Meet our learners

Inspirational stories from the amazing people around the world who are improving their lives with FutureLearn.    

[learner-stories]

Sabrina Malter, is a mum of two and works at Roche Pharmaceuticals. While on maternity leave she used FutureLearn to develop new soft skills and keep up her career progress. In this post she tells us how she did it. 

Sabrina lives with her husband Tobias and two girls; Alba, 3 and Ellena 1, in Hockenheim, Germany. She returned from a year of maternity leave in March 2018 to a new role as Manager of Strategy and Project Portfolio at Roche Pharmaceuticals.

“During my last maternity leave I recognised that I wanted to develop my soft-skills. I searched for ways that I could up-skill and found two FutureLearn courses on leadership and management. After starting these courses I was thrilled to get a call from my boss asking me if I would be keen to take on responsibility of organisational development in my department when I returned to work. It was exactly the career path I wanted to follow.”

Sabrina was keen to develop her soft-skills while on leave but also valued being able to balance this with being a new mum: she could progress in her career from home with her new baby.

“I fitted my learning around Kindergarten and nap times, I was so enthusiastic about the courses that I never saw them as a job. FutureLearn balanced my role as a mother, I was not only caring for a child but also using my mind doing something different and progressing my career whilst on maternity leave.  

“My managers value and respect me using my initiative to develop myself through the FutureLearn platform. It highlights my passion and commitment to the development of the company.”

Taking courses in Leaderships skills on FutureLearn not only gave Sabrina new soft-skills needed to help her progress at work, it helped to secure a new role where she could share these learnings to help others progress too.

“I believe that both employers and employees alike need to take the sole focus away from technical hard skills and recognise the equal need for soft skills in the workplace.

“The courses I took on FutureLearn taught me to listen without an agenda, empathise and coach with a growth mindset. To me, these skills are important in understanding what concerns and what motivates others and to help people and organisations learn, develop and grow.

“We don’t know which skills we may need in the future but it’s clear that we have to adopt new skills fast. FutureLearn makes it possible to find courses on a wide range of topics.”

Before taking the FutureLearn courses Sabrina had never coached anyone, in her new role she is running coaching workshops for staff across the company including her senior team.

“The courses helped me to shape plans for my new role. There were so many ideas in the courses for introducing a coaching culture into the workplace. I am now starting to entrench these ideas into my own department.”

“I found that asking and responding to questions in the course discussion threads helped me to formulate my thoughts. I also loved the flexibility of learning on FutureLearn - you can log in whenever and wherever you want. A colleague of mine has to work between two locations and has long commutes between the two, this time could be a great opportunity for her to learn. People really can upskill and develop their careers like I did, wherever they are, whatever they are doing!”

Want to improve your soft skills like Sabrina? Get started now with a wide range of soft skills courses on FutureLearn.

[learner-stories]

In 2015 FutureLearner Aboubacar shared his story with FutureLearn, explaining his motivations for learning on FutureLearn, his interest in hacking and computer systems, and sharing his ambition of becoming a forensic scientist. Now, aged 27, he shares what he has achieved over the past 3 years, how FutureLearn helped him with his career goals and why he still takes and revisits courses.

“Back in 2015 when I shared my story with FutureLearn, I was dreaming of becoming an expert in computer security and forensics. I took many online courses which have helped me in my life. I completed a certificate in Ethical Hacking and I was dreaming of getting a job in a computer security field. I left Ghana in December 2015, after 5 years of studying, to come back to Niger and I did an internship, Liptinfor a local ISP,  in networking and telecommunication and in July 2016 I was hired as a network administrator and information security expert. I work at the Civil Aviation Authority of Niger as a network administrator and sometimes monitor most of the security equipment in the airport. 

Unfortunately, I could not learn more about forensics because in Niger the cyberspace has not as developed. Cyber attacks are very rare in Niger and people don't pay much attention to it, so I decided to start to do some freelancing as an expert In ethical hacking but it is not working as well as I would like.

I have been taking a lot of courses but in Niger, our internet connection is very slow and sometimes does not work at all, so I learn less than before. I want to continue to achieve my goals but some course prices are too high for me in Niger but with free courses and the old ones I took, I can review my knowledge. I am continuing to use FutureLearn to maintain and update myself. Technology keeps growing and becoming more advanced and I plan to stay up to date with this. 

The researchers and academic institutions that provide the courses on FutureLearn are very impressive. They work seriously to come up with good tutorials and information. Most lecturers are PhD holders and they have life experience about what they are teaching. The content of the courses and the platform design/technology when taking the courses are pretty good for me. I learn with FutureLearn when I have free time at my workplace. Mostly I use my computer to learn so that I can search more information during my online classroom. The website is light, and content can download fast for my weak Internet connection. But sometimes I cannot watch the video very fast, I have to wait until it loads completely before watching.

FutureLearn contributed a lot in life, firstly in my job and my own knowledge.”

Inspired by Aboubacar’s Story?

Explore the journey you could have with FutureLearn.

Browse all courses.

[learner-stories]

Catherine, 48, is a qualified teacher who currently home educates her daughter, Hannah. Here she shares her experience of home educating a child with additional needs, how FutureLearn has been the best place for Hannah’s education and development and how she supports other families.

“I am a qualified primary school teacher but have not taught for a long while due, initially, to health issues of my own but also due to home educating my daughter, Hannah. Hannah is 14. She is on the Autistic Spectrum (Asperger’s and Pathological Demand Avoidance), and she is also dyslexic. She has never been to nursery or school.

I have always had an interest in children with additional needs but even having taught some children on the spectrum doesn’t prepare you for having your own and living it 24/7!

I give support to three other families with children on the spectrum, locally, through text, call and email. I also became a Trustee of a local charity working with children and young people, and their families with additional needs and, or, life-limiting conditions. The charity has helped and continues, to help us. For a while, I led a weekly home education group at the charity’s centre. Hannah was the eldest in the group and ultimately the difference between what she needed and what the others needed was too great and she no longer wanted to go.

