Hew
The Civil Servant
"It’s always advisable to turn up to tutorials. Find a good group of friends or other fellow students to work together and above all, sit back and enjoy it" - Georgia
We meet some real Open University students: Hew
Hew, a technician in the RAF, tells how he motivates himself to get the most out of his Maths and Engineering courses.
"I enjoy what I’m learning in many ways. You couldn’t put in this much motivation unless you were enjoying it to be honest. I’m going into work and getting a deeper insight because of what I’ve learned."
Interview
Hew explains his motivation for studying.
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When I first started studying I was very conscious that I didn't want to let my parents down by failing, or myself really. So every time I thought 'This is hard, I don't understand this, I might fail', I just threw myself at it with double the effort, I suppose. So the fear of failure helped motivate me to do as well as I did.
Biography
Hew is an avionics technician in the RAF. He’s studying a number of Maths and Engineering courses at the Open University, which could eventually contribute to a Bachelor of Science degree.
"I think I let myself down with my A-levels. What I got didn’t represent who I am and what I am. When the chance came to join the RAF, I thought ‘I’ve got the chance to make myself shine’ so I just applied myself to everything the RAF had to offer and did as well as I could at it.
I know when my shifts are going to be each week so it’s a matter of having the motivation to study in the time I set out. If I don’t achieve what I want in the week, I just set myself an hour or two to study on Sunday.
My weekends are when I take a break, meet up with my friends socially, have a drink, play a bit of golf."
Content last updated: 01/01/2000
