat-code-how-the-ou-helped-graduate-kianna-get-ahead\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s like having a cheat code\u2019: how an Open University degree helped Kianna get ahead"},"content":{"rendered":"

After leaving school, Kianna was facing a familiar choice: go to university or stay focused on her career. Everything felt like a compromise \u2013 until her mum encouraged her to consider The Open University.<\/p>\n

Now a proud Business Management<\/a> graduate, Kianna, 25, shares how she was able to stay local, progress into leadership roles and save thousands compared to friends her age.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to learn whilst earning, it’s definitely accelerated me a lot faster than other graduates that I know,\u201d she shares.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Open University has changed my life massively. If you told me three years ago, I genuinely couldn’t believe that I’m here in this place and position right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

University that works around you<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Choosing the OU meant Kianna could shape her studies around what mattered most to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew that I wanted to stay at home so that I could be close to my family and friends and continue working. I was able to achieve things, but also while still having a life and a social life.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe OU is just so great because it allows you to work where you don’t have set lessons. I felt very much in control of when I needed to study and what I needed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting ahead while studying<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cThroughout university, I\u2019ve always worked in menswear and recently started a new role as a supervisor,\u201d explains Kianna.<\/p>\n

She says that combining work and study has given her an edge and impressed employers along the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cEmployers can look at my CV and see I\u2019ve worked while studying. A lot of employers like that. It\u2019s gone down a hit, I\u2019ll be honest!<\/p>\n

\u201cMy managers like the way I run the team and my leadership and I say to them, \u2018this is all from university!\u2019 It\u2019s good as I can use the theories and skills that I\u2019ve learned studying Business Management to help me lead a team. It\u2019s kind of like having a cheat code.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saving on student debt<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Keeping costs down and not taking on too much debt was also a huge plus for Kianna.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would have not been able to learn to drive or afford a car if I went to a brick university,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t need to take out a maintenance loan and now I\u2019m only having to pay back my course fees. I still have the same level and grade of education as my peers, it\u2019s just that they\u2019re at least \u00a330,000 more in debt than I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kianna hopes more young people will consider the benefits of online learning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d definitely recommend OU study to other young people, especially with how things are with the cost of living. It should be more heavily considered because my student loan compared to others is ridiculously cheaper.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cLike, my student loan is only around \u00a320,000, some of my mates are \u00a370,000 in debt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Support and student community <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Before starting, Kianna admits she was unsure whether she\u2019d miss out on the traditional student experience \u2013 a myth she\u2019s keen to dispel:<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a younger student, I was a little worried at first, but there are lots of social groups and clubs to join.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudent support groups are also available through the University. It\u2019s a brilliant way of meeting others. If you\u2019re looking to socialise, there\u2019s still plenty of opportunities to make friends at the OU.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn terms of the quality of education I\u2019ve received, it\u2019s been great. The tutors are on hand to help if you need additional support and will often hang back after a tutorial to encourage questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staying local also meant she could remain close to her support network.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was still close to my family and my friends here. It was nice to not actually have to go away and leave everything behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019d do it all over again\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Looking back, Kianna knows studying flexibly with the OU was the right path for her.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I had the opportunity, like I’d do it all over again,\u201d she shares.<\/p>\n

And for anyone else weighing up their options, Kianna\u2019s message is simple:<\/p>\n

\u201cAnybody who is considering studying, I would definitely recommend it. With the OU, you have that flexibility. I didn’t have to relocate. I could stay in the same job and just study. It was so easy. Like it really took off that stress and that pressure.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Inspired by Kianna\u2019s story?<\/em><\/strong>
\nDiscover what you could achieve \u2013 explore the OU\u2019s career-boosting, flexible courses. Register by 10 September<\/a> to start studying in October 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After leaving school, Kianna was facing a familiar choice: go to university or stay focused on her career. Everything felt like a compromise \u2013 until her mum encouraged her to consider The Open University. Now a proud Business Management graduate, Kianna, 25, shares how she was able to stay local, progress into leadership roles and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":30641,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[333,859,1525,1640,2142,2146],"class_list":["post-28525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-stories","tag-business","tag-faculty-of-business-and-law","tag-news-home","tag-ou-home","tag-student-stories","tag-students"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28525","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=28525"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30745,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28525\/revisions\/30745"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}