Hannah has always been interested in things that aren’t on the “ordinary curriculum” or that were aimed at those older than her. Through primary age, we got around that by using secondary age material. Once she reached Secondary school age it was proving very difficult to find things of interest and at a suitable level. Last year she had serious issues with sensory problems and major headaches so being able to pick things of interest for short periods of time suitable for her and her needs was extra important.

Becoming a teenager and therefore being able to use FutureLearn in her own right transformed “school. FutureLearn has given her access to subjects that interest her at a level that is suitable. She needs subjects she is interested in and that have material which is at an adult level, FutureLearn enables her to access that without the anxiety/pressure of having to do specific things at specific times. FutureLearn has helped her regain her interest in learning and made her want to do “school” again as well as giving her a sense of achievement from finishing the courses.

So, my time is mostly spent home educating Hannah. However, her pursuit of art and crafts has got me back into trying to find time for having a go myself- having not really done any art since I did my 16+ at school! I am also trying to claim time to read now that she doesn’t need my input every minute of every day.”

Inspired by Catherine’s story?

Explore the courses you could take on FutureLearn.

[learner-stories]

Ezegbe, 34, is a medical doctor and trainee paediatrician from Nigeria. Here he shares the skills gaps he identified within himself, how this hindered his professional life and how FutureLearn helped him to overcome challenges and is guiding him on his path to professional success. 

“In the course of my medical practice, I have come to identify certain deficiencies in which have tended to hinder some aspects of my professional life. Some of these include challenges in critical thinking, problem-solving, entrepreneurship and creativity. I have worked, for so long, to overcome these challenges. I had some discussion with my brother about these challenges and he introduced me to FutureLearn.

From my earliest lessons in Logical and Critical Thinking, Unleash Your Potential: Innovation and Enterprise, Healthcare Research: For Healthcare Professionals and others, I have learnt how human behaviour and scientific principles have been transforming human lives and transcending imaginary boundaries. This insight has touched me personally, it has reformed my thinking process, liberated my creative ability and is guiding me on the road to successful entrepreneurship. For this, I am grateful to FutureLearn.

I am happy to share my experience; the experience of a life well transformed by one of the best online learning platforms. FutureLearn is changing lives and I will definitely apply the skills I have acquired to reset the statistics of morbidity and mortality in many rural areas in my country and beyond. I hope to contribute immensely in helping my country to achieve its sustainable development goals. What is more? It is the entrepreneurship which this opportunity offers that deepens my joy and makes me feel so indebted to FutureLearn.”

Inspired by Ezegbe story?

Explore the courses he took:

Logical and Critical Thinking

Unleash Your Potential: Innovation and Enterprise

Healthcare Research: For Healthcare Professionals

Or, explore all FutureLearn courses.

[learner-stories]

Fred, 85, is a Holocaust Survivor. Here he shares his incredible story of survival, his greatest life achievements and how he became an influential speaker and champion of remembrance and awareness of the Holocaust.

“I was born in Wiesbaden, Germany. When I was about a year old, my parents left me in the care of a childless aunt and uncle. My parents went to Belgium, hoping that Hitler and the Nazis would not last long and they could return and retrieve me. I lived with my Aunt Rosa and Uncle Siegfried, thinking they were my father and mother. I called my aunt “Mama.”

I recall my German friend, Walter, very well. I remember sleigh rides in the winter. Each day around noon, I recall walking my grandmother Adelheid from my Aunt Selma’s house to the house where I lived. I remember the horse Bella, a retired racehorse that belonged to my uncle. I recall a hunchback, Jacob who lived with us…Above all, I recall the night I witnessed the burial of a pine box in a landfill. The pine box contained the Torah and other religious relics of the nearby synagogue. (Six weeks later, the synagogue would be burned in Kristallnacht.)

The day after the Munich Pact, my uncle, who I thought until then was my father, took me on on a train trip to Aachen. There he gave me to Maria Goar, a Christian German lady. She took me by streetcar to the Belgium border of Germany. Once we arrived, she told me that I should go straight ahead as she had to get back to her home. I walked straight through the block of the no man’s land separating Belgium from Germany.

When I reached the Belgian side a customs official spoke to me in French, a language that I did not understand. On the nearby side of the border fence, a man was yelling loudly in a language I did not understand. It was my biological father who was yelling in French “C’est mon fils!” [It is my son!]. After some discussion, telephone calls were made and I was let into Belgium as a refugee.

Later in the evening, after I arrived at the apartment in Verviers, Belgium, where my biological parents lived, I spoke to my aunt crying and calling her “Mama.” Four years later she and my uncle Siegfried were deported from Frankfurt, Germany, and allegedly gassed on arrival on June 15, 1942, at the extermination camp of Sobibor. Had I remained with them, I would have shared their fate.

Instead, in 1942, my family, having obtained false identity cards, went into hiding under the false name of Lejeune. It was decided earlier that I would learn Catholic prayers to pass as a Catholic boy if need be. We went in what was known in Belgium as occultation or obscurity. We moved every few months so as not to arouse any suspicion since we did not wear the obligatory identifying yellow Star of David. I did not attend school and led a solitary life without any friends or contacts with peers. We listened at night to the British radio BBC in its French edition in the hope that someday all the horror would end. We lived for two years in hiding.

We were liberated after a battle in the village of Oneux-Theux on Sept. 9, 1944. A little more than three months later, the Germans counterattacked in what became known as the “Battle of the Bulge.” That was very dangerous since we had recovered our real name. We trekked in the snow to Liege to stay with friends, mostly in their basement. After the end of the war in Europe, I resumed schooling, finishing first in the citywide sixth-grade examination.

I immigrated to the U.S. alone in 1952 and was inducted into the U.S. Army a year later on March 17, 1953. That was 60 years ago. I became a naturalized U.S. citizen on Nov. 24, 1953, at Fort Bragg, N.C., while in the 82nd Airborne Division. I returned to occupied Germany in March 1954 as an American soldier.

