South Wales mums pursue psychology dream with the Open University

Anna and her family

While juggling motherhood and their careers, friends Stephanie (40) from Caerphilly and Anna (41) from Cardiff found support through the Open University to pursue their shared passion for psychology.

Both mums wanted to gain qualifications that would enable them to progress in their careers, however due to family commitments Anna and Stephanie wanted flexible learning options that would allow the pair to pursue their degrees in a way that worked for them. At 34 Stephanie was worried about her future and ability to provide for her six-year-old daughter as a single mother. Despite working hard at her minimum-wage administration job, Stephanie’s income barely covered the basics.

‘I gained my degree in a way that worked for me’

Having left school at the age of 16, Stephanie often felt that her opportunities were limited. Without any formal qualifications or a clear career path, she believed her only options were entry level positions.

Stephanie said: “I was always interested in psychology, so I decided to enroll at the Open University because its online courses let me work towards my qualifications in a way that suited my schedule. I was able to study after my daughter went to bed and on the weekends.”

Stephanie

Stephanie was also able to access funding for her studies with a maintenance grant that allowed the single mum to focus on her studies without added financial stress.

With the Open University’s support and flexible learning options, Stephanie was able to earn her degree in psychology, meaning she was then promoted from her entry level admin job at a local employment charity to a health and wellbeing practitioner within the same organisation.

Speaking about her promotion Stephanie said: “My new role has doubled my monthly income and has allowed me to give my daughter the life I always dreamed of for her. Since I left school at 16 I never thought that I would be able to do all of this. I am so grateful to the Open University for helping me reach my full potential.”

Emboldened by her experiences, Stephanie told her friend Anna about the funding options and flexible courses available with the Open University. At the time, Anna was working a cleaning job but she felt unchallenged and wanted to pursue a career more aligned to her interests.

‘I knew that I was capable of so much more’

A mum of four, Anna had left college at 17 to start her family. Though she hadn’t been particularly interested in school when she was younger she was always fascinated by human behaviours.

Since enrolling at the Open University I feel so confident and motivated to pursue a career in counselling that will give me the chance to do work that I am passionate about and help others.

Anna

Inspired by Stephanie and her experiences, Anna is now in the second year of her psychology degree with the Open University and has dreams of becoming a counsellor. The accessible online course allows her to complete her coursework while her children attend school. And like Stephanie, the Welsh Government Learning Grant has allowed the mother of four to cover the costs of tuition fees and study materials.

With the support of Open University advisors, Anna is currently exploring her career and academic options to help her re-enter the world of work after graduating.

Commenting on the Open University’s support, Anna said: “When I was working as a cleaner, I would just shut my mind off to get through each day. I didn’t feel fulfilled and deep down I knew that I was capable of so much more. Since enrolling at the Open University I feel so confident and motivated to pursue a career in counselling that will give me the chance  to do work that I am passionate about and help others.”

While balancing motherhood, career, and an education can be challenging, both Anna and Stephanie prove that with the right support and resources that it is more than achievable.

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