Sharlene Hill grew up in a challenging environment. Many years later when she became a mum herself, she was determined to build a better future for her family. Sharlene developed an interest in adverse childhood experiences and family structures, which sent her off on a volunteering and training journey.
Fast forward to now and she’s achieved a first-class honours degree in Health and Social Care with The Open University in Scotland. She’s also bagged her dream job…
Further education didn’t seem possible
Sharlene loved school but struggled with exams. She said: “I worked hard and performed well in class with the support of some kind teachers who understood me but I still struggled with confidence. The exam environment was highly stressful for me and I didn’t perform well under pressure.
“I left school with eight Scottish Standard Grades and three Highers, but it was a real struggle, so further education seemed too big a stretch for me.”
From volunteering, to higher education … to a whole new career
On leaving school, Sharlene started a career in insurance and then project management. But when she became a mum, she started childminding so she could be at home while her children were little. Around the same time, she decided she wanted to understand more about generational cycles to make sure she could be a good mum herself.
“During this time, I also began to study Early Years, and that was partly what led to me volunteering and later working as a Family Support Worker,” she said.
“I knew that, with the right support, it was possible to overcome past experiences, but everything I read sounded scary and negative. It undermined how much effort trauma survivors put into building better futures. I wanted to share with others that it didn’t have to be like this, and reassure as many new mums as possible.”
She joined a local charity supporting mums with perinatal mental health issues. “Volunteering changed how I thought about my myself,” she said. “It gave me the skills and confidence I needed to move into higher education and to not only challenge academic research, but to actively pursue a new career in an area that I feel so passionately about.”
Starting a new journey as a Health & Social Care student
Although daunted by the prospect of studying and raising a family, Sharlene began training in the evenings as part of her volunteering role and studying a Mental Health module through OpenLearn, which offers free online learning to all.
She said: “Training and doing a module on OpenLearn gave me an insight into what distance learning would be like while raising a family. I enjoyed it and it fuelled my interest even further. I began to believe that I could do it.
“Initially I started studying various modules that I was interested in, for my own personal goals and to help me deliver a better service as a volunteer and Family Support Worker. I never imagined it could lead to a First-Class Honours Degree and a whole new career path.”
More recently, Sharlene has worked in a Primary School as an Early Years Officer, but she’s recently accepted an exciting new role. She said:
“On the day my degree classification was announced, I was offered a job as a Service Co-ordinator in a children and families team in my local authority. I’m on cloud nine! Studying has meant that my career has completely changed.
“During my studies I became interested in the Independent Care Review in Scotland and ‘The Promise’ that followed, to give Scotland’s most vulnerable children the childhood they deserve. It turns out that my degree has led me to a job that will help Scotland deliver The Promise. I am so excited for the future.”
Making her family proud
For Sharlene, studying, working and raising a family wouldn’t have been possible without the brilliant support network she had around her.
“Achieving a degree later in life is definitely a collective effort,” she said. “It was the support and encouragement that I received from not only my husband, but my whole network of family, friends and colleagues that helped me fit my studies in. The look of pride on the faces of my family when my grade was announced will stay with me forever. It was a special moment.”
She added: “Studying, working and raising a family all at the same time was a huge challenge but I didn’t consider giving up. I never imagined I could be a university graduate so, once I realised that a degree was within my reach, that kept me motivated.
“To anyone embarking on OU study, I would say that the OU offers lots of flexibility, but it also requires a lot of hard work and time management. So be realistic with what you can achieve in what timescale.
“Part time study can sometimes, feel like a never-ending journey but it allowed me to truly enjoy what I was studying – it was the best thing I did. It might take longer to achieve your degree; but taking on too much could risk your plan altogether. Achieving a degree isn’t supposed to be easy and there isn’t a fast track route!”
‘The OU has definitely changed me as a person’
For Sharlene, OU study meant that she was able to develop her theoretical understanding of the issues that impact families and children, while also putting her newly acquired knowledge into practice at work each day.
She added: “Opportunities for growth and change exist if we go looking for them. Our background, past experiences, or how we perform in a single exam, in a single day, does not and should not define our future. Growing up I could never picture myself as a university graduate and now I’m embarking on my first post-graduate qualification!
“This achievement has also taught my children the benefits of life and work experiences. They now know that there is no wrong path to achieving academic success. They learned this from me. I am so proud of that.”
Set your ambition free
Inspired by Sharlene’s story? Study with us and you’ll be joining over 2 million students who’ve achieved their career and personal goals with The Open University. Find a distance and online course that’s perfect for you.