After my honourable discharge from the army in 1955, I attended the University of Maryland. There I proposed the idea of presidential debates, a novel idea then. I asked and received the personal endorsement of Mrs Eleanor Roosevelt, the former first lady, as well as other notables. On Sept. 26, 1960, the first presidential debates occurred. Last year I was given credit for having pioneered the debates in numerous media, including NPR’s All Things Considered and television station WUSA (Channel 9) in the District.

Further, I manage the worldwide listserv/group Remember_The_Holocaust, which has 306 members worldwide from all five continents. I continue giving speeches to young people on the Holocaust. I was interviewed for three hours on the video of Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation Institute, as well as the oral history archives of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. I talk to high school and university students to promote tolerance, education and human rights in memory of Holocaust victims, notably my Aunt Rosa and Uncle Siegfried.

I served for three years, 2005-2008, appointed by Governor of Maryland Ehrlich, Jr., on the State of Maryland’s task force to implement Holocaust, genocide, human rights and tolerance education in the University of Maryland system. I had a political economist’s career of almost 30 years in the executive branch of the U.S. government in Washington, D.C. During that time I was also elected to the national council of the American Society of Public Administration, served on the board of directors of the Society of Government Economists, and was on the editorial board of the Public Administration Review, a distinguished scholarly publication. Finally, I was awarded the distinguished career service award by the U.S. secretary of labour.

During my public service, I had a stint at the Harvard University JFK School of Government in Cambridge, Mass. I have a B.A. with honours from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree from the (Nitze) School of Advanced International Studies of The Johns Hopkins University. I was selected as a Woodrow Wilson National Fellow and taught at Howard University in Washington, D.C. I am the author of many articles in several publications in the U.S., Belgium and Germany. I am fluent in four languages.

I can genuinely write that throughout my life since surviving the Holocaust by “passing” in hiding in Belgium, I have pursued tolerance education in transmitting the memory of what I experienced as a youth to those who were not there. In transmitting my memories, I hope that I educate the current generation in my message that one ought not to pick up a gun because a person is different. I have done my best, in a small way, to engender a better world. The Nazis considered a Jew’s life worthless. I proved them wrong in memory of my foster parents deported and gassed in the extermination camp of Sobibor.

At 85 years old, I continue to lead a worthwhile life.”

Inspired by Fred’s story?

Learn more about the history of the Holocaust on FutureLearn:

The Holocaust: an Introduction - Part 1

The Holocaust: an Introduction - Part 2

Or browse other History courses.

[learner-stories]

Zara, 41, is a spa therapist residing in Leeds. Here she shares her love for history, how history helped her gain top grades in her GCSE retakes, the FutureLearn courses that she’s enjoyed most and how they led her to visit famous historical sites and exhibitions.

Philippa Gregory, author of ‘The other Boleyn girl’ got me started on my historical hobby about 10 years ago. I have done other courses with other online history programmes in the past which I enjoyed both for myself to indulge in my hobby but also to expand and develop myself academically too.

I left school with 4 Ds in GCSE English, History, Art & French and 2 Fs in GCSE science and home economics. I remember having a one on one with the careers advisor before leaving school (which we had to do) the result was very negative. Since then I have worked in two award-winning UK health spas, worked at sea onboard ships and abroad in Bermuda. Since getting into history and reading I have retaken my GCSEs via national extension college gaining an A in history and a B in English.

On leaving school in 1993 we were all given a 'record of achievement' file, with school reports included so that we could use it when attending interviews for further studies or work. After leaving college the record of achievement wasn't appropriate anymore but the idea of it was good so I bought a nice big file, which to put my school and college certificates in and since then have collected and filed all my academic and career certificates in there. After 20 years it's pretty hefty but my most treasured certificates are now my history ones.

FutureLearn came up in conversation one day and was recommended to me. I had a look at the website and liked how the courses are created and taught by university lecturers, they can be done anytime you can get online and are short sharp courses that last 3 to 6 weeks to give you a taste of a period or event in history.

With me being interested in the Tudor and Plantagenet period due to several historical fiction authors that I had read over the years, visiting places of interest and attending talks by historians, it was natural for me to join England in the Time of King Richard III. I have visited Richard’s childhood home at Middleham castle, visited the ‘Richard the III experience’ in York and also attended Leicester Cathedral the day before his re-internment where we saw his coffin lying in state for a few minutes before returning to the Cathedral at 1pm to attend the Eucharist service so we could spend more time with him.

I thought I would whizz through this course quite easily but actually, I came to learn new things too; topics included food and cooking, death and burial, manuscripts and texts during Richard’s reign. So even though I knew his story I learned more about daily life in that time and I passed with 88%.

I was very excited when I got my certificate in the post from Leicester University to put in my portfolio. It spurred me on to do another course which was Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite’s, this course would be completely different for me as I had no prior knowledge of the subject.

I found this subject very interesting, enlightening and refreshing. The way the course was set up was slightly different as it focused more on artefacts and objects to tell the story. Other learners recommended watching ‘outlander’ series which is set around this period and it completely got me hooked. Since then I have attended the exhibition at National Museums Scotland on Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobite’s, I am reading the book by Jacqueline Ridings on this subject and am in the process of booking a Jacobite holiday in May to explore both Culloden and Prestonpans battlefields, to visit Edinburgh Castle, Palace at Holyrood house and join an outlander tour bus for the day.

My next course is Beyond the Ballot that starts in February and begins with the suffragette movement.

Inspired by Zara’s story?

Explore the courses she took:

Beyond the Ballot: Women’s Rights and Suffrage from 1866 to Today

Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite’s

England in the Time of King Richard III

Or browse all history courses.

[learner-stories]

Carlos, 53, is a bilingual teacher from San Lorenzo, Valle. Honduras.C.A. Here he shares what it means to him to be a teacher, how he came to value FutureLearn so much and why he advocates learning with FutureLearn.

“I've been studying all my life. I began to study English when I was 8 years old, at that time there were not many technological resources, just the printed form of books and some audio cassettes or records. I have a degree in Literature, English teaching and Theology. Also, I am a Public Accountant. I write essays, poetry and short stories.

