From ‘average student’ to marketing whizz: How online learning has changed my life

From struggling academically and dropping out of university to embarking on an exciting new online degree, the last five years have been momentous for BSc Marketing student Muhammed Junaid.  

After secondary school, Muhammed went on to a study a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology in southern India, where he lives. But “unfortunately I wasn’t able to complete the degree.” 

Later, he built a career in the higher education sector and was inspired to take up online education through his current role in student recruitment with the virtual learning platform Coursera. 

Now a BSc Marketing student with the University of London, he hopes to graduate after three years. 

“I had a fascination with how our marketing activities are running, so that’s basically the reason I joined this course, and I’m learning a lot of things, like biopolitical marketing,” he recalls. 

The online degree, which is delivered on the platform run by his employer, gives him the flexibility he needs to juggle both work and university.

It’s been comfortable and by far the experience has been wonderful.

He divides his time between his full-time job and studying at least an hour each day, typically in the evening. “If I’m putting in an hour a day for three days, I’m usually able to finish one week’s content for a specific course, and three days for the other one, and Sunday is always a day off,” he says. 

He is keen to unlock new opportunities in the future and put into practice what he has learnt. 

He hopes the University of London’s reputation for excellence will help bolster his profile. “The University of London, you can’t get better than that. It’s one of the best institutions, and that has been my dream for the past year,” he adds.  

But for Muhammed, the benefits have already been life- changing.  Having struggled in the past to keep up with academic coursework, he has found empowerment through self-study and online learning with the BSc. 

The format enables him to easily access all course materials at once, including any links to external online sources, and manage his time more effectively.  

"Being an average student myself, someone who had a difficult past in studying and is now getting a 100 per cent in statistics and 87 per cent in management, I strongly believe it’s because of the structure of the course, which is much easier,” he says.  

“People underestimate the opportunities and scope of online learning.” 

Find out more about the University of London’s BSc in Marketing.