Open University and student loan

Sncjw

Hi 

I am considering taking a history degree as I am interested in history. I had thought about doing this a couple years ago but never took the plunge. I currently work in admin in the NHS and wanted a back up in case things change in the future but also because I am interested in learning. 

I have done a few vision2learn courses and the last one was Understanding Autism which did involve alot of time doing course work and planning my time outside of work in order to complete assignments. It was challenging and gave me the spark to want to do my OU degree. 

I have done two years of a nursing diploma and this was 10 years ago so was before the funding changes. I only came out with a cert in higher education as they didnt count my second year, I had to leave due to health reasons. I vowed never to go back to uni as it caused alot of stress and also it was difficult managing multiple modules and also doing placements at the same time. I think that is what made it difficult. I have talked to other OU students and some did the nursing programme and moved to history and they said its alot less demanding as you are only doing one module at a time. 

Anyways I have had look at the funding and I could get a student loan as I have enquired with them and despite my previous study I still can do this. I am just concerned that it seems like alot of money but I know that its really a graduate tax. I have just noticed that the funding has changed to plan 5 which means that you only start paying once you hit 25k. My current job I dont see my pay going that high up. I am happy where I am but i did want a qualification back up in case things do happen. I have come to realise I am a planner and I need to know alot before making the decision. 

I am also concerned about doing assignments as I have done vision2learn courses but they were level 2 work so GCSE level. I have seen some history disertations from the OU and they look like wow I am not sure I could do that. 

Is there any other OU history students out there, 

Thanks. 

Emmia

I'm an OU student doing a masters (self-funding), so not undergraduate and not in history.

Personally I find the OU well set up for study, the course modules are broken down into week by week stages, and whilst the assignments look daunting, I find that when I get into them, break down the questions etc. they're fine - you do need some discipline though to sit down and do the work though!

I find researching for dissertations or assignments is a matter of being open minded, really breaking down the question, and constantly asking "why" type questions  (mentally) which can lead you down some interesting routes... Don't just take what some academic (however illustrious) has written at face value, there's always a different perspective. 

Cloth_of_Gold

I can't comment on the OU itself, other than to say that a friend of mine studied at the OU for a degree in psychology in later life, just for interest, and she really enjoyed it. She was self-funding though so didn't have a loan.

On a more general note, I think that you need to be clear yourself why you want to do this. If it is simply for interest, as you suggest it might be, are you willing to be saddled with perhaps as much as £30K's worth of debt just to do something out of interest? You say you can't see yourself earning more than £25K with the NHS but you never know.

If you are doing it to enable a career change, will a degree in history facilitate that? What would you do with it? I'm not trying to put you off at all, I just think it's important to think through why you want to do this, and is it worth the level of debt you would end up with.

Sncjw

I am not sure what it would lead to but it would be nice to have a back up in case things do change in the future 

I am limited on what jobs I can do as the higher up jobs are telephone based and because I am deaf if wouldn't be able to do it
.

Sncjw

Cloth_of_Gold said:

I can't comment on the OU itself, other than to say that a friend of mine studied at the OU for a degree in psychology in later life, just for interest, and she really enjoyed it. She was self-funding though so didn't have a loan.

On a more general note, I think that you need to be clear yourself why you want to do this. If it is simply for interest, as you suggest it might be, are you willing to be saddled with perhaps as much as £30K's worth of debt just to do something out of interest? You say you can't see yourself earning more than £25K with the NHS but you never know.

If you are doing it to enable a career change, will a degree in history facilitate that? What would you do with it? I'm not trying to put you off at all, I just think it's important to think through why you want to do this, and is it worth the level of debt you would end up with.

Also I thought it isn't really debt as per say. It's more.of a graduate tax. 

Emmia

Sncjw said:

Cloth_of_Gold said:

I can't comment on the OU itself, other than to say that a friend of mine studied at the OU for a degree in psychology in later life, just for interest, and she really enjoyed it. She was self-funding though so didn't have a loan.

On a more general note, I think that you need to be clear yourself why you want to do this. If it is simply for interest, as you suggest it might be, are you willing to be saddled with perhaps as much as £30K's worth of debt just to do something out of interest? You say you can't see yourself earning more than £25K with the NHS but you never know.

If you are doing it to enable a career change, will a degree in history facilitate that? What would you do with it? I'm not trying to put you off at all, I just think it's important to think through why you want to do this, and is it worth the level of debt you would end up with.

Also I thought it isn't really debt as per say. It's more.of a graduate tax. 

Whatever you define it as, it's money you owe and will start repaying once you earn over a certain threshold.

Personally, having paid off my student loan once, I'm not taking another one out.

Sncjw

Why would you pay it off? 

Cloth_of_Gold

Sncjw said:

I am not sure what it would lead to but it would be nice to have a back up in case things do change in the future 

I am limited on what jobs I can do as the higher up jobs are telephone based and because I am deaf if wouldn't be able to do it
.

If you're looking for something as a back-up for a career change and this 'something' is a degree, as I'm sure you know, it will involve you spending several years doing lots of studying (which at degree level requires a lot of time and work) and taking on a large debt. Imo, you need to know before you embark on this that it is likely to lead to something that will help you achieve your goals, otherwise you risk spending a lot of time and money on something that, whilst it might be enjoyable, doesn't help you with a career change.

Re your second point, surely the NHS of all employers ought to be able to support staff with a disability to achieve their career goals. I know that a lot of public sector HR departments have been cut back or even contracted out but do you have an HR business partner that you could speak to?

Another thought is, if you're looking for a change, have you thought about doing an apprenticeship? They are available in all sorts of industries now and wouldn't involve you in so much studying, wouldn't give you a lot of debt, and would and with a much greater chance of a job at the end of it.

Sncjw

I did want to do nursing as a career but I had to leave the course as I lost my hearing. It's taken ten years to get to a place where I feel settled..I have a home, a husband and a good job. I feel now I want something else to challenge me. I have done some.vision2lewrn courses and I enjoyed doing them even at sometimes being challenging. It gave me something to focus on..

I don't have a career idea as such but I think once I complete the degree and I have my home paid off I could go into a history based job..history has been something I have developed my love for over the years. 

Some people do ou for the challenge of studying and also to learn more about their chosen field..

Sncjw

Also the jobs that are higher up have a lot more responsibility with not much pay difference to what I get now. 

I feel j have burning desire to learn and to learn history. I am in a settled space and feel now I can do something that will challenge me..

Cloth_of_Gold

That's fine; I'm not trying to dissuade you. I just want to point out some of the different considerations. Anyway, good luck with whatever you choose to do.