Working as a teacher is one of my favourite things because when you share your educational experiences with the students you change the world for them. Every student presents an opportunity for me to teach values and knowledge so that they discover each one of their potentialities that will help them to develop in a demanding and competent world.

When a student reaches their goals, a smile of satisfaction comes from inside you, no matter if they forget to say thank you.

I like to learn something new all the time. My wishes were to study abroad, but I never had the opportunity. I did many applications but it was impossible until one day I was surfing the internet and God gave me this option in FutureLearn in order to update my knowledge. I never imagined the big quantity of courses offered by the most famous centres and universities around the world.

The interactive learning process between students and educational institutions is structured in a systematic way and there are some reinforcement methods to clarify ideas. In addition, when you read the comments of all classmates from around the world, educational experiences are a great help in the development of new learning concepts.

This is a great privilege for all the people that are eager to be prepared for life. The practical and useful courses are always interesting and contribute to reinforcing our careers.

My words of appreciation for this open door. Every step you take with the helping hand of FutureLearn is a step in progress. Don't hesitate to study, the choice for a winner is here. FutureLearn is just waiting for you.”

Inspired by Carlos’s story?

Browse the courses you could take with FutureLearn.

[learner-stories]

Wally, 71, is a retired history teacher from Cyprus. Here he shares the story of what his parents and grandparents experienced during the Holocaust, how FutureLearn’s Holocaust courses helped him with a family research project and how a successful application resulted in dual nationality.

“I am a retired history teacher, formerly living in Britain, now in Cyprus. I have kept up my interest in history since retiring, and this has included joining a number of history-based FutureLearn courses.

My parents were Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany. My father survived 3 years in a Concentration camp. Two of my Grandparents were murdered in the Holocaust. All this we knew from an early age, but my parents were always reluctant to go into much detail, as they found it too upsetting to talk about, so there were many gaps in our knowledge.

Three years ago I suggested to my sister that we really should try to research and write down what we could find about our ancestors for our children and grandchildren. I did the research and wrote up the project. My sister supplied many details she obtained from papers that she had kept when our parents died but there were still many gaps and we were hindered by not being able to read German. Fortunately, we found a volunteer researcher in Hamburg (where my parents came from) who did a huge amount of research for us in the local archives. It was in the early stages of the project that your courses became available. Although I was already very familiar with the main events of the Holocaust (I obtained a Fellowship from the Imperial War Museum for the work I did on Holocaust Education with young people), the timing was perfect to reinforce my knowledge. The approach of the course covered some familiar ground, but was also groundbreaking in parts and was very helpful to me. It wasn’t just about the Holocaust, but also Jewish life in Europe, how different countries responded to the persecution and how historians use and assess the reliability of evidence - all these are aspects of the Holocaust that have always interested me. The project was completed about a year ago and circulated to family. Since then I have added a few new details that have emerged. It runs to 60 pages and covers our Great-Grandparents as well as the later generations. Yad Vashem and the Wiener Library already have a copy. It includes details we did not know before about exactly when and where our Grandparents were murdered. One other detail might be of interest to you. Every year the Hamburg Senate invites descendants of Holocaust victims from Hamburg to a week in Hamburg with visits and meetings. It is a way of showing their atonement for the crimes of their ancestors. I went with my brother in 2016 and as a result, we were able to visit the homes where our parents were brought up, their schools, and the grave of the 2 grandparents who were fortunate enough to die a natural death before the Holocaust began. So impressed was I at the way we were looked after and the genuine atonement that they showed, that soon after I decided to apply for German citizenship. This was also a result of the Brexit referendum result and my wish to remain a member of the EU. I had always vaguely known that I was entitled to Dual nationality, but it was a combination of the family history project, the visit to Hamburg and the referendum result that persuaded me to apply. My application was successful and I now have a German as well as a British passport. So that is another link to my roots.”

Inspired by Wally’s Story?

Take a look at the courses that shaped his story:

The Holocaust: an Introduction - Part 1

The Holocaust: an Introduction - Part 2

Or browse other History courses.

[learner-stories]

Benedicta, 27, is a personal banker and sales team manager from Ghana. Here she shares how she raised money to fund her studies at university, why she’s proud of graduating and progressing at work and how FutureLearn helped her to stand out and continues to improve her skills and personal development.

“I work on contracts as a Personal Banker and Sales Team manager in a bank. In my spare time, I love to travel and read books. I love the beach and I am madly in love with paintings. I also write poems once in a while when I am inspired. Mostly, I want to improve myself and be better than I was each new day.

One of the most defining moments in my life is graduating from university. What really stands out about it is that none of my siblings had been to the university so I am the first. One major difficulty was funding my education through university, especially in my final year. I studied hard so that I could teach my friends who were in evening school, I got some money from them as payment since they did not have time to study full-time and due to them combining work with school, they had challenges concentrating in class. I also became a sales agent for a recognised brand, PZ Cussons, to sell and distribute their products to shops and students on campus. This fetched me some more money so that I could pay my registration fees. In the midst of this difficulty, I was able to graduate with a First Class Honors. It has been quite a journey but I have enjoyed it all along.

As for FutureLearn, a friend introduced me. At first, I thought it was too good to be true, to have the chance to study a range of courses online for free. This was way back in the year 2014, but when I logged on, I realised that it was not a joke.

FutureLearn has made me stand out among my work peers, the majority of whom are not really concerned with studying online or reading about anything that will add value to their current work.

I am very proud of working hard enough to be promoted to a team manager in my organisation. The portfolio I have managed so far, the targets I have achieved and the contacts I have been able to make.

My motivations for taking courses on FutureLearn are to improve my career prospects, learn new skills and also for my personal development. I now want to further my education. An MBA is my next step and I would love to do it as soon as I can afford to pay for my education.”

Inspired by Benedicta’s story?

Take a look at the courses that helped her:

How to Succeed at: Interviews

Numeracy Skills for Employability and the Workplace

The Secret Power of Brands

How to Succeed in the Global Workplace

Or browse all courses.

[learner-stories]

Martin, 18, is a student from Argentina. Here he talks about what it’s like to gain an education in Argentina, why FutureLearn is different from other learning platforms and how the courses he has taken have helped him to prepare for his upcoming university degree. 

