Open University Course

My son is doing an OU course, he finds it OK but then he's only 19 and has no job nor anything else to distract him so he has plenty of time to study. He is trying to get his degree in 3 years which will be difficult as most courses are designed for people like yourself in work and/or family commitments so are spread out over a longer period. I think it's going to take him 4 years.

Some of my colleague have taken OU courses, it is a lot of hard work fitting in the study with a full time job and everything else life throws at you. They seem to have taken five or more years, all except one are glad they did it. The one colleague I know who had to give up was doing a quite intensive Control Theory course, he struggled and didn't enjoy it and threw in the towel.

An OU degree is equally well thought of in business as a conventional degree so will improve your CV. As you say many businesses have a degree as a minimum requirement these days, so I'd say go for it!

 

The other thing I should have mentioned was my son needs to attend at a university fairly often for conventional OU lectures. He hadn't realised this when applying, luckily Surrey Uni is on our doorstep so he can walk there. So just double check if your course runs lectures and where your nearest Uni is that supports the OU.

 

My son has been twice since the new year, I think it's around 3 or 4 times per term. I guess it will vary depending on the type of course.

 

Any chance this is something you could get sponsored for studying through your current company? Which job have you got in mind once you complete the course?

 

It would be worth putting some thought into this as you don't want to spend years doing a degree you won;t use or be relevant to your chosen path.
Studying for a degree just to get an interview is, respectfully, a bit misguided.

 

Off the top of my head - Figure out what you want to be doing. Look at job sites, talk to people about their careers, what they like / dislike. What are your skills, what are your interests? Can you manage people or are you happier following? Do some online personality tests. Are you better with statistics or words? Do you mind travelling or do you prefer to stay at home? Are there other routes to take to get where you want to be?

Figuring out where you want to be financially and in lifestyle is key so break it down into a plan and state where/what you want to be after 1 year, 5 years 10 years.

It doesn't have to be the end career of your dreams but you do need something to keep you driven throughout the course, something to aim for. Also understand that it is WHO not WHAT you know so make sure you get to chat with senior people and managers wherever possible and remember that recruitment personnel are usually full of as much crap as estate agents and salesmen.

Once you have figured out the career target you can look at pathways to get there, including which course would be most appropriate if that's still the best course of action.

 

Good luck nFrost