The Self Improvement Thread

Completed 10% (100 miles ) of my 1,000 mile challenge.

I'm sure I can keep doing this... honest I am...

Just completed 200 miles (325km) in my 1000 mile run to raise money for my boss. My knee is starting to bother me a bit, but more reason for nice long baths afterwards

Currently we're running the South Kaibab Trail, then it will be a hike to Machu Pichu.

I'm still doing my paranormal course. It's quite interesting but as I'm still writing away trying to finish my shit novel I'm not getting as much time to do it.

Ah that's a shame. Hope it eases a bit in that case. Like you say, a good excuse to soak it!

This book is currently at 240,000 words. I'll be lucky to finish it before it gets to 260,000 and, considering the last time I wrote any of it was about 4 years ago, I genuinely haven't got a fucking clue what's going on. The plan is I think to wing it in a vague manner and start to pull it together in the editing, and see if there's enough there that's not shit and I can make an actual story out of.

Completed 300 miles of my 1,000 mile charity run. Slightly slower than the last 100 miles, but I had Christmas, redundancy and a week of some sort of flu.

Still chugging away though. Last night I was "running" along the canals of Venice. I quite enjoyed doing all the snowy ones over Christmas.

I think I'm mad, but seriously considering starting a degree with either the Open university or doing it distance learning at my local uni. Part time it will take me 6 - 8 years but I'm wondering how much I can cram in to speed that up. It would mean I'll be approaching my 50s when I'm done with it, not including any further training etc I may need to undertake.

Is that nuts? Funnily enough I had the EXACT same thought process in my mid-thirties and I was put off by my age then, thinking my early 40s would be too old to begin again. I would have been done by now!!! I don't want to make that mistake again, and I now how time just moves on regardless. I'm wondering if it's do-able. The alternative is never giving it a go and knowing where my future will lead, wheras this will open up new possibilites.

Hiya. I got my degree through the OU. I started it in 1990 and got it in 1999 (due to work committments etc). I managed 60 points a year on average and you need 360 (or that was the case).

I really, really enjoyed the OU way of teaching and it has come in useful so much since. It is hard work though. You will need your entire weekend to write up your assignments (after a week of working on them) and you'll need to put in about 30 hours a week. It kept me off the streets and out of the pub anyway. I had to take the stuff on my honeymoon and I've got a picture of me in the Dead Sea with one of the books.

If you're unsure if you'll be able to stick it out, then why not aim for a Diploma which you can hopefully get enroute to your degree.

I think the oldest graduate in the OU was in her 90's, so I think you'll be okay from an age perspective. Certainly if I had the money I would do another. Obviously I was working full time while doing this. Lunchtimes were OU and then it was a couple of hours each night, with the bump for TMA's.

As I say, I really enjoyed it. I found the teaching to be excellent. The summer schools were nice too as I'd never done Uni.

quitsking

Thanks very much for telling me of your experience and that's something that I am very much considering. The course in particular I'm looking at (BSc Psychology), has a diploma that encompasses 2/3 of the degree, or a certificate of higher education which, looking at the modules, seems to encompass the first 1/3. So I'm toying with registering for that first and seeing how I go from there. Wary of biting off too much at once.

Do it. Approaching your 50s is definitely not too late to change career. Plus you'll get a lot out of it even if you change your mind and decide not to finish.

I noticed that when I went to add the two modules needed for year 1 it basically says "you won't have enough time to study this", so I'm restricted to one module initially it seems between now and Sept, which I don't understand. Would I then have to wait til Feb rolls around again to enrol on the next module? But then that's taking two years to do a one year course...

And feel free to PM me if you prefer. 

Passed my foundation gcp (Google cloud platform) cert just before xmas. Currently cracking on with the associate engineer cert. Got a few i want to do this year.

Mueve el culo, vago!

Yeah I've been in the role for 18-24 months and now it's part of my development plan with my employers so can't complain. Time to train and all of it paid for. Grab it while I can!