“Here in Argentina education is something that you can use as a shield. Finding a good quality education in primary and secondary school is not something that’s very easy but if you put your best effort in to improve yourself and engage with the learning process you will find satisfaction.

I love to learn and improve my wellbeing and knowledge, I want to expand my horizons. I try to study as much as possible and I try to understand and learn as much as possible too. I have a real interest in topics like migration, diplomatics, cultures, globalization, human rights and international law. I would like to work in humanitarian risk zones or conflict zones. I finished secondary school just a few weeks ago and I am going to study international relationships at University in February.

I discovered FutureLearn on the first day of my summer holidays started and on this day when I was supposed to start resting I registered and started studying again. I have done courses which, here in my town in the north of Argentina, I would never have been able to find because of the lack of educational resources, information and quality here.

I am very pleased to have found FutureLearn because I have started to specialise myself in international studies, something that I love, and the courses I am taking are useful in every sense because they help me to understand the world, the theories and the facts but at the same time the courses improve and they satisfy my personal interest.

Doing courses can be really difficult because most learning platforms are for people who have already studied something or work on the topic but FutureLearn is different, it gives opportunities to all of us!! It is a different platform...It’s very sophisticated, educational, fun and is a tool for dialogue, which is something that is not found every day.

FutureLearn gives you the opportunity to have a Certificate of Achievement if you like. I have upgraded two courses, my first two courses, Why Do People Migrate? and Desigualdades en América Latina y el Caribe. I am really happy because they prove my understanding in the area. My certificates will help me to find work because these course with great universities give you a push, it opens doors and one day when I present my certificates from FutureLearn in interviews they will say “Hired!”

For anybody who is not learning here, I really have to say that it is a great opportunity to expand your horizons!! I encourage all of you, all the ones who love to learn, who love to understand and love to discover new worlds.”

Inspired by Martin’s story?

Take a look at the courses he upgraded:

Why Do People Migrate?

Desigualdades en América Latina y el Caribe

Or browse all courses. 

[learner-stories]

Cintia, 33, is an English Teacher from Argentina. Here she shares more about her passion for teaching, why she quit and re-joined the profession and how FutureLearn has given her the skills and tools to grow. 

“I have been teaching English as a foreign language for over 11 years. Teaching is really one of my passions, but some time ago I started to feel tired, and maybe a bit bored. It was always pretty much the same, wherever I worked, I was starting to lose the feeling of challenge I used to enjoy so much. In 2014 I decided to stop teaching, I worked for about 3 months as a Seasonal Youth Counselor on board a cruise, I loved travelling, but I was not using all the knowledge I had gained after so many years of teacher training. So I came back to Argentina and started teaching again. I taught at bilingual schools, companies and language schools most of the times, but I definitely needed something different.

In my search for new things, I started to study to be a secretary, I loved the training, but it was not something I wanted to do for a living. In one of the courses, the teacher talked about Community Management, and she suggested that we should have a go at it because it would be very useful for us to expand our job possibilities. I found out what it was about, I liked it and in 2016 I took part in a course. This led me to think about delivering online lessons, so I started to do some research on that matter. It was at that moment that I came across FutureLearn.

In my search for a change, I decided that if I wanted something new, perhaps I needed new skills. I started to surf the Internet for some courses and FutureLearn appeared with all its options. One of them was Teaching for Success: The Classroom and the World, delivered by the British Council. I read what the course was about and joined it. It looked interesting and it was for free (I couldn’t believe it!). I was fascinated by the quality of the course, the engagement other students showed, the teachers’ responses and the material provided. The course opened my eyes as regards to students’ needs nowadays, and I felt there was so much to improve and include in my teaching practice.

From that moment on, I’ve been having a look at FutureLearn courses whenever I can. Other courses I took were Blended Learning Essentials: Getting Started (I have already joined the second part, Embedding Practice), Teaching Literacy Through Film and English in Early Childhood. The good thing about FutureLearn is that you can take the courses at your own pace, wherever you are, and it’s so easy to read and participate. I am really curious and love learning, so having access to the courses at any moment was really important for me.

These experiences motivated me to take other online courses and now I am thinking of my own online project, that’s why I keep on training and I am taking part in other courses. During the year it was a bit difficult because I want to enjoy the courses and I didn’t have that much time. I have recently joined the Starting a Business series in order to plan my business and have already joined other teaching courses which start in January and February. I’m really anxious to start because I know I’ll learn a lot more.

Apart from being an enjoyable learning experience, FutureLearn gives me tools to grow. I was feeling stuck, I felt I was always going to be a teacher inside a classroom and couldn’t bear to see me doing the same thing all my life. Now I have found a twist and being my own boss is a great challenge that will take time, might be hard, but my love for teaching is still here, renewed, and waiting to see new results.”

Inspired by Cintia’s story?

Take a look at the courses that she values most:

Teaching for Success: The Classroom and the World

Blended Learning Essentials: Getting Started

Blended Learning Essentials: Embedding Practice

Teaching Literacy Through Film

English in Early Childhood: Language Learning and Development

Starting a Business 1: Vision and Opportunity

Starting a Business 3: Customers and Competitors

Or browse all FutureLearn courses.

[learner-stories]

Aritro, 19, is an English Mentor from India pursuing an undergraduate course in Geology. Here he shares his experience as an English teacher and mentor, why he believes learning English is a valuable tool and how FutureLearn has enhanced his CV and employment prospects. 

“Well, I am nineteen years old and I have done a lot in my life till now. I have always concentrated on my work to prepare the best version of myself and one of my biggest achievements would be seeing my mom, smiling at me everytime I achieve something good in life. It makes me feel contented.

I have been teaching since 2012 and have been involved in teaching children in groups as well as, individuals. I have taught English Communicative classes and the basics of Computer Science. I have other work experience as well. My father is an author, he gave me a golden opportunity to join his organisation where I was appointed as a senior cover designer. I worked there for four years (approximately). I also worked as a career counsellor in a college, for one month or so. Presently, I am serving as an English mentor for those students who aspire to become army-officers, someday. I was successful in making my students able to communicate in English not only fluently, but also, confidently.

