Master in Bus Routes

In 2016, I was in a rut.  I was covering a maternity cover at a local solicitors and I was bored.  Having left being a legal secretary to complete a BA (Hons) degree in Music and then complete a PGCE to become a music teacher, I had found myself back on my original "career" with the same feelings as I had when I left the legal world.  So to relieve the boredom and to prevent feeling like a failure (I really did feel that way), I decided to sign up to study for a Masters Degree in History with the Open University. 

So along came October 1st 2016.  I started reading and making notes (soooo many notes) on all manner of topics such as historians views on local history, microhistory studies on local areas, families and poverty (mainly because I changed my mind as to what to study), and industrialisation.  During this time I also found out I was pregnant, didn't have the greatest of pregnancies and gave birth to my little girl.  My mum also had her second corneal transplant during this time so I was back and forward to appointments in Leicester Royal Infirmary (as well as Northampton General Hospital for Antenatal Clinics) 

January 2017, I submitted my proposal and sample chapter for marking, which would decide whether my chosen research topic was viable and that I had done enough to qualify to get through the next part of the course (The Open University MA History course is in two parts.  Part 1 is 120 credits and runs over 15 months; part 2 is the dissertation module and is 60 credits running over 9 months).  It wasn't easy for me to choose a topic (although it was probably obvious in the end).  

The EMA was hard work

Originally my dissertation was going to be researching Philanthropy in Hospitals in Northamptonshire and was to look at how boot and shoe factory owners contributed to the development of hospitals in the County.  Although this seemed a great topic, and one that I may return to at some point, I didn't think it would be viable in the time frame particularly as the second part of the course meant I would be juggling studying with a toddler and the hospital archives only opened one day a week (little did I know that the local archives would be limited too).  So I had a rethink of my topic.  What would I have information and knowledge readily available for.  Well buses of course.  When Dad passed away Mum had kept all of Dad's old books.  I also knew that the archives already help a lot of resources as I had planned to look at them before.  So there it was, my topic for my dissertation.  Buses in Northamptonshire between 1920 to 1950.   January 2018 saw me trundle to the post office with my EMA ready for marking.   Two months later I received my results.  A merit and the basis of a good project for my dissertation.  The first hurdle had been jumped.  

It's finished.  Time for a nap

I wouldn't say it was easy.  There were issues with the Northamptonshire Records Office having limited access to documents due to issues with the bunker, also they shortened their opening hours to three days a week.  The National Archives held a lot but time to get there was limited to the odd day once in a while (one time being when Mark took the kids to London Zoo). There was also issues with SCONUL access at our local university because, although I could get it, I was unable to use it as the new campus rules meant that I couldn't attend the library with Chloe in tow.  Despite these hurdles, in January 2019 I trundled off to the Post Office with Chloe to post off my dissertation and final piece of work on this incredible journey.  I actually posted it on the day that Chloe turned 18 months old.  This seemed quite fitting.

So then began the wait.  The wait between sending off the EMA and receiving the result in 2017 seemed fairly short.  Possibly because I had a baby and because you could at least do more reading etc to occupying your mind. The wait between sending off my dissertation and receiving the result this year has been forever!! Full of thoughts of do I put my notes away? Do I put the books away?  Do I keep them out in case I have to resubmit?  Do I do more research?  What do I do next if I pass/fail?  Doubt sets in too, particularly in the final weeks.  What if I haven't done enough? What if I missed something out?

But then this week the day came. We got our results on Monday! I opened the website and there it was.  The sigh of relief, the overwhelming emotion, the pride of the achievement.

I got a Merit on my dissertation meaning I achieved a Merit on my Masters overall.  I have shed a tear and I've thanked my Dad for the inspiration.

I still haven't put the notes away or the books.  I don't know whether I will do anything else.  I'm still undecided what to do next.  What I do know, however, is that I won't be doing anything until Chloe is at least at nursery if not at school. Studying with a toddler is hard, and particularly at this level.  What I do know is that I am prouder completing and achieving this than I ever was completing my degree or my PGCE.  This is because I did this course for me.  I didn't need to do it.  I didn't need it for work (although I may now consider other avenues).

Graduation will be in the Autumn but until then:

I am Kathrina Perry BA (Hons) PGCE MA.  Master of Bus Routes, timetables and dusty boxes.