5 Career development and planning for your future

Figure 5: Walk your own path

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An illustration showing three footprints in a blue shaded box. Inside the footprints are the text in caps (from left to right): ‘Interest', ‘Career’, and ‘Passion’. Above the shaded box are the words in caps ‘The Open qualifications’ and beneath the box are the words ‘walk your own path!’

Figure 5: Walk your own path

Part of your learning journey will include thinking about your future career choices and planning for your future. It is therefore important to consider and carry out research into career options. Studying across subjects helps you to bring together skills, knowledge and different perspectives which can help open up your career options. On the Qualification Sites there are specific resources under the Plan tab (Plan your career) here:

• BA/ BSc Open website [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]
• BSc Combined STEM website
• MA/ MSc Open website

The Open qualifications site provides links to online career tools, such as FutureYOU, that can be used to identify careers based on your interests and skills. This tool is a personal space where you can reflect on your achievements and plan your future.

Activity 6

Watch the short video presenting FutureYOU and explore the resources and assets offered. Note down any skills that you might want to develop in your studies or areas for you to focus on.

Download this video clip.Video player: Video 4: FutureYOU

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Transcript: Video 4: FutureYOU

[MUSIC PLAYING]

AYESHA:

To get ahead it’s hugely important to be prepared. Planning your future in an uncertain world may seem harder than ever. But the OU designed FutureYOU will help you do just that.

FutureYOU is an online tool that helps you plan your personal development, plan your study journey, and review your progress. Here are some of the ways that FutureYOU can help you.

The reflection area helps to highlight the employability skills and attributes to develop as you study your own module. Identify and plan prompts you to identify the learning you gain from your experience in the world and reflect on and draw learning from these experiences.

The action and record area introduces learning logs to help keep you on track.

You will build up an invaluable set of resources as you move towards your personal, academic and professional goals.

It’s an ongoing process of reviewing and reflecting.

FEMALE:

It’s very easy to forget how many skills and experiences one accumulates through life. The FutureYOU site allows you to layout what you have achieved so you can match the necessary skills to your goals.

FEMALE:

FutureYOU has definitely helped me to think about goals and my employability.

MALE:

I’m starting to understand I have more assets than I first realised and that with a new approach I can broaden my horizons.

AYESHA:

FutureYOU is available to you throughout your studies and for three years after qualifying too.

FutureYOU could be just what you need to turn your OU learning into success beyond study. Take some time to explore FutureYOU and see how it can help you plan for a successful future.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

End transcript: Video 4: FutureYOU

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Video 4: FutureYOU

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Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

On the Qualification Sites you will find information from the Careers and Employability Services (CES) who can also support you with ensuring you’re studying the right modules for your career aspirations.

These sites also include interesting case studies of students who have completed their Open qualification so you can see how they used their knowledge and skills to develop their careers.

To further support your understanding of multidisciplinary study and what this means for your career development and future planning, the Open qualifications team have created a short, badged OpenLearn course: ‘Multidisciplinary study: the value and benefits’.

Figure 6: Multidisciplinary study: the value and benefits

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Image showing various illustrations and icons representing student thinking (speech bubbles, cogs, question mark etc.). At the top left corner is the Multidisciplinary study: the value and benefits OpenLearn BOC badge.

Figure 6: Multidisciplinary study: the value and benefits

The course is interactive and features videos to explore what multidisciplinary study is, what you can gain by studying a multidisciplinary qualification and how it can benefit your career prospects. If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of multidisciplinary study you can find some great articles on OpenLearn too, including this article, ‘What are the benefits of interdisciplinary study?’, written by Professor Martin Weller, Director of the Open Qualification . Other resources related to studying across subjects which you might find helpful can be found in this interdisciplinary study collection.