I really feel that each and every individual has the right to voice their own opinions. But, due to language barriers, they are not able to produce their thoughts. Hence, I believe that learning English can be a wonderful vehicle, which would bridge the gap between different nations.

I can speak two languages, other than English. Bengali is my mother tongue, whereas Hindi is the national language, hence, I speak these two languages, in addition to English. I think what makes me unique is, I present my thoughts and opinions in such a manner that influences a lot of people around me. I teach English as Lingua Franca, giving Grammar and Communication, the utmost importance, because if the base is not well-made, how can those fancy apartments stand with glam and glitz?

I found FutureLearn whilst surfing through Google and found the English as a Medium of Instruction for Academics course by the University of Southampton. I felt sure it would enrich my career goals and, already, it has helped me achieve greater heights in my workplace.

FutureLearn gave me the power to pursue certain important courses to enhance my C.V., get better jobs as well as enhance my skills in several fields. I am hoping to learn and achieve more. I want to show the world, that hard work, self-confidence and honesty pays a lot, even at a young age.

Cheers to life!”

Inspired by Aritro’s story?

Take a look at the course he took:

English as a Medium of Instruction for Academics

Or browse all FutureLearn courses.

[learner-stories]

Hazel, 56, from England, spent much of her working life as a Systems Administrator. Here she shares her fascinating journey with learning, how FutureLearn became a form of self-therapy and helped her to rediscover her personality after a difficult period.

“My love of learning and thirst for knowledge began early. I was the type of child that irritated adults with constant questions. You know the sort of thing “why is the sky blue?”, “why do insects have six legs?”, “how do whales breathe?” I couldn’t wait to join my older siblings in that magical place called school, where I would meet lots of other children and learn about all sorts of things. When the day came, I skipped merrily away down the little path that led to the playground, unwittingly leaving my mum hurt at the fact that I didn’t even look back and wave goodbye; such was my enthusiasm for the adventure. There I discovered art and literature in one glorious moment; Rousseau’s painting of a tiger with Blake’s poem underneath, which decorated the classroom wall. Music, through recorder lessons, and then languages, through being taught French from the age of 7, served to confirm that I was right about school. By the age of 12, I was writing and directing plays, putting them on at lunchtime to raise money for charities. Strangely, I even loved being given homework, because it was all part of the learning adventure.

My love of the theatre continued when I went on to study for my degree. Looking back, I have no idea where I found the time to study English and Anthropology, run the drama society, direct plays while acting in others at the same time, and still having the normal social life that goes with being a student, but I’m glad I did. Working in I.T. and the long commute to work put an end to the am-dram, but I used the daily train journey to learn languages and indulge my love of world literature. My briefcase was more of a mini library than a receptacle for paperwork! Eventually, a change in career brought an end to the commuting, as the lure of country life was too hard to resist, but I always found time to feed my yearning to learn new things. All this was to change when a traumatic experience left me questioning everything I believed about the world and other people. I didn’t know it at the time, but as the months went by and my physical injuries healed, I was to be left with a legacy that would be far harder to deal with. The loss of confidence, the all-pervading anxiety and chronic depression were not just a simple reaction to being out in the world again; I was diagnosed with PTSD. Isolation, lack of motivation and ongoing prejudice from members of the local community only served to exacerbate the condition. A support worker, in an effort to combat my isolation, encouraged me to make short regular trips to my local library (somewhere that felt safe). It was during one of these visits that a librarian mentioned FutureLearn to me. She brought up the site on her screen and scrolled through the list of courses. I was amazed and immediately hooked. At first, I was too nervous to take any sort of active part, through the comments section, but one day curiosity got the better of me and I took a peek at what was going on. Before I knew it, I had posted a comment myself. I can’t remember what it was; I just remember the feeling of anxiety as soon as I had done it. I’m so glad I took that simple step though because I have had so many fascinating, inspiring and at times funny, exchanges with both my fellow students and tutors. Little did I know that that simple act of kindness at my local library was to be a turning point for me. FutureLearn soon became a powerful item in my self-therapy toolkit, for so many reasons. It provides goals to aim for that are meaningful to me. It gives and sustains a renewed sense of confidence; the sense that I do have abilities and that I have something valuable to contribute. It connects me to a wonderful amazing bunch of people from across the world when I would otherwise be completely isolated. The positive experiences I have on the various courses provide me with daily proof that there are actually good people in the world. The sense of enrichment from the wide variety of courses I have been able to study is quite phenomenal. I thought I had lost the person I once was. Through FutureLearn I have discovered that this is not the case. The chuckling, inquisitive, creative woman hadn’t gone; she was still in there somewhere. It’s a long journey, there are no magic wands, but thanks to my experiences with FutureLearn, the me-that-was is becoming the me-that-is again.”

Inspired by Hazel’s story?

Take a look at a few of the courses she values:

Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance

Introduction to Italian

Shakespeare and His World

England in the Time of Richard III

Cultural Studies and Modern Languages

Or browse all FutureLearn courses.

[learner-stories]

Paul, 74, from the UK, spent 28 years working in hotel management and 20 years in accounting before retiring. Here he shares the story of his upbringing, how his passion for music grew and more about his love of learning Opera.  

“I grew up in Wales just after the second world war. My mother’s family was from Llanrwst in North Wales but my father, who was in the RAF, was posted to St Athan in South Wales before going to Singapore and taking my mother with him. I grew up with an aunt and my grandmother – that is when I wasn’t a boarder at my preparatory school in Bangor.

It was in the summer holidays of my first year at prep school that music first made a real impression on me. My aunt lived on an estate of prefabs and I can remember that when going to the local shop, from each open window and in the shop I would hear the BBC Light Programme (the wireless with just three programmes was about the only domestic entertainment) and the two musicals that dominated the airwaves that year were Rogers & Hammerstein’s ‘Oklahoma!’ and ‘Bless the Bride’ a romance by Vivien Ellis. Seventy years on they are still amongst my favourites.

