{"id":8356,"date":"2018-04-13T10:14:55","date_gmt":"2018-04-13T10:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ounews.co\/?p=8356"},"modified":"2018-04-13T10:14:55","modified_gmt":"2018-04-13T10:14:55","slug":"from-cleaner-to-environment-manager-faye-says-her-degree-is-so-worth-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/student-stories\/from-cleaner-to-environment-manager-faye-says-her-degree-is-so-worth-it\/","title":{"rendered":"From cleaner to environment manager, Faye says her degree is “so worth it”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Faye Tester went from being a cleaner at a gas distribution firm, SGN, and an extra on TV, to supporting the management of the company\u2019s environmental compliance and procedures. She completely changed her life and says that, if it wasn\u2019t for her Environmental Management and Technology degree with The Open University, she would never have been able to achieve what she has achieved.<\/em><\/p>\n

Faye said: \u201cStudying every lunch break and evening for seven years was challenging, but knowing I have no student debt and have a successful career to go with my well-earned degree has made it so worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working her way up<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Faye

Photographer: Alan Peebles<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI started with SGN<\/a> aged 19 as a cleaner, basically \u2013 a facilities assistant, so everything from toilet cleaning to putting up noticeboards. I was quite proactive, even being a facilities assistant, so I got put on reception at SGN Head Office in Surrey.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt bored and under-challenged and, because I was living at home with my parents, I decided it would be my opportunity to look at further study. I\u2019d studied Environmental Science at college and I\u2019d completed an A-Level in that, so decided I should take that further.<\/p>\n

\u201cA colleague had recommended the OU; they said, although it\u2019s really hard work, if you\u2019re prepared to stick with it, it\u2019s really good. I started my first module, \u2018Environment: journeys\u2019, and that was it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flexibility was key<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Faye wanted to complete the whole Environmental Sciences degree, but halfway through realised that she was more interested in environmental management. She switched her course and tailored her modules so that she completed an Environmental Management and Technology<\/a> degree instead.<\/p>\n

Moving from Surrey to Glasgow in 2011 didn\u2019t impact her studies, and she combined her degree course with working full-time, as well as background acting roles in TV and in musical theatre shows.<\/p>\n

Studies led to a huge step up the career ladder<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Faye was able to apply her expanding knowledge at work, and the company became more interested in her studies, even giving her time off for exam study.<\/p>\n

I studied at lunch breaks, and then obviously when I got home. Sometimes the work connection was actually helpful \u2013 I could look at a work document related to my course, or speak to colleagues. I was able to apply my learning to my day job as I progressed. It has become more and more useful I think as I\u2019ve gone on.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Faye\u2019s current role as Environment Manager became available when the previous manager had retired. Knowing about her studies, SGN gave her a chance to prove herself in the position \u2013 and she has certainly done so:<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Environment Manager covering Scotland and Northern Ireland, my role is really varied, from award submissions, to environmental compliance and waste management issues. I often visit colleagues on site, completing environmental audits and inspections with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about trying to influence behaviours as well \u2013 communicating with the whole organisation and then speaking to staff on site to improve behaviour.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoy being able to meet staff and contributing to a change in the way they do things so that the organisation continues to be environmentally friendly. We have 4,500 employees, so it\u2019s basically engaging with as many of them as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Graduating with no debt<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Living in Scotland, Faye was able to apply for funding from the Part-Time Fee Grant<\/a>, which meant she graduated with no debt:<\/p>\n

I would hate to be in debt. All of my friends have got crazy amounts of debt. Just to be able to say that I\u2019ve obviously progressed in my career and got my degree is just amazing. I also bought my own flat when I moved to Glasgow, which was fantastic.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hard work, but worth sticking with it<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Open University is a different way of studying, but Faye says there are many benefits to this:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are the cheaper fees, and then there is the opportunity to meet a bigger variety of students (ages, lifestyles), with lots of experience than if you went to a traditional campus university. Some of the students are older and everyone has lots to offer.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy OU studies were really enjoyable. It is hard work, but worth sticking with it because, when you graduate \u2013 especially if you gain a First Class \u2013 it is the best feeling. You just feel really proud.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Faye Tester went from being a cleaner at a gas distribution firm, SGN, and an extra on TV, to supporting the management of the company\u2019s environmental compliance and procedures. She completely changed her life and says that, if it wasn\u2019t for her Environmental Management and Technology degree with The Open University, she would never have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":8357,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,18],"tags":[325,388,639,861,873,2214],"class_list":["post-8356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-environment","category-student-stories","tag-bsc-environmental-management-and-technology","tag-case-study","tag-distance-learning","tag-faculty-of-stem","tag-faye-tester","tag-the-open-university-in-scotland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8356","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\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8356\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}