“There is no typical OU student. People of all ages and backgrounds study with us, for all sorts of reasons […] The OU is open to them all.” - The Open University's Former Vice-Chancellor, Martin Bean

This quote sums up my experience at the Open University, and I expect it resonates with a lot of other students too.

Life doesn’t always happen as planned. Sometimes life throws us a curveball. Sometimes we don’t know what we want to do as soon as we leave school. Sometimes we do. Sometimes we reach a point in our lives where we want to try something new, something different. Sometimes we are driven to achieve a particular something our whole lives.

I met all of the above at my OU graduation ceremony. I was actually one of the younger grads there – I was only 25, and compared to some of my fellow students, my journey back into education had been quite straightforward. At 16, I left school, and like my parents and their parents and their parents, I got a job. I didn’t take the opportunity to go to college and university seriously. For a start, I couldn’t afford it, and anyway it wasn’t for people like me.

But after a few years of working, and after watching friends from school first get their A Levels, then degrees, then a variety of interesting and rewarding graduate jobs, I thought – why not me? If they can do it, why can’t I? I’d always been interested in international development and politics, so I enrolled at the Open University. Four years of hard work later, I came out with a 2:1 in International Studies.

After getting my degree, I felt invincible. It wasn’t just the OU that was open to me, but the whole world. I had always wanted to live abroad, so I moved abroad. I wanted to complete a Masters Degree, so I saved up, applied, and achieved it.

When I found it was time to start my career, I applied for the Civil Service Fast Stream. If I’m honest, I didn’t think I was what they’d be looking for. I thought the Civil Service would want 21 year old graduates, fresh out of Oxbridge, all looking, talking and thinking the same. That’s not the case at all! Just as there is no typical OU student, there is no typical civil servant. The Civil Service wants its employees to be as diverse as the British population. After all, how can policies generate the outcomes that society needs, if policy officials don’t come from all sections of that society?

For that reason, the application process for the Fast Stream pays no attention to which university you came from, or how old you are. What matters is how you think and react to a given situation. The first step is a number of online selection tests, including an ‘e-tray’ that simulates a real-life work environment. If you pass, you’ll be invited to attend a final assessment centre. Some schemes also have a final selection board, and some specialised tests – for instance, a maths test if you want to work in Finance.

Throughout this process, the Fast Stream is looking for people who display the Civil Service values – the ability to work under pressure, someone who has an eye for detail, someone who can be creative, self-motivated, and displays initiative. Sound familiar? In my opinion, these are the same traits that you will already be using as part of distance learning.

It’s not just the workforce that is diverse at the Civil Service – it’s the work too. When I first joined the Fast Stream, I helped to roll out a national welfare reform project. Now, I’m researching digital interventions for young people with mental health needs. For my next posting, I’ll likely be doing something completely different again – be it defence, justice or trade. Maybe even Brexit! With every posting so different, and rotations every 6-12 months, it’s impossible to get bored. Graduates on the Fast Stream can try their hand at a variety of professions and thematic areas so that, four years later when coming to the end of their scheme, they have a clear understanding of what they’re good at, what they enjoy, and how they might use those skills in their future career.

This year, there are 15 different Fast Stream options that graduates can apply for. These include specialisations in commercial, digital and technology, diplomatic affairs, social research, human resources, project delivery, and science and engineering, as well as a generalist scheme that allows you to experience a variety of roles – a bit like the Open Degree. So no matter who you are, or what subject you’re studying at the Open University, I’m sure there’ll be something in the Civil Service for you.

You can apply online via the Civil Service Fast Stream website from the 20^th of September.