Home study photography courses
 

Don't know if this has been covered before but I've just picked up the recent edition of Practical Photography & a loose leaflet fell out from the Open College of Arts advertising home study photography courses. Apparently, if you pass you can apply for memberships of this that & the other so to speak & can obtain a BA Degree.
Has anyone took any such courses, can they recommend any & did they find them valuable, either to the hobby in general or as a means of seeking employment in the photo world.
I'd also like to know a rough value of costs & the amount of time / dedication involved.
Hope I'm in the right forum category!
Al.

I left school and studied day release toward a HND in electronics for five years - easy 12 hours at college and minimum homework. At 21 I sorted my life out house, lady and cat (most important left last) that sort of stuff then in my mid twenties frustrated that no-one seemed to recognise HND I decided to study and obtain a BSc (Hons) with the OU, distance learning at it finest. I spend five hard years studying evenings and all weekend - it was hard but rewarding. There were lows and exceptional highs (hat-trick of 100% assignments). One year I totalled over 650 hours to gain a distinction in a sociology course. I spend the winters recovering a sleeping! At the end I lost interest and cruised home doing the minimum.

I hope I dont put you off, distance learning toward a degree is possible but you must be very dedicated and its no walk in the park. There will be times when you have to leave the lawn to grow and other times when you'll want to mow the lawn for a break.

Continuing the story... feeling I missed out on five years I wanted a new pursuit what would get me out of the study, satisfy the mind and also the body. Photography for fun.....then I learned to fly an aeroplane.

I am now a Nikon owner with a flying habit in my mid-thirties

Stephen's tale sounds all too familiar. As a schoolboy I used to build valve radios, amplifiers etc. Like Stephen I went through the college route to get the qualifications to enter the electronics industry. At this stage transistors and analogue chips were being introduced into equipment. ( showing my age now ). The micro chip made an appearance in the early 80's which meant a return to study. It did feel odd going back to college at the age of 30 and mixing with 17 year olds.

At 35 I embarked on the OU route. In an insane moment I spent 8yrs of my life to obtain a BA & BSc(hons). I had young children at the time so much of work was after midnight till 2 am. It's not easy holding down a full time job ( often working away from home ) and fitting in 9 months of study, assessments and exams. As Stephen mentioned there are highs along with the lows. Was it worth it ? In many ways yes but at a very high price.

Dependent on the subject the drop out rate on degree level distant learning courses can vary between 25% to 75%.

I think my son paid about £800 for his College course last year.

The membership thing to this or that is a hook and you may find out that it is not as easy as just passing the course ( other requirements maybe needed ) or this or that is not worth the paper it is written on.

I did join the IEE for a few years.

If you have the time and interest by all means take the photography course but don't bank on it to get a better job. Sadly much of adult education is lacking suitable tutors and modern equipment in a range of subjects. So track down where the course is held and speak to current students to see if it is of value.

An excellent question Al. I think there are many of us especially in the 40+ age group that for one reason or another have not studied photography as a lesson and now would love to. I have often thought about the route you mentioned, I think because I want to be able to do something properly. However reading the replies from Stephen and Rob what comes through first is dedication. It's not just 1 or 2 months is it? If you want the qualifications and they are the right ones for you and maybe an occupation afterwards they may well be ok. If you just want to learn for learnings sake to improve your ability then why not try a course like the ones advertised in practical photography. A holiday and learning. For me though, as a working man with wife and family I couldnt justify the time or cost. I hope the ramblings help, Dean.

Thanks all for the replies...all help...one thing stands out...careful consideration...I'll let you know!
Al.

Hi all just like to say you're never too old to go back to school
I'm 42 just started at bradford college doing a degree in photography
i gave up a job with the nhs which i'd done and hated for 23 years
its hard and i have to admit scary but its also lots of fun


LIVE THE DREAM



Regards Julian

Thats the spirit Julian, hope it works out.

Just Spotted in OpenEye a Mag for Post Grad OU students they are starting a new course next year for Digital Photography T189 £155 8 weeks.

Link

http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?C01T189

Nice one Rob, My copy is in the kitchen awaiting opening!

I'll take a look.