Hard work pays off for James

IAN BUNTING

When James Donaldson was made redudant seven years ago, the 32-year-old Coatbridge man faced an uncertain future.

But dad- of- one James overcame brief pessimism to set new goals and has now proved that hard work pays off.

James has graduated from The Open University (OU) with a BSc in sport, fitness and coaching and now works as an education instructor at Mirren Park School in Paisley.

He lost his job at a ready mix concrete production firm in 2012, when the business shed almost half of its staff.

James then ploughed his redundancy payout into an unsuccessful business and wasn’t sure where to turn next.

The graduate said: “I was unemployed and quite miserable; I had put on a lot of weight, getting up to around 20st.

“I started volunteering at Clyde FC as a community coach, and that was going well, but I felt I needed more of a plan.

“I applied to The Open University and quickly life began to change.

“My course was focused on fitness and that spurred me on to lose weight; I actually lost 60lbs in the first year.

“At the same time, my employment prospects improved; I started working at Domino’s Pizza and then upped my salary by returning to the company I had left just 16 months before.”

James added: “Studying with The Open University has been a challenge that I have juggled and managed over the past six years, through employment changes, marriage and parenthood.

“I was able to study online, on my own and really focus on what interested me the most.

“I love my job; since completing my degree, my employer has confirmed that they will support me as I enrol in the professional graduate diploma in Education [PGDE], so that I can qualify to become a teacher.

“I recommend the OU to everyone – one of my colleagues has now enrolled in the same course.

“And I have kept up with the OU; I’m steadily working through anything sport and exercise-related on Open Learn.

“They are free modules you can do to keep a hand in – like CPD.”

James was cheered on by wife Kirsteen and his parents at an OU graduation ceremony held at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall.