When choosing her next step after college, Talia from South Africa says The Open University was the perfect fit.
Now a proud graduate, 22-year-old Talia is using the skills she developed through her BSc (Honours) Open degree to get ahead in her consultancy career.
“I look at where I am in my life at 22 and I’ve got a stable career and what I believe is a really bright career path,” she said. “None of that would have been possible without the OU.
“I cannot rave to enough people about how amazing the OU is in terms of the support I was given by my tutors and just the all-round quality of the education.”
Discovering a flexible way to learn
Talia says that it was a recommendation from her father, followed by watching an inspiring BBC documentary series that first inspired her to explore the OU at 18 years old.
“I like to think that the OU chose me,” she said. “First my dad said he had heard from a client about a place called the OU that offered online courses. Then one night I was watching TV and I saw Blue Planet II. I watched it and cried, laughed, fell in love and then at the end I saw The Open University come up in the credits. It was almost like a sign. I looked into it, and it was literally like a match made in heaven.”
She added: “The first thing I noticed about the degree I chose is that it has built-in honours. Here in South Africa, you have to do your undergraduate degree, qualify, and then apply to do honours. Whereas this is built-in. Plus, with the OU degree being from the UK, it almost gives you more opportunity to go and work there and work around the world.”
With a passion for environmental sustainability, Talia originally signed up for a BSc Natural Sciences degree. However, when she was offered a new career opportunity, she was able to switch her degree path to help her progress.
“I started working within a consultancy to support multinational FMCG organisations,” she explained. “I immediately thought ‘this is where I need to be’. I said to myself, as much as I’m loving studying Natural Sciences, it’s not where I need to be career-wise. I needed to do something in the field I’m working in.
“I was fortunate enough to go to the OU where making a switch of your degree subject is easy to do.”
Career-boosting skills
Like many OU students, Talia chose to complete her degree while also working. She says that having the flexibility to study on her terms meant she could gain hands-on work experience and apply her skills straight to her workplace.
“I absolutely think being an OU student sets you apart in the working world. I’m now qualified with my honours and I’ve already got over 2 years of working experience and that wouldn’t have happened if I was at a standard brick university. I’ve got skills that some graduates would have to gain coming into the workforce,” she said.
“Studying at the OU gives you those practical life skills, no matter what age you are, no matter what you’re studying. What it imparts in you is so practical that it automatically gives you that step ahead that you need.”
A supportive international community
Talia now works as a consultant
Despite studying through time zones, Talia says that her OU tutors were always on hand to support her and help set her up for success.
“All the lecturers I’ve had have been understanding, all of them have been accommodating and all of them have gone above and beyond to help,” she said.
“I recommend the OU all the time because it gives you that freedom, but you get the support you need too. I really believe that the OU is the future of learning.”
Looking ahead to her own future, Talia feels well-equipped to apply everything she’s learned to keep progressing in her career. She said:
“I’m 100% certain that the skills I’ve gained of time management, diligence, self-learning and collective thinking are the fundamentals that are really going to help me to succeed.
“Life changes and we change. While environmental sustainability isn’t the main focus of my career anymore, I’m still able to utilise my passion to build ethical and sustainable business practices within the consultancy space I work in.”
Advice for future students
Asked what advice she would give to someone thinking about studying at the OU, Talia had this to say:
“Just do it! You will definitely not regret it. As long as you are committed, dedicated and diligent, it’ll be a dream. The OU tutors, students and the general university will guide you the rest of the way.
“The OU has allowed me to mature and become more independent. It gave me so much confidence, self-assurance and just a sense of belonging that I don’t think I could see myself anywhere else.”
