The Open University

I was out with a good friend this weekend down my local pub and he was telling me how he has joined the open university to study at night as well as doing his normal job, and I’ve been doing web design for some time now, but have no qualifications to show for it. I did go to college for 2 years to study computers but have learnt more from reading books then I have ever done at college. I was saying to my friend I would like to get a real Certificate to show on my portfolio and to aid me if I ever did leave my current job (not that I would at the moment as I’m happy with my job, hours and wage) but it never hurts to be prepared. So I’ve looked into it and have found a course I think I would like to do, it’s a Certificate in Web Applications Development. It’s a 6 part course covering:

Web basics: design, development and management
The client-side of application development
The server-side of application development
Databases within website design
Open source development tools
Web server management, performance and tuning

Each course will cost me £210 bringing it to a grand total of £1,260. I can also build on this Certificate. So it looks like for 2009 I will be classed as a student again.

I just wanted to know, is anyone/has anyone been apart of the The Open University and if so how did you find it?

Well my personal view (and this is based on the industry Im in) is that qualifications mean fuck all. Most people who go to Uni come out with a degree and think they own the world but cant even get work because a degree means nothing.

But if your now classified as a student wont you save about a grand on cancel tax anyway? therefore, it doesnt really cost you anything?

Thats a good point....


I've always lived by what you said as... its not the paper.. but its what you can show you have done... but the course im doing will teach me new stuff ... so thats good... plus I think it will help me get my foot in the door when I quit being a backup administrator and starting doing webdesign full time.

I'm not an Englishman, but it looks like a good idea to me. Saving money is always good, too.

Well then it sounds like a good idea. Especially if you are classified as a full time student and wont have to pay council tax, cos it basically means the course is free.

I've just had a quick look into to it and I think both people who live in the house need to be stundents, well my council tax is £1200 a year, so I said to jo, have a look for a course, as its around £1000 a year to do one, so then we get no council tax and she gets to learn some shit and might get a btter job... thanks for the heads up dex!

Like I said, just check first. Because you might not be classified as 'Full time students' you might only be 'part time students' and therefore might get some discount but not full.

any discount is good discount !

Students are cunt. Qualifications mean fuck all these days. Work.

I am working... im working very hard.... but still want more money....

Plus if im a student I get stundent prices... JOY...

but I know what you mean about students!

not strictly true, qualifications can mean something if you can't actually learn the skills anywhere else and prove you know them.

such as chemistry etc. I mean whos gonna let you fuck about with dangerous chemicals if you aren't qualified to.

(also driving. thats a qualification. wouldn't want someone driving you who didn't know how to wouild ya.)

well I did an HND in Interactive Multimedia Creation in college which got me no were and I cant even remember half of the shit I did 2 years ago....waste of time when I could of got 2 years of sales experienceand worked my way up to manager £30k in the company that I am in! All I got was student debt and a beer belly that wont go away! Best in my mind is to work for a big company at the bottom and trying hard to move on or start your own business!

Unless your studying to be a doc, lawyer were jobs are easier to get then go for it as it will end up getting u £60k + but I do 30h a week and im getting aroudn 18k a year for 4 days of work a week! which im moving to full time soon to get 20k+. Then ofcoarse start training for assistant manager which is 25k+

Being an student is awesum. No tax, no council tax, no n.I. But not as much money as normal!

Kx

I'm studying to be a journalist and almost no notable organisation will take on someone who isn't NCTJ accredited. So I need my degree or I'll be stuck writing up news feeds for the rest of my life.

STFU.

Richard Hammond - Brainiac, he knew fuck all and he got to blow up caravans.

beer on thursday/friday?

BOTH!

sounds good to me, will have to juoin you late thursday though, gotta do shit with the girlfriend cause its her only night off this week.

anywho, back on topic =]

How late?

dunno maybe around half ten

Well I guess we'll see what Mike wants to do. Can imagine he will be quite tired.

mmkay