The school in Bangor was run by a man, his wife and her brother – all Oxford MAs – and three or four other teachers whose only qualifications were a love of teaching, general knowledge and enthusiasm. My brother and I were sent there because my grandmother’s twin sisters had taught there. The headmaster of this school felt that music was an essential part of a child’s education and although none of the teachers had any particular musical skills the headmaster did his best and every day we used to sing. Once a term there was an outing and that usually meant Gilbert & Sullivan which was carefully explained to us, along with excerpts on records, so that by the time of the performance we all knew the piece quite well. In the ‘50s G&S was still on the curriculum and right through my schooling I got to know and admire the Savoy Operas.

I well remember being taken by an aunt to see ‘The Merry Widow’ at Sadler’s Wells, but my first ‘real’ opera was ‘Aida’ complete with horses, camels, a couple of elephants and a cast of hundreds, in the magnificent setting of the Roman arena in Verona. This, I realised, was the height of sophisticated entertainment and I was hooked. I couldn’t possibly afford the expensive new long-playing records but on market stalls, for 9d or 1/-, you could find old unwanted 78 rpm discs of stylish singers of the past singing old favourites. I built up quite a collection.  

After leaving school I studied in London and stayed there working for some years and took every opportunity to go to every show I could and the opera at Sadler’s Wells and later at the Coliseum when English National Opera moved there. This was a time when, not only were there many wonderful shows, but ticket prices for the theatre and English National Opera were more affordable and my partner and I would go regularly.

Moving from the Metropolis to rural Somerset was something of a cultural shock but the hard work of successfully running a small hotel largely overcame that and anyway I soon learned that it was not a cultural desert and that Welsh National Opera occasionally visited Bristol which was not too far away. After seventeen years of running the hotel, we moved into Bristol and I started work as accounts and payroll clerk and at the same time completing a Social Studies course with the Open University. My aim of a complete career change came to nothing but I did end up working for a completely different company each day of the week which made for an interesting working environment and it meant that I could indulge my passion for opera.

Not very long before retirement, I was introduced to the University of the Third Age – U3A – when I was asked to give a talk. I’d heard of U3A before but with this introduction, I saw that this organisation was one I would join immediately on retirement. Here was an organisation that had dozens of part-time courses on all sorts of fascinating subjects, all to be had for a pittance.  As soon as I could I signed up for an opera course and a couple of others. In the spirit of U3A, it wasn’t very long before I was tutoring the opera course which made me learn all the more.

Learning has always been a bit of a bug for me. Acquiring knowledge is not only valuable but the process is fascinating and I can happily spend my time learning how something is done or how something works. So when I saw in Opera magazine that FutureLearn was offering a short online course ‘Inside Opera’, I very quickly signed up for it and I’m learning even more about my favourite subject.”

Inspired by Paul’s story?

Take a look at the course he took:

Inside Opera: Why Does It Matter?

Or browse all FutureLearn courses.

[learner-stories]

Karla, 25, is a Junior Consultant for an online marketing company, from the Philippines. Here she shares why she has studied many different topics, how her experience with depression affected her education, how FutureLearn supported her and opened new doorways and why she supports the LGTBQ+ community.

Reader note: This story contains the discussion of mental health issues, self-harm and personal experience of sexuality.

“I’ve always been very perennially curious about an extensive array of topics; from literature to philosophy, to religion, music, and history. Entering college in 2008 definitely opened the floodgates to more knowledge and to people who hold diverse paradigms and viewpoints. Entering college, likewise, changed my life in a way I could never have imagined.

In 2011, I began experiencing symptoms of severe clinical depression. I began sobbing while writing my course essays and papers. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, and I had been experiencing the most extreme mood changes which I couldn’t fathom and understand. Being constantly guilty didn’t help either. I was feeling this pervading, consistent self-condemnation because I had been sexually confused. Depression and being bisexual weren’t a healthy mix.

As the years went on, I found myself unable to process anything I’d read. It didn’t matter if the text was challenging or surprisingly easy. I began losing chunks of my memory. I started self-harming again, had episodes of psychosis and anxiety attacks, and had multiple suicide attempts dispersed over five to six years. I found out that I was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder, borderline personality disorder, and OCD. I also felt alienated because I felt that identifying as queer was totally unacceptable.

I had to take a two-year leave of absence, a mental health sabbatical to rest and recuperate. There, I began taking MOOCs on other platforms. Out of thirty to forty online courses, I had only been able to complete a single course. In a stroke of luck, I found FutureLearn.

Being an introvert, I found interacting with new people quite the challenge (which threatened to heighten my anxiety attacks). It was a massive help to find that FutureLearn had a warm, welcoming, and respectful community of learners. I learned to be more open and receptive to new ideas, and I have been able to adjust to social interaction.

More importantly, it helped me cope, not only with mental illness but with sexuality and accepting myself as a queer female. Additionally, FutureLearn has given me opportunities to learn beyond what I have learned at university. I just found out that I got accepted into my university’s MA English Studies (Anglo-American Literature) program after nine years as an undergrad. FutureLearn has spurred my desire to be in academe and serve my country through being aware of innovations in learning and research with courses such as Shakespeare: Print and Performance and Literature and Mental Health. (I even have certain research topics in mind as I enter the postgraduate program!)

I’m really thankful and blessed to have discovered FutureLearn. It helped me deal with and process my illness and sexuality by re-focusing my attention towards learning. The courses which I’ve mentioned have been helping me maintain more than a year of stability from bouts of clinical depression, anxiety attacks, and hypomania. One course on the site which tackled university research has even helped me start (and finish) my undergraduate thesis on families with members who have a mental illness. I would never have imagined that learning, and gaining knowledge, would help me cope with being bipolar and queer so thank God for FutureLearn!

