Open University

John7619

Is a degree from the Open University worth it? I would like to do a degree to enhance my CV; I have been advised by a few to do one at a university and not to bother with the OU.

Curious to hear what other people think before I sign up.

John

astonsmummy

There is a thread here somewhere where alot of people have said OU degrees are really good and would ook good on ur cv because it shows you have worked hard on your own initiative to get it, i'll try find it and post it for you.
I have signed up for one as alot of people on here have.
I'd say go for it!

Penny-Pincher!!

I would say...go for it! Where else can you study part-time and gain a full degree either undergraduate or postgraduate Im studying for my degree ATM through the OU and they are fabulous!

Who have advised you that the OU isnt good? Any qualifications are great to put on your CV and if nothing else, potential employees can see your hard working and consistent.

What degree are you thinking about doing? You can always study with the OU then get into a standard university if you dont like it, but I have no problems at all with the OU and would advise anyone to consider studying with them!

Good Luck

PP
xx

astonsmummy

Here's one thread

Mrs_pbradley936

I love the Open University, but why don't you explore the possibilities of attending a regular university? Three years of not earning (unless part time of course), finance, housing, etc. Plus can you satisfy the admissions office for any courses you have in mind? I do courses with the OU for personal development rather than employment prospects but those with employment in mind seem very happy.

CIS

The OU where recently rated the best uni in the country for the 3rd yr running - the teaching and course materials are fantastic and Ive found employers really look well at it.

stellagypsy

I did OU for a while and it is great, but I then switched to a part time degree at my local Uni, which was done in the evenings so I could still keep working. Check out what is available locally, there must be loads of courses where you are in Manchester, you are even near enough to do one where I did mine (in West Yorkshire).

HTH, Stella

lynzpower

I did OU, never again. I have my own personal reasons for this, which I cant go into here, but having done a degree by a normal university, I would say this is well better. At least at a normal uni you can knock heads together to get stuff done. Head office in milton keynes were pretty shocking with me in an extremely difficult period of my life.

I also think that the scope of the courses are nowhere near comparable in terms of intellectual rigour that you would get at a standard uni, which is why you can live without a library in the main. However ,this is the sort of thing you want if you are fitting around jobs/ family etc.

Sorry to be so negative, but I would never go near them again xx

John7619

Thx everyone for your input.

The person who said the OU CV was not taken seriously was a relative who works with the (not in) HR department at her place of work.

There is an extreme wide variety of courses to choice from within Manchester; not just OU. But I believe the OU will give me a little more flexibility rather than rushing off to say MANCAT or the City College etc etc every evening.

I am looking at the Foundation Degree in Information and Communication Technologies Code: G04. I have four Microsoft Certs I can apply for 60 of the required 240 points. Plus its a start for the MBA I would love to achieve.

Another question. Would the lack of a degree have a negative impact on a CV?

I would like to change jobs; however; I just get no feedback from the agencies. I have had my CV read by my past managers who have said I have a "cracking" CV. So I am just wondering where it all falls down. It certainly isn't because of lack of effort.

Mrs_pbradley936

Well for a start you should not confuse intelligence with education. For some jobs a degree in a given subject is a requirement (you would not want a gifted amateur performing surgery after all). My son has a degree in mathematics but he says he does not use any of his skills in his job, (although I wonder if he would have the job in the first place without a degree). There was a “have your say” topic on the BBC about if a degree was worth getting into debt for. Lots of youngsters seemed to think it is/was not. Also there is a thread on here about employers recruiting from Russell Group universities.

black-saturn

I would say it takes a lot of self control to do an OU degree. I'm doing a HND correspondence course and I find it hard sometimes to discipline myself and get motivated into doing it. I also think it's difficult to fit into life sometimes. If I had the choice I would rather go to college and study but the hours didnt suit me and I feared being in a class of 16 year olds when I'm 36. I've been to regular university and found it a lot easier to motivate myself when you have regular classes to go to and tutors there to give help. I'm also hoping to do an OU degree after the course I'm doing now but I'll see how I get on with the rest of this first.