Open University?

ID:182523
 
May 13 2008, 8:31 am
Has anyone ever used it? The prices look steep, but I want to have the edge on my competition (70 specialised Electronic Engineers all finishing their degrees at the same time is going to be competition, I reckon) - so I'm considering doing a degree in another subject (if only they had Programming!) like Biology or Physics, e.t.c, to give me a step up. Plus if I do something Electronics-related it'll make this course easier too...

So, any opinions on OU?

~Ease~
May 13 2008, 12:56 pm
Or you could take a free two-week course and become a salt miner for $40/hr.
May 13 2008, 1:46 pm
I had to Wikipedia just to figure out what obscure European college this was.

~Kujila
May 13 2008, 8:09 pm
In response to SuperAntx
Hmmmmmm it will be in a few more years before I reach University seeing how I have just recently entered High School. Are these courses such as Physics and the study of other things going to be helpful for me as I enter University? When I leave University, will knowing such knowledge help me out in life? I am still far too young to think about this, but seeing how a lot of people a few years older than me are talking about "extra" courses in the future they will be taking make me think, "Are you an over achiever or something?".

Anyway, but yeah. Will knowing such things help me in life or give me a good advantage in getting a job? Or will I just know the stuff and not use it anyway?
May 13 2008, 9:14 pm
In response to Wolfdude5
Well my course is Electronics, so Physics would back that up pretty well, especially as I want to go into weapons eventually. I'd also like to explore cybernetics, so Biology would support that a lot. Not only that, but all the courses at the Open University are real achievements designed for CV's, and with enough points the degrees count as actual bachelors, theoretically EQUAL to studying at a real University.

I just figure that it'd help me do better in my own course, and finishing University with a Masters and a Bachelors is surely more impressive (to companies) than just a Masters. That said, it's approximately £4000 per degree (three years of material, covered at your pace) - which is a LOT, but a lot LESS than studying a degree at a normal University (£11,000 plus £25,000 in accommodation, plus necessities).

Also, that'd give me the possibility of doing a degree every summer or two (we get three months breaks over here in the summer!!) so that after my five year course I could finish with three, maybe even four degrees (counting my Masters from the University I actually study at).
May 13 2008, 11:58 pm
The Open University correspondence thing I've seen advertised on TV here in Aussie has programming courses. But there's a catch. You have to pay and go through their basic computer courses first before you can tackle them. Which is essentially a pain in the ass.

If I can muster the funds, I might considering throwing a few courses under my belt. It's not like they'd be that difficult and it does become good resume candy.