With my incredible experience with FutureLearn, I hope to be able to help Filipinos in the LGBTQ+ community find representation, as well as those struggling with mental illness to find acceptance and understanding. I’ll definitely take this to heart as a future academic and researcher. We need to break the stigma when it comes to these two groups. FutureLearn has taught me that democratised learning that is full, in-depth, rich, and available should also be an option to underrepresented Filipinos in the Philippines”

[learner-stories]

Carolyn, 66, is a facilitator of educational programs from Australia. Here she shares her thanks to the British Library for introducing her to FutureLearn, her love for online, social learning and how FutureLearn improved her knowledge of UK Parliament. 

“I was pleased to find out about the FutureLearn learning environment from the well- respected staff at the British Library. Their endorsement gave me the confidence to begin learning.

The University of Nottingham staff and British Library presenters did not disappoint. Their explanations and descriptions were clear. The discussion about the Bauhaus’s influence on middle-class interior design objects between the two world wars was of interest. Modern-day environmentalism as an ideology allowed me to discuss a leading-edge technology, the electric car. I am grateful for that opportunity on the social learning platform. I believe that the electric car as a modern-day object reflects the need for zero emissions technology. I have since found out that technology has been developed where the electric car's lithium-ion batteries can eventually be part of a super grid, as described in Al Gore’s book ’Our Choice’ 2009. This super grid will be connected to smart computers that can analyse the grid’s supply and demand peaks and troughs, making supply issues a thing of the past.

I have worked as a facilitator of environmental programs at a Recycling Education Centre since the nineties. Primary and Secondary students plus their teachers came as visitors from all over the State of Victoria. I was able to take my life-long interest in teaching and learning to the tertiary level with UNSW Sydney’s, Introduction to Learning and Teaching in Higher Education and was pleased to discover the awesome new software available to assess student achievement and gather student feedback. The design and enhancing teaching and learning UNSW course segments have combined known theory with new online technologies to suggest that higher-order thinking is possible with the redefining capabilities of the apps that are available. I am a primary teacher and find the development of education fascinating. I am also pleased that I can continue to get access to these free courses.

While I had enrolled in the UNSW learning and teaching segments another FutureLearn course was offered. My interest in the processes involved with passing Bills in the House of Commons and Lords became obvious once I started the UK Parliament course. I had managed to travel to the UK in May 2017. I booked a tour of parliament two days before departing Australia. The course included discussion about the different chambers and the grand committee room. There was plenty of advice on how to find out what was happening either by viewing parliament TV or visiting the website and navigating the toolbar. Getting involved by knowing when to write to an MP was also helpful.

As a dual-citizen (British/ Australian) I find the breadth of the learning experience on FutureLearn reflects the global reach of the online platform. I am not keen to see any discrimination towards dual citizens. We are broad-minded. The flexible learning mode is essential for me because I am a member of the sandwich generation. This means my time can be prone to disruption due to my dedication to family responsibilities. FutureLearn allows me the chance to find a way to follow an area of interest that I can research and then share my findings with other life-long learners and for Professional Development.

The sense of purpose while engaging in this online experience promotes a sense of self-worth and confidence through the feedback of other learners and staff and the increase in knowledge.”

[learner-stories]

Michael, 67 and a half, is a semi-retired architect and aspiring storyteller from Ireland. Here he shares his thoughts on learning, stories of his career, hobbies and challenges and his passion for storytelling.

“In 1854 John Henry Newman defined a "School of Universal Learning" a description which implies the assemblage of strangers from all parts in one spot; - from all parts; else, how will you find professors and students for every department of knowledge? It is a school of knowledge of every kind, consisting of teachers and learners from every quarter. A place for the communication and circulation of thought, through a wide extent of country.

This I read when I was 16 and I have always remembered it. When I discovered FutureLearn, maybe serendipity, synchronicity and syllogism kicked in (albeit 50 or so years afterwards)  

My career has taken me to work in offices in London and Dublin, for architects and development companies, for community groups, poverty alleviators, government departments, and after establishing an office in my own right, includes projects in housing, retail, mixed-use developments and a training centre for the Probation Service here in Ireland. 

My YouTube channel now has about 100, or so, of my videos include street performers, stained glass, country shows, visited countries. All taken on my trusty Samsung WB 250 F and edited in windows live movie maker. In 2012 also, I joined TripAdvisor and they tell me recently I've had 60,000 plus readers, TripAdvisor is a great reminder of some of the places I've travelled to, but I missed recording other places I visited earlier both on my own and with my family.

I have 'lectured’ in Hong Kong, Ireland and the UK, written off two cars when I first started driving and survived a TIA in Chicago in 2009 thanks to the exceptional expertise of the staff of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. I have said ’never again’ on completion of my PADI diving certification in Malta, and I do not need to skydive or bungee jump.

I am very proud of our five children, (and three grandchildren) and the success they are making of their lives, and have great admiration for the care and dedication of their mother in bringing them into the world and looking after them (still).

I was born into Roman Catholicism, had ethics as subject in school, but I have always admired individuals who have arrived in some sort of a logical process at their religious convictions such as Newman and Chesterton, Irish Catholicism and mine is a bit of a curate's egg I have always followed a CPD path, and my current aspirations include publishing at least one book, making a longer film and support the pro-life cause here on its critical path to mid next year. I like the works of Teilhard de Chardin, Marshal McLuhan, Deepak Chopra and George Bernard Shaw, and I like his dictums:

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the conditions that surround him...The unreasonable man adapts surrounding conditions to himself, therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them.

So back to Newman. I end as I began; - a University is a place of concourse, whether students come from every quarter for every kind of knowledge. It is the place to which a thousand schools make contributions; in which the intellect may safely range and speculate, sure to find its equal in some antagonist activity, and its judge in the tribunal of truth. It is a place where an inquiry is pushed forward, and discoveries verified and perfected, and rashness rendered innocuous, and error exposed, by the collision of mind with mind, and knowledge with knowledge.'

Sounds very like FutureLearn to me and that's why, anytime I get the chance, I seek to complete a Futurelearn course. It is a most extraordinary facility, so well suited to the needs of our times (and times to come), it is a model, I think of where third level education will be for many, RPL is important, RFL is the way of the future

It would have been magic to have access to a facility like FutureLearn when I was younger.”