Derek Archibald

Derek Archibald from Glasgow had never studied at university before, but part-time study at the OU allowed him to balance work, supporting his family and developing a new pathway to becoming a social worker when his career options felt limited.

Growing up in an area of high deprivation in Glasgow at a time of major unemployment, Derek Archibald left school at the age of 16 without a career plan and hadn’t thought academic study was a path he could take. 

After realising he wanted to “work in some capacity to improve people’s lives”, he went on to help disabled children, young homeless people, and people with drug and alcohol addiction, but realised that he wanted to become a social worker to help people even further.

After undertaking a Certificate of Higher Education in Drug and Alcohol Practice and gaining a distinction, he gained the confidence to study for his BA (Honours) in Social Work with the Open University (OU) at the age of 37.

‘Opportunity to develop professionally and personally’

Without the option of studying with the OU, Derek says “there was no other way I could’ve possibly studied”, as part-time study gave him the option of continuing to work and earn an income. 

His previous studies also meant he already had 120 credits that counted towards his degree, saving him time and money by reducing the number of modules he needed to study.

Discussing his decision to study for the social work degree, he explains: “I did really enjoy my work. However, this field was specialised and following the completion of a Certificate in Higher Education, there was no further opportunity to advance my practice. Furthermore, the pathways to progression were quite limited.  

I understood academic learning would provide me the opportunity to develop myself both professionally and personally.”

“Although through this role I was working with some of the most vulnerable people in society, I understood that social work would provide me the opportunity to work with many different client groups and hopefully assist them to improve their circumstances.”

Derek added: “I was also in a multi-disciplinary team with health and social work colleagues and I recognised other colleagues had a professional qualification which gave them more advanced theoretical understanding. I understood academic learning would provide me the opportunity to develop myself both professionally and personally.”

‘Flexibility invaluable’

Derek admits that working, studying and balancing home life could be “very challenging”, especially after his first child arrived following the completion of his first module, but found that setting aside specific times for different aspects of his life helped.

“I organised a routine in which I would come home from work and spend time with family and made the dinner. I then bathed my wee one, before studying for around one or two hours every night. I would obviously do more at weekends and when Tutor-Marked Assignments were due. I believe this balance allowed me to fulfil my commitments as a husband, father and employee but also allowed me time to devote to my studies and to my goals.”

He describes the flexibility that comes with studying with the OU as “invaluable” and says that he “couldn’t have done it any other way.”

‘Passionate educators’

Derek found during his studies that OU tutors “provide support and encouragement, not just in relation to studies, but other life events students are experiencing. I always found them to be passionate educators but more importantly people who had their own understanding of the difficulties in balancing studies, work and home life.”

“When I was planning my first placement, staff from the OU met with my line manager and my employer’s training department in order to ensure I had an effective learning opportunity,” he highlights. 

He also found that the OU were a great support when the COVID-19 pandemic began, as he was studying for his last module and on placement at the time.

“This was a really scary time, especially during the first lockdown. However, the OU took action to safeguard their students quickly,” he explains. 

“I believe the OU were really effective with communication during this time. I’m sure there were a lot of logistics and complex decisions being taken. However, I believe they were able to inform student on decisions they had taken, but importantly information which they needed time to answer and plan.”

‘Made such a difference to my life’

It was a long and busy four years. I can’t really express how grateful I am to the OU, who provided me with the opportunity to gain a degree.

Now having graduated, Derek says he feels “relieved!” 

“It was a long and busy four years. I can’t really express how grateful I am to the OU, who provided me with the opportunity to gain a degree. This has made such a difference to my life and the life of my family.” 

As for how he stayed motivated during this time, he jokes: “As cheesy as it sounds, I remembered a quote from a friend who would say ‘Motivation is like fuel for your car, it needs topped up!’. Therefore, at times when I was struggling to maintain the impetus, I would try and think of how I’d feel achieving my degree and what it might mean for my career.”

Derek is now a Social Worker within Glasgow City Council’s Criminal Justice Department.