We asked our CEO, Samantha Rutter, about her experience leading up to results day. Like many students, she didn’t take the “typical route”, but was still able to pursue her passion and become a success and inspiration to many. Here’s what she has to say:
Did you study A Levels?
No, I didn’t study A Levels. Instead, I chose to study a BTEC in Business for a year and then went on to start an ILEX Professional Diploma in Law. It was a varied course covering land, and criminal and business law, as well as conveyancing. In the end, however, I didn’t finish the course. I had the opportunity to start a new business and knew this was a great choice for me so chose that route instead. There are so many options that students can choose from, it’s great.
What were you hoping to achieve by studying this course?
Initially, I wasn’t sure what career I wanted, so thought a Business qualification would be a good start! I then thought I wanted to train as a solicitor, hence the law diploma. I guess when I chose to take them, I was hoping to be able to develop my education and start a career.
How were you feeling on the run up to results day?
I was pretty nervous about the results from my BTEC, but I did have an indication of my grade from the coursework elements, so I knew that it would never be as bad as I thought. But the build-up to the day still made me pretty nervous.
How did you celebrate/commiserate your results?
I was pretty pleased with my results… it definitely gave me the motivation to push on with my future goals!
What did you do after studying your BTEC?
After my BTEC qualification I started the law diploma, but then decided I wanted to start my own business; this is how Open Study College began.
Would you go back and change anything?
Absolutely nothing! The Business qualification got me started and I think deep down even then before I started to study Law, my passion was to have my own business. I learned a lot and enjoyed putting it into practice when starting my own business. It also allowed me to realise that you don’t always need to know what you want to do immediately. There are so many options and so many chances to start again.
What advice do you give to those who are in this situation now?
Relax and enjoy this time. No matter what your results are, if you put your mind to it you can do anything you want! If you didn’t get the grades you needed, don’t worry, there are so many opportunities to re-take or to choose another type of qualification. My advice is to go for it with whatever you decide to do next, the sky’s the limit!
Open Study College have so many options and are here to help you succeed. If you need any more advice, contact our student adviser team on 03300 563 100 who are more than happy to help. Or head over to our website to check out your options.