For the last six years I have been working through a degree with the Open University and after many, many hours spent sat in front of my computer working late nights to meet a deadline I have at last submitted my final assessed piece towards a BSc in Computing and IT.

I submitted back on the 20th of September, but it has taken me until now to get over that and start to process what comes next.

For quite a long time I was close to a first and there is still a slim chance I will get one, however, it all comes down to the last mark on my last assignment, so I am resigned to passing with a respectable 2:1. Since I started my degree I have gotten married, had a daughter, moved house, had another daughter, changed job role 4 times, worked through a pandemic and started with a new company for the first time in 13 years, so I think I can cut myself a little slack.

Results day is the 30th of November 2021 and with a bit of luck I might get a graduation ceremony in 2022, but we will see what happens with the understandable backlog.

So, now I find myself asking, what will I do with all this time? Well, where I am working now at Modo25 puts a lot of emphasis on personal responsibility and personal development. We only work 4 days a week, but those 4 days are expected to be effective and impactful. To that end I have been reading books such as Colt McAnlis’ Plan, Act, Impact and Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog among others. I haven’t previously been a big fan of self-improvement books, instead working like Boxer in Animal Farm, convincing myself that longer hours were the only way to be productive no matter the personal cost, but I am beginning to see some of the positives both with a better work-life balance and still getting things done.

With that in mind, you can expect to see more updates, both here and on Modo25’s blog, like my recent report on Designing for data projects at Leeds Digital Festival. I also have clear goals for the year and have been making steady progress towards them, with more of them due to be completed very soon so watch this space.