Hi Guys and welcome to May's edition of my Masters series. This month I am going to be discussing how to decide on what course is going to be best to suit you!

I will start by explaining what I did to make my own decision.

When I decided I was going to study again I knew I wasn't even going to look at full time study. I am 28 and I was a full time student for my Bachelors degree straight from school and although I enjoyed it then, its not something I could go back to now, also earning a wage is important to me, we all need money, and I didn't want to rely on anyone else by myself.

After that part of the decision being easy the next part of the decision process was to decide between part time or distance learning. I looked at courses nearby at university's, as I wasn't prepared to move away, and I wanted to keep my job.

I decided, after looking at the options for part time courses that they weren't flexible enough for me. I needed something that was ideally evenings or at the very least would fit around my job, but there just wasn't anything out there that worked for me. I needed something flexible and that is why in the end I went with distance learning.

To be totally honest I think I knew all along that I wanted to do distance learning, I just needed to check out all the other options first.

The course with the Open University suited me the most and the subjects were a great mixture of interesting and challenging topics, I can work through it in my own time and can fit it around my current work commitments.

Check back next month to see my guide to the application process.
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If you follow me on Twitter, you may have already caught wind of this...

I have signed myself up to do my Masters Degree! Eeeek!

It's been a long time since I graduated from university, 2006 to be precise, and it was even on my mind back then, I just wasn't entirely sure if it was what I wanted to do. Fast forward seven years, a few jobs and I finally seem to have figured it out and made up my mind.

I ummed and ahhed initially over what I wanted to do my Masters Degree in, my Bachelor's degree was in History and I knew I wanted to do something related to that. I toyed with Archive and Record keeping, Archaeology and History. After thinking long and hard (and a lot of research) I ruled out Archaeology and was left with a toss up between Archive & Record keeping and History. Both would use my degree, one was a specialty and the other wasn't.

I investigated further; I had an idea of a few careers that I was interested in (Research, Museum Curatorship and Heritage) and worked backwards from there to find out what qualifications I would need for my chosen path. In my mind, at this stage, I had already ruled out Archive & Record keeping, I just needed to know whether the choice of a Masters in History was the right one.

Like I said, I graduated from my Bachelors degree in 2006, these final stages of thought were taking place at the latter end of 2012, so it had taken me a while to get myself to the point where I was ready to make a final decision.

The real decision came during a conversation with my other half. We discussed what I really wanted to do career-wise, and my answer was 'Research'. I've always loved the element of research that came alongside my History degree and have always wished I could take it to a higher level, but its not the easiest of routes to follow, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. We talked it through and I went away thinking even more intensely about my next step.

When it came to the crunch I knew what I wanted to do, a lot of it was down to what I already knew I wanted to do, the other was my other half just asking a few questions which really made me think about it. So I signed up for my Masters Degree in History, starting in September 2013.

The plan I have at the moment is very loose, and that's kind of the way I like it, I don't want or need to put any pressure on the situation, I just want to try and do the very best I can. I start the Masters, like I said, in September this year with the Open University with the aim of completing it in two years (which brings me to the year I turn 30). Then, my loosely planned route has two options. If I am happy where I am I intend to investigate jobs in Museum Curatorship, possibly something to do with researching and maintaining collections. My other option is look for funding for a PhD in History and complete that over a few years, with the aim of going into Research/Education (like a University lecturer etc). At the moment I am not putting pressure on myself, but I do love the idea of being able to complete the PhD. What an achievement that would be!

The process of deciding wasn't easy but was at the same time. I think all along I probably knew what it was I wanted to do, I just needed to be sure about it in my mind. I am so happy with the decision I have made, and although for now it will take a while to get to where I am headed, that's fine with me. I have a supportive man, a supportive family and with that in mind, I already feel like I can do anything I set my mind to.

I'd love to hear from you if you've done your Masters Degree, are thinking about it or just if you have any questions!

Happy Wednesday Folks!
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