{"id":3134,"date":"2016-05-19T11:50:55","date_gmt":"2016-05-19T10:50:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ounews.co\/?p=3134"},"modified":"2016-05-19T11:50:55","modified_gmt":"2016-05-19T10:50:55","slug":"combining-work-study-6-benefits-learning-earn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/education-languages-health\/education\/combining-work-study-6-benefits-learning-earn\/","title":{"rendered":"‘It’s crucial’: 6 reasons why you should embrace learning at work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Combining the ability to learn and work\u00a0has been a positive \u2013 and in some cases life-changing \u2013 experience for many Open University students. We asked these OU\u00a0graduates to explain why \u2018learning while earning\u2019 has worked for them…<\/em><\/p>\n

1) You already have the perfect study space \u2013 your office!<\/h2>\n
\"Rob

OU graduate Rob Clark<\/p><\/div>\n

Rob Clark graduated with a MSc in Technology Management<\/a> while working at the United Nations in Geneva, and took full advantage of his office workspace so study didn\u2019t physically creep into his home life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI only ever studied in my office at work. I would study before work, during my lunch break, into the evenings and at weekends. I set up my office as the \u2018perfect\u2019 study space: a good computer with two large monitors and a fast internet connection, a comfy chair and good lighting \u2013 and zero distractions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam Prestwood\u2019s employer sponsored him to study a BA (Hons) in Business Studies<\/a> and he reduced his working hours so he could spend mornings studying from the office. This valuable time helped him move up the ranks from office junior at a financial consultancy to a client co-ordinator.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing cloistered away at work, with everyone under orders not to disturb me, gave me the motivation to study. Working at home in the evenings would have been a struggle but when I was in that room I was in study mode. The door stayed closed and people pretended I wasn\u2019t there. I was studying not just while in work \u2013 but at work!\u201d<\/p>\n

2) Let your employer pick up the bill<\/h2>\n
\"Suzanne

OU graduate Suzanne Smith<\/p><\/div>\n

Suzanne Smith was sponsored to do an OU degree<\/a> in engineering by her employer \u2013 and both have reaped the benefits of her BA and then MSc in Engineering<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy employers offered to sponsor me to study for a degree with the OU. I jumped at the chance, especially as the OU\u2019s flexibility appealed to me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving not just one, but two OU degrees has certainly benefitted me. On a personal level, my self-confidence has increased. In the workplace, the knowledge I\u2019ve gained has been essential for my role and I\u2019ve had more opportunities career wise; I believe that having the degrees places me ahead of other candidates when applying for posts. Studying has also instilled in me a sense of dedication.\u201d<\/p>\n

3) It\u2019ll help set you up for your next job or career<\/h2>\n
\"Brian

OU graduate Brian ONeill<\/p><\/div>\n

Brian O\u2019Neill signed up for OU study while serving as a soldier. Despite some challenging circumstances along the way \u2013 including two tours of Afghanistan \u2013 Brian achieved a BA (Hons) in English Language and Literature<\/a> and hopes to embark on a career in adult education when he retires from the army.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m due to retire from the army after 26 years\u2019 service and I hope to take up a career in the adult education sector; I believe my degree will help with this transition.<\/p>\n

“Having left school without any formal qualifications I never in a million years thought it was possible to get a degree. I think the next challenge has to be the Masters!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Margo

OU graduate Margo Morrison<\/p><\/div>\n

Jamaica-born Margo Morrison took up modelling shortly after leaving school and fit studying around photo shoots and part-time waitressing. Thanks to her OU degree and a MSc at University College, London, she\u2019s now planning a career change to psychotherapist.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoyed my work and did not want to give it up, but I wanted to return to study; one of my personal goals was to have a degree by the time I was 30.<\/p>\n

“One evening I came across a BBC programme that was produced with The Open University and was so impressed by it that I decided to find out more about the OU. I have the OU to thank for putting me on the right path.\u201d<\/p>\n

4) It could help you land your dream job<\/h2>\n
\"Rebecca

OU graduate Rebecca Miller<\/p><\/div>\n

Rebecca worked away from home a lot and the flexibility of an OU degree was the only way she could study around her work commitments. And combining work and study means she\u2019s now landed her dream job.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was the flexibility that made me choose the OU; I was working full-time and was away from home a lot, so it was the opportunity not to be confined to the structure of having to attend lectures because physically I just couldn\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

She later combined study with volunteering for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) \u2013 a combination which led to her ideal job.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of my degree covered quite a lot around child development, and I\u2019ve been lucky enough to get a role as youth education manager for Scotland and Tyne and Wear.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my dream job because it\u2019s working for a charity and fits with my value set, but I\u2019m also able to use my psychology degree<\/a>, so it\u2019s come together well for me. I definitely think my degree has helped me to get to this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

5) You\u2019re not confined by geography: You (and your course materials) can be well travelled<\/h2>\n
\"Kara

OU graduate Kara Alpers<\/p><\/div>\n

Kara Alpers, originally from Germany, studied English language and literature in different continents while working as a flight attendant.<\/p>\n

I started a degree in Germany, my home country, but after a year I took the opportunity of working as cabin crew and living in the UK. I always intended to move back home after a year, but after hearing about the OU from a colleague I decided to register for degree study whilst continuing to work full-time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe OU enabled me to study all over the world whilst working and still having a personal life. It was challenging having to cope with jet lag, time differences, finding time to study and meeting assignment deadlines. I managed to study in four different continents and various locations as well as on board the aircraft in the middle of the night whilst flying over the Atlantic Ocean; it\u2019s safe to say my OU course materials are well travelled!\u201d<\/p>\n

6) Inspire\u00a0others: Pass your success on to colleagues<\/h2>\n
\"Paul

OU graduate Paul Mahoney<\/p><\/div>\n

Motivated by a manager who spotted his potential and took him under his wing, Paul Mahoney embarked on a degree course which boosted his career. And now he\u2019s doing the same for his own employees.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cI got a job in a chrome plating factory on the shop floor. I had been there a few months and I got on well with the manager who was just finishing an Open University degree in chemistry<\/a>. He asked if I wanted to perhaps work towards an OU degree.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he saw something of himself in me. He had wasted his time at school and had got himself a degree and he wanted to push me to achieve the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting that first degree was an incredible sense of achievement and I have seen my career take off and my earnings increase significantly. I still live on the same estate where I grew up and there are people there just like me who can make a life for themselves and do better.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am very grateful to my old manager who took me under his wing and now I am doing the very same thing he did by pointing people under me who show an interest towards the OU.\u201d<\/p>\n

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